We will discuss the women in Proverbs this week. There are thirteen different women in Proverbs. Of these, 9 are bad women and 4 are good women. According to these numbers, Solomon deals twice as much with bad women as he does with good women. Today we will study the strange, evil woman.
The strange woman is mentioned 8 times in Proverbs.
- Prov 2:16-19 – the strange woman has three characteristics. She flatters with her words. Her words are used to trap you, like the man in Prov 29:5. So, you can’t believe what she says. She forsakes the guide of her youth. She rebels against her parents. If she won’t submit to them, she won’t submit to you. She forgets the covenant of her God. She is to give herself to one man; but she gives herself to more than that. The way to keep from being ensnared by her is to fear God, stay away from her, and follow the wisdom, knowledge, discretion and understanding that are found in the words of the Lord [Prov 2:10-11]
- Prov 5:3 – the strange woman’s lips drop as an honeycomb and her mouth is smoother than oil. You talk about enticing. You listen to her words and forget how sweet the words of God are. To keep from getting taken by her, you must love instruction, accept reproof, obey your teachers, and incline your ear to your instructors [Prov 5:12-13, 1-2].
- Prov 5:20 – the strange woman will ravish men and allow them to embrace her bosom. To ravish is to bear away with joy or delight. I have watched many a young man stray away from the Lord with a woman like this. You are not to be this intimate with a woman until she is your wife [Prov 5:18-19] and then only with her.
- Prov 6:24-26 – the strange, evil woman catches men with her beauty and her eyelids. She is a whorish adulteress. The Bible is never complimentary of sin. It always paints it in its true light. You must understand that beauty is vain [Prov 31:30]. To keep from falling for this woman, diligently keep the commandments of your parents [Prov 6:20-23].
- Prov 7:5 – the strange woman catches men by her attire [Prov 7:10], by her kisses [7:13], by her bed [7:16-17], by her love [7:18], and by her flattery [7:21]. But look where she leaves these guys in Prov 7:26-27, wounded and slain. Prov 7:25 you cannot decline to her ways or go astray in her paths.
- Prov 20:16 – the strange woman will “take men to the cleaners,” [Prov 27:13]. That is, she will leave them when she cleans them out. The fellow in this verse has to put up collateral for this strange woman, indicating that he won’t be able to pay the debt when it comes due. Getting hooked up with a strange woman can be an expensive affair [Prov 5:10].
- Prov 23:27-28 – the strange woman is a deep ditch and a narrow pit. That is, when you fall into this pit, you’re going to have a hard time getting out. You are like prey to her. You may be a church-going, pretty straight fellow. By the time she gets through with you, you will be just one more transgressor among many.
Conclusion: The strongest defenses men have against the strange woman are loving wisdom and discretion that come directly from the fear of God and the words of God [Prov 2:1-11], obeying the commands of good parents who lay down the law for their sons [Prov 6:20-23], and disciplining yourself to stay away from her, her beauty, her words, her path and her way [Prov 4:14-15].