Do you know Christians who have fallen back into old sins from which they had been freed, and wonder how they could have let that happen to them? Solomon’s story of the young man seduced by the adulterous woman reveals how such a thing can happen. Note the steps he takes toward his downfall. It starts with a lack of caution. Solomon sees the adulterous woman as the downfall of an incautious young man; God presents His people’s unfaithfulness to Him as adultery, so we can take Solomon’s warning to heart ourselves. Deuteronomy and Joshua are full of warnings to be careful, be strong. The New Testament is full of warnings to be on our guard. Just as the adulterous woman appears religious, speaking the language of paying her vows, the temptations our enemy uses to try to entrap us are not obvious. They don’t appear to be dangerous, but they are deadly.
The adulterous woman meets the young man as he’s walking down her street; wisdom cries out from a prominent public place. What does the contrast convey? If we think that temptation is easy to fall into, Solomon seems to be telling us that wisdom is actually easier to find. If that is the case, why is wisdom such a precious commodity in this world, while sin is so rampant? Note the characteristics of wisdom and where it can be found, and compare them to the characteristics of the adulterous woman and her ways. Which do you prefer to be part of your life? Again I ask, why is wisdom so dear, and unfaithfulness and folly so common?