“Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait” (Proverbs 7:10-12). If you put yourself on the path to temptation, temptation will find you each and every time. Solomon now switches from describing the naive young man to the woman who is going to seduce him. She is dressed and behaving in a seductive way. She is dressed to be seen and wants to make sure she is seen. She is not where she ought to be. Instead, she is making herself available by hanging around at corners and the intersections of streets. It is not hard to find her.

Women of this caliber are admired today in movies, posters, ads, and on the internet. Today, many women take pride in being thought of as attractive and seductive. They want to be seen just like the woman described here. These are evil desires that invite sin. Women dressed in immodest ways should not be seen as beautiful by godly Christian men; they should be recognized for what they are: impure and inviting sin. Immodesty is directly related to immorality in this passage. We are to flee from such women, cf. 2 Timothy 2:22. This foolish man has chosen a different route and is going to pay the price for his poor choice.

Jeremy Sprouse