The Strange Woman and the Evil Woman

The Strange Woman and the Evil Woman
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For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instructions are the way of life:

To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

Proverbs 6:23, 24

I want you to picture Solomon, who is probably ten or twelve years old, with his eyes bugging out and trying to swallow with a lump in his throat. His father, David, is telling him in frank terms about two types of women who can morally destroy his life and keep him from enjoying the sexual relationship with the wife God has for him. David is saying, “Solomon, you can experience sex God’s way or the world’s way. God’s way will bring increasing joy and fulfillment. The world’s way will bring destruction to the body and the soul.” Only the Word of God put into the heart can guard a young man or woman from the sellers of sex and other sins in the world.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

The Strange Woman

The strange woman is the prostitute. She is the first womand David warned about because she is so easily found in the streets of the city. There are many passages describing her, (Proverbs 5:3-14, 2:16-19, 7:6-23, and 9:13-18), but we will deal with only a few in Proverbs, chapter 5.

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

But her end is bitter as worm wood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Proverbs 5:3-5

The first thing we are told about the strange woman is she will flatter you with her words. This woman is a master when it comes to saying exactly what the young man wants to hear. Notice, she offers flattery, not praise.

There is a big difference between flattery and praise. Flattery tries to get something out of you; praise tries to put something into you. Flattery has an evil motivation behind it. It finds something good about you and uses it to take what it wants from you. Praise wants to build you up and does not care whether you give anything in return. Praise is unselfish.

If you fall for this professional flattery, then the verse says “her mouth is smoother than oil” – boy, can she kiss! – but her end is bitter as wormwood. Wormwood was a drug that grew in the wild. Initially, when you chewed on it, it would taste sweet like honey, and it would make you feel great. But as the drug wore off, it would actually bring on headaches, depression, and could eventually destroy the mind.

Just like the drug wormwood, the prostitute will give you a short time of sexual pleasure, but after the excitement comes a terrible bite. In the end, if you do not turn from her, the strange woman will use you until your very body and soul are destroyed.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable that thou canst not know them.

Proverbs 5:6

David goes on to say, “Now son, before you get involved with anyone like this, stand back and ponder it – think about it a minute. Her ways are moveable. She’s shifty and manipulative, and you can never get her to commit to anything. She will tell you anything you want to hear in order to get your money. She will tell you that you are the greatest person, the best lover, and the most handsome guy she has ever seen. But if you hang around long enough, you’ll hear her give the same line to every other man she meets.

The Evil Woman

So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house
But who so committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Proverbs 6:29-35

The evil woman is the adulteress. Although both the strange woman and the evil woman are destructive to the life of a man, the adulteress is the more dangerous of the two. Adultery is not a “one-night stand,” but an affair that goes on week after week and month after month. It slowly drains the life out of you.

...and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

Proverbs 6:26

The adulteress is more wicked than the strange woman. Where the prostitute just wants your money so she can eat that day, the adulteress wants your very life. The adulteress can have sex with her husband, so it isn’t just sex she wants from you. She has possessions with her husband, so it isn’t just your money she wants. She not only wants your money and your body, she wants to possess your soul. It is often a game of power with her.

Adultery brings “a wound and dishonour.” The results of giving in to the evil woman (adulteress) are similar to those of falling for the strange woman (prostitue). The “wound” represents the physical destruction that occurs and “dishonour” is the moral destruction to the soul. You have stolen something which cannot be repaid.

What happens to a thief when he is caught stealing bread? Verse 31 says, he will restore sevenfold what he has stolen. But the thief who takes another man’s wife “lacks understanding,” which is the King James way of saying he is just plain stupid. How do you make restitution for stealing another man’s wife or another woman’s husband? There is not enough money nor can anything be said or done to repay. “He will not regard any ransom: neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.”

I made a covenant with my eyes: why then should I think upon a maid?

Job 31:1

In this verse we see two important things. First, the covenant between a husband and wife is made in the soul. The eyes refer to the soul throughout the Word of God (Matthew 6:22, Ephesians 1:18). Because the covenant is made in the soul, the sin occurs in the soul.

Second, we see more precisely where adultery begins – in the thoughts of the soul– “...why then should I think upon a maid.” Jesus said if you think (meditate) upon a woman to lust after her, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28). Long before the sin manifests in the deed, it is first meditated upon in the mind.

The physical act of adultery is a direct result of breaking covenant with your spouse in the mind. As you fantasize about someone else, dishonor enters the soul, and you open yourself to the actual act of adultery. Ultimately, carrying out the act will spoil your reputation and destroy your good name.

Job shows just how ridiculous it is to try to justify yourself and clear your name after adultery is committed.

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

Job 31:9,10

How do you pay back what has been stolen by adultery? Give the man your wife?

For this is an heinous crime; yea,it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

Job 31:11,12

Adultery will not only dishonor your name; it is a tool Satan uses to steal your God-given prosperity.

Not only is your testimony for the Lord destroyed, your finances that support the preaching of the Gospel are cut off. We see this principle at work even in the world. A wealthy man commits adultery and loses his fortune in the process. A minister of the Gospel who has spent years building up a ministry of credibility commits adultery and loses his ministry, family, and finances at the same time.

Ask yourself a question before committing adultery: am I willing to lose my wife, my children, my credibility, and my occupation for thirty minutes of pleasure with this person? Job called it a fire that would consume to destruction.

Deep in their hears, no matter what their professed values, people cannot trust a man who is not faithful to his wife, or a woman who is unfaithful to her husband. They begin to wonder, "If they cheated on their spouse and lied to them, would they cheat me and lie to me too?"

Remember, the way to keep up your strength against sins of immorality is through the Scriptures. God’s Word is our lamp, and His law ourlight "...to keep us from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.”

Bob Yandian

If you like this article, check out Wisdom for the Family or his book, Family Defined, at the BYM Store.