CC Image courtesy of Rachel on Flickr.

Proverbs 5
Author: Rob Anderson

“For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil.” (5.3, NIV)

It is actually a messy picture, when you think about it: A woman with honey all over her face. You can just hear her saying, “Come kiss me” and your response is probably: “Not until you clean up all that mess.”

OK, so perhaps the imagery is not exactly the most appealing, but it should be. We too often assume that sin in any form, but certainly adultery, is so blatantly obvious, one would have to be blind or naïve to not see it coming. We “tsk, tsk” those caught up in addiction, thinking: “How in the world did they not know the mess they were getting into?”

In reality, sin is often very enticing. There is something that feels almost “right” about it. How many times have we heard someone involved in an affair discuss how happy they are and how that relationship feels so normal. They probably did not intend to get involved with someone besides their spouse, yet looked up one day and were deeply involved, too deep to turn back now.

The writer of Proverbs 5, in language that may seem unusual to us today, yet is clearly provocative, encourages his son to watch out for those things that seem so “right.” Avoid the relationships that seem normal in this way. Stay away from the situations that seem too good to be true and without any ramifications. Flee from the adulterous woman.

In the end, these relationships lead to death. How appealing is that?