Proverbs 2:16

God loves His sons, and Solomon loved his son. A great danger facing men is fornication and adultery, which is warned about often in Proverbs. Both God and Solomon warn against immoral women, who increase this sin among men (Pr 23:28). Learn the warning.

Let every father and son take heed, for here is a warning of great importance to the safety of your soul. Noble readers will let the wisdom and knowledge of Proverbs enter into their hearts and be pleasant unto their souls (Pr 2:10), for then discretion and understanding can save them from the strange woman (Pr 2:11). Avoid this sin.

What is a strange woman? She is any woman you have not married, so you have no right to any romantic or sexual pleasure with her. She does not belong to you. More specifically, she is a whorish woman, who entices men to commit fornication with her.

In the Bible, Jephthah’s brothers despised him as the son of a strange woman, for his mother was a prostitute (Judges 11:1-2). Their own mother was their father’s wife, but his mother a whore. Therefore, Jephthah was a bastard and not a full, legitimate son.

A strange woman is a stranger, for she belongs to another man. Christians are strangers in the earth, because this is not their home; their home is heaven. A strange woman is an evil woman straying from her home and seducing men other than her husband for sex.

You will meet with this warning again, as it is a great temptation for men, especially young men (Pr 6:24; 7:5). No man can play with this temptation, for many strong men have been slain by her (Pr 7:26). Samson was powerless before Delilah (Judges 16:4-21), so that he told her all his heart, even though he knew she was out to destroy him.

Determine in your heart beforehand to avoid this woman, for she is waiting to cause you to sin (Pr 23:26-28). She does not always seek wicked and profane men, for she may seek those with virtuous souls (Pr 6:26). So you can see Potiphar’s wife enticing noble Joseph, who firmly rejected her advances with a soul committed to God (Gen 39:7-12).

You could meet her today. Men work with wives of other men more than ever, and those women are sexually looser than ever. What can a man do? He must commit his soul to God in all sexual matters, and he must avoid forward or friendly women. The flattering attention of a woman is too powerful to allow, for it will lead to destruction (Pr 7:21-23).

Do not lust after a woman’s beauty or enjoy her eyes (Pr 6:25). Reject and flee from her words of praise and flattery (Pr 6:24). Do not think about her in your heart (Job 31:1). Stay away from her presence with great care (Pr 4:15). Flee youthful lusts (II Tim 2:22).

Flattery is kind and friendly speech to win your attention. It is not sincere and virtuous, for the intentions are not noble or righteous. A woman’s praise can overpower a man, so avoid it and disregard it (Pr 5:3; 7:21). Do not chat, call, text, or email such women, unless necessary, for she cannot flatter you, if you do not communicate with her.

Of course, she will not say her goal is sin. Instead she will praise you, commend herself, describe creative lovemaking and great affection, and say she wants to give you much love (Pr 7:13-18). Hate her words! Run from them! Reject them! She lies! Though she seems delightful and pleasant, her end is bitter and painful (Pr 2:18-19; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18).

Solomon wrote much of Proverbs to protect his son from strange women. Wisdom, knowledge, discretion, and understanding will keep you from her (Pr 2:10-11). Know and understand that God has condemned all adulterers and whoremongers (Heb 13:4), and the consequences of adultery are terrible and long lasting (Pr 6:26-35). It is a man’s wisdom and discretion to minimize social interaction with any woman but his own wife.

Godly women must learn to modestly cover their beauty, limit their eye contact, and curtail friendly speech with other men. If you do not, you kindle a fire that will destroy your own soul and home and those of others as well. If you truly love your neighbor, those people God puts in your path, you will protect them from adultery (Rom 13:8-10).

Dear reader, may God give you grace and strength to be faithful to Him and your spouse this day. Remember that Jesus Christ used the example of a strange woman with harlot daughters as the picture of the apostate Roman church, who left Him for pagan ritualism. You should be faithful to your earthly spouse and to your heavenly husband, Jesus Christ.