The Stages of Seduction . . . The 6 Stages to Sin
TODAY'S PROVERB: "...He took a bag of money with him—he won’t come home until full moon.” Proverbs 7:20
This poor kid didn't stand a chance. Or did he?
Chapter seven is a sad tale of a naive young man (vs. 7). He made a life-altering choice one night. But the choice was his, wasn't it? Yes. How did he come to make such a poor choice? Seduction.
Seduction seems to follow a pattern. I call it the 6 Steps to Sin. Let's look at this man-child's journey:
It begins with a restless night. He can't sleep and decides to go for a walk after "curfew." (vs. 9). Was he looking for trouble? Or just wanted to explore? Explore what?
King Solomon says he lacked understanding (vs.7), which means he had been taught to not go out after dark, and alone. However, he didn't trust his parents or teachers enough to not experience it for himself. He thought he knew better.
Seduction's first victory:To lure us away from safety with pride.
An adulteress, dressed as a prostitute, prowling around the empty streets spies him and sees him for the easy target he is (vs. 8). She's loud, making herself known (vs.11). No doubt he heard her voice. He tries to avoid her, but he's in her neighborhood (vss. 8, 12).
Seduction's second victory: To think we can sneak around in sin's territory.
The young man could have turned around and returned home. Instead he chooses to stay. The adulteress finds him easily. She grabs and kisses him (vs. 13).
Seduction's third victory: Sin grabs us once we're in its territory.
Then she proceeds to woo him, in intimate ways (vs.11), why he should follow her. Convincing him she was a good person (vs. 14), and knows he's a good person (vs. 15).
Seduction's fourth victory: To personalize sin--give it an image rather than a concept. An appealing "face."
Next, she gets into his head with images and senses (vss. 16-18). Tantalizes him with what it could be like.
Seduction's fifth victory: To get inside our mind and senses. To color our imagination with want.
Then she drops a bombshell. She's married! Oh. But, it's okay. He's on a long journey. (vss. 19-20)
Seduction's sixth victory: To test how deep we're into its trap. That common sense and the conscience GOD places in us have been dulled enough to make the choice to sin.
It's his last chance to run away. But, he doesn't. He succumbs to the temptation, by choice (vss. 21-22).
At first glance, it may have appeared he didn't have a chance, but the reality is he had at least six chances. Instead, his foolish choices led to sin's victory.
The pattern of seduction is the same for all of us. Seduction draws us to sin's door and invites us to enter. It's doesn't come out of nowhere.
There are spontaneous choices to sin--but I might argue that there are steps to that as well. But, there are life-altering sins (vss. 23-27) that involve a line of choices. With each choice, we are given a way out.
Being tempted to sin happens every day, all day long. Sin happens when we choose to give in.
May we choose to walk away from seduction and temptation, my friends.
Proverbs 7:20, Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH MONDAY through FRIDAY LIVE at 8:30EST, Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with the book of Proverbs. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
This poor kid didn't stand a chance. Or did he?
Chapter seven is a sad tale of a naive young man (vs. 7). He made a life-altering choice one night. But the choice was his, wasn't it? Yes. How did he come to make such a poor choice? Seduction.
Seduction seems to follow a pattern. I call it the 6 Steps to Sin. Let's look at this man-child's journey:
It begins with a restless night. He can't sleep and decides to go for a walk after "curfew." (vs. 9). Was he looking for trouble? Or just wanted to explore? Explore what?
King Solomon says he lacked understanding (vs.7), which means he had been taught to not go out after dark, and alone. However, he didn't trust his parents or teachers enough to not experience it for himself. He thought he knew better.
Seduction's first victory:To lure us away from safety with pride.
An adulteress, dressed as a prostitute, prowling around the empty streets spies him and sees him for the easy target he is (vs. 8). She's loud, making herself known (vs.11). No doubt he heard her voice. He tries to avoid her, but he's in her neighborhood (vss. 8, 12).
Seduction's second victory: To think we can sneak around in sin's territory.
The young man could have turned around and returned home. Instead he chooses to stay. The adulteress finds him easily. She grabs and kisses him (vs. 13).
Seduction's third victory: Sin grabs us once we're in its territory.
Then she proceeds to woo him, in intimate ways (vs.11), why he should follow her. Convincing him she was a good person (vs. 14), and knows he's a good person (vs. 15).
Seduction's fourth victory: To personalize sin--give it an image rather than a concept. An appealing "face."
Next, she gets into his head with images and senses (vss. 16-18). Tantalizes him with what it could be like.
Seduction's fifth victory: To get inside our mind and senses. To color our imagination with want.
Then she drops a bombshell. She's married! Oh. But, it's okay. He's on a long journey. (vss. 19-20)
Seduction's sixth victory: To test how deep we're into its trap. That common sense and the conscience GOD places in us have been dulled enough to make the choice to sin.
It's his last chance to run away. But, he doesn't. He succumbs to the temptation, by choice (vss. 21-22).
At first glance, it may have appeared he didn't have a chance, but the reality is he had at least six chances. Instead, his foolish choices led to sin's victory.
The pattern of seduction is the same for all of us. Seduction draws us to sin's door and invites us to enter. It's doesn't come out of nowhere.
There are spontaneous choices to sin--but I might argue that there are steps to that as well. But, there are life-altering sins (vss. 23-27) that involve a line of choices. With each choice, we are given a way out.
Being tempted to sin happens every day, all day long. Sin happens when we choose to give in.
May we choose to walk away from seduction and temptation, my friends.
Proverbs 7:20, Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH MONDAY through FRIDAY LIVE at 8:30EST, Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with the book of Proverbs. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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