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Unlike the rest of Proverbs, this unit has few specific proverbs about life such as: “Do not withhold good
from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act (3:28).” Almost all the verses are about
valuing and choosing wisdom as opposed to choosing folly. We are encouraged to view those paragraphs
about the adulterous woman as having something to say about wisdom. The closest of relationships we
can have on earth, the marriage relationship, teaches us about the most important quality of life, the use
of God’s wisdom.

Sexual temptation is an appropriate metaphor for all foolish choices. We understand the power of sex.
We can see its destructiveness in others even if we have not given in to the stolen waters ourselves. Like
Eve we are drawn to get wisdom through evil means. “The woman saw that the fruit of the tree
was…desirable for gaining wisdom (Gen. 3:6).” That initial transgression is the pattern for all
transgressions. Evil looks good. Evil tastes sweet at first, even if it has a bitter aftertaste. This is Satan’s
way.

To do its worst, evil needs to look its best. Evil has to spend a lot on makeup.
Hypocrites have to spend time polishing their act and polishing their image…. Even
Satan, who looks heroic to rebels, must masquerade “as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14)
in order to look plausible. This infernal embarrassment (Satan must appeal to our God-
given appetite for goodness in order to win his way.) suggests a significant feature of
evil: to prevail, evil must not only steal power and intelligence from goodness but also its
credibility. From counterfeit money to phony airliner parts to the trustworthy look on
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the face of a con artist, evil appears in disguise. Hence its treacherousness.

The language of temptation in Proverbs is that of taking a walk. Wisdom asks, “How long will you who
are simple love your simple ways (1:22)?” The father
instructs his son in straight paths saying, “When you
walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run,
you will not stumble (4:11-12).” In contrast the steps of
the adulterous woman lead straight to the grave (5:5)
and “she gives no thought to the way of life; her paths
wander aimlessly (5:6).” A simple man walking along in
the direction of her house (7:8) is like “an ox going to the
slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose (7:22).” The Figure 48: Deer and noose
ultimate end of the path is destruction. Step by step, little by little. What once seemed sweet, innocent
pleasure turns into death. “None who go to her return or attain the paths of life” (2:19, cf. 5:5, 11-12, 23;
6:33; 7:26-27; 9:18).

All folly has a gradual, addictive quality to it. Whether sex or theft or lying or murderous anger or drugs,
our walk into sin begins with a small step off the path.

“Rather than a huge noticeable leap of rebellion, addiction is marked by small steps of
spiritual casualness or indifference, and a lack of sensitivity to right and wrong. It

161 Cornelius Plantinga, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be (Grand Rapids: William b. Eerdmans, 1996), 98.
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