²⁵Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids. ²⁶For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life … ³²The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it.

The metaphor of falling into sexual enticement, whether through marital infidelity (“adultery”), prostitution (“harlot”), or pornography (Matt. 5:27-28), takes center stage. But we must remember that the more significant issue, which sexual enticement illustrates, is the temptation to foolish living. However, the metaphor stands in its own right as wisdom teaching. The universal nature of sexuality and the continual struggle to keep it under control marvelously illustrates the pull of foolishness in our lives. It is a constant and enticing battle!

Those who fall to adultery’s temptation often remorsefully say, “If I had only known how great the consequences would be, I would never have fallen to the temptation.” Well, this passage lays it out in no uncertain terms. The problem is that temptation doesn’t happen just by chance; the table is stacked against us. Enticement comes looking for us. In the case of sex, the adulteress uses her beauty, especially her eyes, not just to tempt the young man but to capture him; “an adulteress hunts for the precious life” (vs. 26).

We must be careful in thinking that the fault lies only with the temptress. The young man in this passage is the one who is considering a foolish decision; he can’t blame the woman. Certainly, a young man can pursue and seduce an otherwise unwilling woman to have sex (see, for example, Amnon’s pursuit and rape of Tamar in 2 Sam. 13). But the principle is that foolishness is continually calling out to us, seeking to tempt us to make unwise decisions. Behind every temptation is the one who would destroy our souls, as the apostle Peter warns us: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The enemy of our souls doesn’t destroy us directly but entices us to do his dirty work, namely destroying ourselves through foolish decisions! He is not trying to get us to make a mistake, like shooting ourselves in the foot; he wants to entice us to shoot ourselves in the soul!

This passage in Proverbs explicitly describes what happens when we fall into temptation (see for comparison James 1:13-16). The natural desire for sex mirrors the desire to live life for one’s own benefit. And it begins in our souls, so that command rings out: “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids” (vs. 1). Temptation is an intimate thing, a connection that runs deep in the soul; falling to it, however, reduces our “precious life” to the level of a loaf of bread (vs. 2). That which we take in, which seems a good thing for us, becomes like a fire: when we inhale its smoke, it will smolder, burn, and ultimately destroy us on the inside, and it will also have outward consequences, like scorching our feet from walking on hot coals (vss. 27-28). Severe communal judgment will harshly come from taking another person’s spouse: “Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out” (vs. 33). Even more so, the aggrieved spouse will not be satisfied:

Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out. For jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not accept any ransom, nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts. (Prov. 6:33–35)

We must not miss the point by arguing about things like the aggrieved spouse needing to “forgive and forget”; other Scripture addresses those issues. The point here is that adultery is a sin with unbearable consequences. People don’t despise a thief who steals food because of hunger. The thief will be required to make significant restitution, but his actions are humanly understood, and he is not ostracized with scorn (vs. 30-31). In the case of adultery, there is no restitution possible! Scorn and anger are not easily satisfied.

Every young man faces the onslaught of sexual temptation, especially in our contemporary world where “sex sells.” What used to be “hard-core” pornography is now considered “soft-core.” The internet sends advertisements that appeal deeply to our souls, with promises to fulfill our every intimate desire. The lesson of the passage for the young man, for all of us, is to humble ourselves and accept the wisdom of God about the power of temptation. We must embrace the reality that the enemy of our souls will stop at nothing in leading us to make foolish decisions. There is no greater foolishness than to risk everything in life for a moment’s pleasure!

Lord, I renew my commitment to “… lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us” (Heb. 12:1). Amen!