Bible Devotions for Living

The book of Proverbs spends a lot of time in the earlier chapters talking about the dangers of a woman who has loose morals sexually and is a temptress. The book warns young men like a dad would warn his children of them and teach them to avoid that type of woman. It also approaches avoiding them by speaking from wisdoms perspective and sends the same message of the dangers associated to them with the warning to avoid the temptress.

³ For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, ⁴ but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; ⁶ she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. ⁷ And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. ⁸ Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house … (Pv 5:3-8)

²⁴ And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. ²⁵ Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, ²⁶ for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. ²⁷ Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. (Pv 7:24-27)

This is serious business. Temptresses have ruined many marriages and lives. The Bible is clear that you should keep your way far from them, not go near them or their house, and not stray onto her path.

In our high-tech culture, these temptresses are everywhere! They are in advertisements wearing skimpy clothes, in movies and online with no clothes on, and in porn. The temptations of women to men through the various media is so commonplace that people don’t even recognize these women as temptresses. Men need to change their thinking in this area. When you see a scantily dressed woman in an add, online, or on TV, you need to think of them as a temptress and protect yourself.

Jesus made it clear that you sin by even looking at the temptress in a sexual way:

²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 5:28)

Avoid the temptress. Don’t look at her and sin and don’t talk with her and be pulled in. Keep away from sexually loose women, women who dress in an inappropriately provocative way, or women who try to seduce with words. View them as temptresses and avoid them.

Read the account of Old Testament Joseph and how he handled a temptress:

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. ⁷ After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” ⁸ But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. ⁹ No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” ¹⁰ Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. ¹¹ Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. ¹² She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. ¹³ When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside … (Gen 39:6-13)

Recognize a temptress when you see one, stay focused on God, and avoid them if possible.

Take this seriously because the path to her house leads to death.

Think about it

Do you view scantily dressed women, models, TV personalities as temptresses? Do you think of women who pose nude and in porn as temptresses? Should you?

Name some ways a woman can tempt a man.

Name some reasons why a temptress is dangerous. What damage can they cause?

Do you have any temptresses in your life? How do you handle not being swept away by them … at least mentally?

Keep in mind that a temptress can also cause you to sin without you having sex with them. You can fantasize sexually and sin, can become emotionally attached to them and sin against your wife with an emotional affair.

Do you take this seriously or does this sound silly to you?

Can you avoid any temptresses who are in your life? Will you?

If you can’t avoid them, like in the case of Joseph, how should you handle your interactions?