Proverbs 7:1-2, 24-27

My son, keep my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you;
² keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;

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 [the prostitute’s] 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.

[Added for clarification]

Back when I was a “Little Vic”, I remember going fishing for the first time with my grandfather. For me one of the hardest things to do was to put the worm on the hook without getting stabbed…multiple times. After several unsuccessful tries I finally asked, “Why do we use worms anyway? Don’t we catch them with just the hook?”

My grandfather smiled and replied, “That’s right, Victor, we catch them with the hook, but you got to lure them in. You gotta give them something that will catch their attention and bring them in.” What he said made sense, but I had already decided after getting stabbed five times that I didn’t like fishing.

A couple of weeks later, when I was “encouraged” to go out fishing again, my grandfather brought some colorful plastic worms as well as the live ones. I guess to make me feel better about going fishing again, he gave me a more detailed explanation of why we use worms. I think my lack of enthusiasm was obvious. He said, “Victor, you use worms because fish eat worms; they are used to them. You use these plastic worms to catch their attention; the color attracts them from a distance. And then you wiggle your line a little to make them look real.” Although I had a better understanding of worms, I still didn’t like fishing. It was better just to go back to my grandparent’s house and wait for my grandmother to finish cooking them.

Proverbs 7 is a classic example of how a young man is seduced by a prostitute, to his doom. Her initial appeals weren’t overt, but subtle and seductive. She lured the young man by her looks, her dress, her touch, her bed linens and the suggestion that they would not get caught; her husband was gone on a “long journey”. In the end, he gave in to the seduction and was “hooked”.

For the Christian, the world is like the prostitute of Proverbs 7. There are suductive ways of thinking that rationalize sin. There are appeals to our senses, emotions and pride that make us more susceptible to ungodly influence. There is the lure that everyone is doing it, or we won’t get caught that guides us to do things we normally wouldn’t do. Before long we find ourselves living a life that is in contradiction to the commands, principles and wisdom of God suffering the consequences; with our fellowship with Him being the first casualty.

What “seductions” are luring you away from godly wisdom? Who are you allowing to influence your senses, emotions and pride to take you away from the influence of the Holy Spirit? What adverse consequences are just around the corner waiting to “hook” you?

1 John 2:15-17 classifies “seductive worms” into three categories: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life. None of these are from God but are from the world. The fallout from their seduction may not be as severe as Genesis 3 for Adam and Eve, but can be just as devastating for your personal life. Beware of seductive worms.