Scared of the Subject?

Being that this time around we are not focusing so much on doing actual commentary, here are some initial thoughts regarding Proverbs chapter 7.

First, I have to wonder if discussing the content of this chapter is intimidating based on the current mood of society. Are we afraid to approach a chapter that deals mainly with the dangers a predatory woman poses? Are we afraid that we will be accused of victim-shaming in the eyes of the all-seeing “Me Too” movement?

Secondly, is it hard to comprehend a woman being the aggressor? Chapter 7 makes it pretty obvious that the woman in the story is the one seeking out her prey, while the man is the gullible sap that falls for her advances. It would seem to me that if that was the case, then women could theoretically get away with literal murder.

Personally, I give women far more credit than some. To be honest, aside from the normal physical advantage most men have, women possess a much wider array of emotional and psychological weaponry than their counterparts. And, in some ways, they’re stronger.

I find it ironic that in a world where Facebook lists over 50 genders and men and women are reduced to indistinguishable and ever-changing pronouns that women still play the victim card when it’s convenient. Men, on the other hand, are always considered the aggressor. Maybe those facts (or misunderstandings) are the very reasons we should not only teach our men to be men and our women to be women, but warn each of them – including young men – of the dangers that lurk where lust lives.

The fact that is true for all of us is that without godly wisdom someone will take advantage of us, and the end might not be an exciting, new relationship; it might be the grave.