“With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.” Prov. 7:21-23
Often, men commit adultery when they are feeling discounted, lonely, or afraid of growing old, but do they ever stop to consider the devastation this sin can cause? It is ironic that in an attempt to express their prowess they actually expose their weakness.
How cleverly the father of lies leads people to their own downfall. He begins by challenging a man to prove his potency by having a relationship with a woman outside his marriage.
“See, you haven’t lost it. You are still attractive to women.” he flatters. “I’m amazed at how easily you got that one interested. She must be 15 years younger than you. It’s time to feel good about your self again.”
Then Satan helps the man rationalize his choice. “Your wife is busy with other things? Well, you have needs, and you deserve to have them met. Her loss is another woman’s gain.” The lies are smooth. They promise a renewal of strength; a welcome boost to the ego.
But, Solomon describes such a man as “a deer stepping into a noose; a bird darting into a snare.” Do these phrases call to mind images of youthfulness and strength, or do they suggest painful pictures of weakness and vulnerability? Who appears more powerful: the man who practices self-restraint or the one who follows his desires “like an ox going to the slaughter”?
And, so, having convinced himself that his adultery means little in the large scheme of things, a man will walk blithely into a snare “little knowing it will cost him his life.”
“What happened?” he wonders afterwards. “Why doesn’t my wife love me any more? I’m the same person I was last week. How could she think that one little indiscretion means I don’t love her? What does she mean she is leaving and taking the children? This other woman means nothing to me. I love my wife. She is being totally unreasonable.”
“Like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.” Proverbs 7:23.
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