Predator & Prey

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Proverbs 7:6
She seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her
flattery (v.21).

I watched a ladybug devour an aphid. First, she pierced
its midsection and chewed for a while. When her prey
was mortally wounded, the ladybug munched up the
left side of the aphid’s body and devoured it.
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon described the
interaction between a female predator and her sexual
prey. Although he wrote the passage to caution his son,
men and women alike can learn to spot the aggressive—
yet seductive—behavior of promiscuous prowlers.

Solomon’s story in Proverbs 7 featured a lady of the
evening who was the “brash, rebellious type, never
content to stay at home” (v.11). She was constantly out on
the town looking for “a good time,” disregarding the laws
of decent behavior. Although some of us may be drawn
to people who have a rebellious streak, in the end, those
who disrespect the law won’t respect us either.

Predators often show their lack of respect through
inappropriate advances. The prostitute Solomon
described “threw her arms around [a complete stranger]
and kissed him” (v.13). People who make us feel
uncomfortable with touchy-feely behavior or seem too
physically familiar should be avoided.

As if hugs and kisses weren’t enough to snare her
prey, the huntress used this lame pickup line to entice
the guy: “You’re the one I was looking for!” (v.15).
Then she described what they could do in private. She
“seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery” (v.21).
This ferocious female’s behavior was possible partly because her prey “lacked
common sense” (v.7). He was crossing the street near her house at twilight.
God’s Word commands us to get “wisdom” and “develop good judgment”
(Proverbs 4:5), because wisdom can protect us from people whose “bedroom is
the den of death” (7:27).

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

more›
Read Genesis 39:8 to see how one man resisted the sexual
advances of a determined woman.

next›
How can we reduce our risk of encountering sexual predators? If you
see any of the sexually aggressive person’s behavior in yourself,
how can you change your behavior?

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