God personifies temptation as a harlot in Proverbs 7. The chapter gives us one of the greatest pictures of temptation in Scripture. The harlot pursues the young man the way temptation pursues us. The chapter also gives us one of the greatest pictures of the foolishness of giving in to temptation. The young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation. Here are three ways to resist temptation from Proverbs 7:6-9.

Table of contentsTo Resist Temptation, Don’t Take the First StepSome Sins Don't Require Taking StepsThe Steps David Took to Commit Adultery with Bathsheba"When He Fell, He Didn't Fall Far"To Resist Temptation, Guard Your HeartCounsel for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children Guard Their HeartsCounsel for Young Men and Young Women Who Want to Guard Their HeartsCounsel for Children Who Have Parents Who Help Them Guard Their HeartsTo Resist Temptation, Stay in the LightWanting to Hide in Darkness Starts at a Young AgePursue the Light

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Here are three ways to resist temptation from Proverbs 7:6-9. The young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation.

God is a visual teacher. He wants us to have pictures in our minds. Think of how God had prophets use object lessons in the Old Testament so the people had images of the preached truths. Think of the poetic language used throughout the Bible, such as:

Exodus 19:4 I bore you on eagles’ wings.

God didn’t literally carry Israel with eagles, but this creates wonderful imagery of him swooping in to save his people from Egypt.

Psalm 6:6 Every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.

David wasn’t literally lying on a soggy bed of tears, but it creates the imagery of his sleeplessness and sorrow.

Think of the way Jesus taught in parables, causing people to picture:

A sower sowing seed

A friend coming in the middle of the night

A king throwing a wedding for his son

A greedy farmer who kept building barns for his crops.

This creates pictures that help us understand spiritual truths more easily.

God does the same thing in Proverbs 7. He personifies temptation as a harlot. This chapter gives us three things:

The harlot gives us one of the greatest pictures of temptation in Scripture. Because temptation can be so strong, God wants us to have an equally strong picture of how terrible it is. The harlot pursues the young man the way temptation pursues us.

The foolish young man gives us one of the greatest pictures of the foolishness of giving in to temptation. The young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation.

The end of the chapter gives us one of the most dramatic pictures of the danger of giving in to temptation. The harlot killed the young man like sin kills us.

James 1:14 says, "Each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his own desire." "When he is lured" is one word in Greek, exelkō, which is a metaphor for the seduction of a harlot. In other words, when James wants to describe temptation enticing us, he uses the imagery of a harlot. We get to see what that looks like in this chapter.

What is temptation? Some synonyms for ‘tempt’ are: allure, attract, entice, seduce, and tantalize. Each word generates an emotional picture. We are allured by the temptation. We are attracted to it, enticed by it, seduced by its seeming pleasure, tantalized by the fantasy of what it would be like.

Dangers Men Face by Jerry White, 1997, p. 80

If you didn’t know better, you would think Jerry is describing a harlot enticing someone versus temptation enticing us.

Because we are dealing with a harlot, there’s lots of application for young men, but because the harlot personifies temptation, and we all face temptation, there is application for all of us. That’s why the sermon title is “Three Ways to Resist Temptation” versus “Three Ways for Young Men to Resist Harlots.” When we are tempted, we should have this chapter's strong, sobering imagery to help us resist.

To Resist Temptation, Don’t Take the First Step

Proverbs 7:6 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, 7 and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, A YOUNG MAN lacking sense, Proverbs 7:8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house Proverbs 7:9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.

The young man is “Simple” and “Lacking sense,” which are both ways of saying he is foolish and lacking wisdom. He shows us what not to do.

The harlot has a “corner” because harlots have corners. For most of today’s harlots, it is a corner of the Internet. “Her house” is where she lures her victims. This is the website she wants young men to click on.

The young man ends up with the harlot, but his sin didn’t “just happen.” He wasn’t walking along, tripped and fell, and suddenly found himself with a harlot. He took numerous steps to sin:

He went to her corner.

He took the road to her house.

He did this at night when he thought nobody would see him.

During more than forty years of ministry, I’ve listened to many sad stories from people who have indulged in sexual sin and suffered greatly; in almost every instance, the people DELIBERATELY PUT THEMSELVES INTO THE PLACE OF TEMPTATION AND DANGER.

Warren Wiersbe, Be Skillful, page 56.

Warren Wiersbe means these people took steps toward sin.

Some Sins Don't Require Taking Steps

All sins are NOT the same. Here are just a few ways sins are presented differently in Scripture:

In the Old Testament, some sins are called abominations.

Numerous Old Testament verses describe murder as a sin that pollutes the land, and the victim’s blood calls out for vengeance.

Proverbs 6 lists seven sins that God hates. We know God hates all sins, but apparently, he hates these sins more than others.

In Matthew 11 and Luke 10, Jesus said some sins merit worse punishments than others.

First Corinthians 6 describes sexual sin as a sin against our bodies.

Romans 1 describes homosexuality as a sin that is unnatural and against nature.

Hebrews 12 says bitterness is a sin that defiles many.

Another way sins are different: some sins don’t require steps. For example:

You get cut off in traffic, and you get angry.

Someone confronts you and you’re embarrassed so you lie.

You see someone with something you want, and you covet it.

These are sins, but they don’t require steps. Only a few moments earlier, we had no idea we would be tempted. Our flesh flared up, we gave in, and we sinned. We were living our lives, and unforeseen circumstances exposed our weakness. If you’re like me, when this happens, you look back and say, “Okay, I’m not as spiritually mature, or disciplined, as I like to think that I am."

But other sins require taking steps in a sinful direction. To use biblical language, they involve devising or scheming:

Proverbs 6:18 describes, “A heart that devises wicked plans.”

Psalm 21:1 describes people who “Plan evil” and “Devise mischief.”

Micah 2:1 describes, “Those who devise wickedness.”

The Steps David Took to Commit Adultery with Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

We don’t know whether David expected to see Bathsheba or it was purely accidental, so there’s no reason to speculate. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say this wasn’t a step toward sin.

Billy Graham said, “The first look is free. It’s the second look that kills you.” We live in a sexualized culture that seems designed to ruin men. We would have to lock ourselves in our closets to make sure we never saw any immodestly dressed women. And I think that’s what Billy Graham meant when he said, “The first look is free.” We didn’t try to see that scandalous billboard. We just happened to be driving down the road. We get in trouble when we take a second look.

Job 31:1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I GAZE at a virgin?

Job meant he wouldn’t be taking a second look.

Martin Luther said, “It’s not wrong for a bird to fly over your head, just don’t let it build a nest in your hair.” We can’t help being tempted, but we can help giving in to temptation.

So, I’m going to say that David might not have sinned at this point. But now he takes the first step:

2 Samuel 11:3a And David sent and inquired about the woman.

If we’re married, I can’t think of many good reasons we would need to inquire about someone who isn’t our spouse. In David’s day, it meant sending one of his servants to inquire about her, but in our day, it looks like searching on social media. Social media has been a tool for countless people to commit adultery by looking up exes and rekindling an old relationship.

How did that adultery start? It started with a simple search for the person’s name. That was the first step.

2 Samuel 11:3b [The servant] said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

It wasn’t right, but men in the Old Testament married multiple women. But Even if David thought that was okay, he learned Bathsheba was off-limits when the servant told him:

She was married to one of his mighty men, Uriah.

She was Eliam’s daughter, one of his other mighty men.

She was his counselor, Ahithophel’s granddaughter, because Eliam was Ahithophel’s son.

I point all this out because it reveals David had an almost unimaginable amount to lose. But he kept taking steps forward. How many men today have an almost unimaginable amount to lose, but they keep taking steps forward?

Sometimes, when you take that first step toward sin, God graciously warns you. That’s what happened with David. The servant said: “David,