What is temptation? The harlot in Proverbs 7 personifies temptation. The harlot pursues the foolish young man like temptation pursues us. The foolish young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation. Studying her helps us understand how temptation works and better equips us to resist.

Table of contentsFoolish People Are Outmatched Against TemptationThe Harlot in Proverbs 7 Personifies TemptationTemptation Is AggressiveTemptation Makes Itself Sound GoodJustifying Giving InTemptation Appeals to Our PrideBalak Appealed to Balam's PrideWhy Would Temptation Want to Appeal to Our Pride?Temptation Appeals to Our SensesTemptation Appeals Most Often to Our SightLook to the Great High Priest

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What is temptation? The harlot in Proverbs 7 personifies temptation. The harlot pursues the foolish young man like temptation pursues us. The foolish young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation. Studying her helps us understand how temptation works and better equips us to resist.

We like showdowns. When I say the word, our minds probably go to Westerns with two cowboys staring each other down while they stand on a dirt road in the middle of a small town with a saloon on one side, a bank on the other, and a few other buildings scattered about. A tumbleweed rolls by, and we hear the familiar whistling sound while we wait to see who draws first.

There are many famous showdowns in fiction outside of Westerns. For example, Achilles and Hector’s fight in the Illiad. My favorite showdown is Gandalf’s fight with the Balrog in the Lord of the Rings.

There are also famous showdowns in Scripture. The first few chapters of 2 Samuel record the conflict between the House of Saul and the House of David. Saul’s forces, led by Abner, ran into David’s forces, led by Joab:

2 Samuel 2:12 Abner and the servants of Saul and Joab and the servants of David met by the pool of Gibeon…one on one side…and the other on the other side. Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then they arose…16 And each caught HIS OPPONENT BY THE HEAD AND THRUST HIS SWORD IN HIS OPPONENT'S SIDE, SO THEY FELL DOWN TOGETHER…17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

Some other showdowns in Scripture are David and Goliath, Elijah and the prophets of Baal, and Jesus in the wilderness with the devil. I could go one step further and say Jesus’ earthly ministry was a showdown between the kingdom of God that Jesus rules over and the kingdom of darkness that Satan rules over.

Foolish People Are Outmatched Against Temptation

Proverbs 7 contains another showdown: the foolish young man against the harlot. The foolish young man’s description:

Proverbs 7:7 and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense

The young man is “Simple” and “Lacking sense,” which are both ways of saying he is foolish and lacking wisdom. The NKJV says he’s "devoid of understanding," the NASB says he’s "naïve," and the Amplified says he’s "gullible." His opponent:

Proverbs 7:10 And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

The showdown is about to begin, but let me make one point about the foolish young man. It says the harlot “meets him.” He had to reach this point. He wouldn't be in this situation if he hadn’t taken all the previous compromising steps: going to her corner, taking the road to her house, and doing this at night when he thought nobody would see.

We can’t help being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted. But we can avoid putting ourselves in tempting situations:

Don’t grab your phone or look at your computer at the wrong time.

Don’t be alone with that person of the opposite sex.

Don’t go to that bar or club.

We saw how the foolish young man is described. The harlot is described as “wily of heart.” The NIV says, “with crafty intent,” the NASB says, “cunning of heart,” and the HCSB says, “having a hidden agenda.”

So, here’s the showdown: a foolish young man lacking sense, wandering around aimlessly and naïve, versus a crafty harlot, who is cunning of heart, aggressive, and on a mission. It isn’t tough to figure out who is going to win. The foolish young man has about as much of a chance as Goliath had against David, the prophets of Baal had against Elijah, and Satan against Jesus

The Harlot in Proverbs 7 Personifies Temptation

James 1:14 Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

“When he is lured” is one word in Greek, exelkō, a metaphor for a harlot’s seduction. In other words, when James wants to describe temptation enticing us, he uses the imagery of a harlot. When we see this harlot tempt the foolish young man, we are witnessing temptation in action:

The harlot pursues the foolish young man like temptation pursues us.

The foolish young man should have resisted the harlot like we should resist temptation.

Instead, the foolish young man gave in to the harlot like we give in to temptation.

The harlot kills the young man like sin kills us.

We’ve all seen videos of a strong, ferocious lion pursuing an injured animal, and we think, “This animal doesn’t stand a chance.” That’s what I think when I look at the foolish young man against the harlot. And if we’re foolish and lacking wisdom, we will be soundly defeated when we face temptation.

I used the analogy of a lion pursuing its prey. Is that fitting for us? Yes, a lion is pursuing us:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The devil is looking for weak, foolish people to consume, like the harlot in Proverbs 7:

Proverbs 7:11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; 12 now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.

She’s one of the nastiest women in Scripture. She gives Potiphar’s wife a run for her money. All she wants is to find men to conquer. She’s the temptation looking for someone to catch. She’s the woman on the Internet hoping some weak-willed man will visit her site.

We face three enemies: the devil, the world, and the flesh. The harlot looks like each of them:

She’s prowling around like the devil prowls around.

She’s outside, everywhere, like the world surrounding us.

You can’t get away from her like we can’t get away from our flesh.

Studying the harlot, who personifies temptation, helps us understand how temptation works and better equips us to resist.

Temptation Is Aggressive

Proverbs 7:13a She seizes him and kisses him,

This is shocking. She is a harlot, but even harlots don’t go up to men and grab and kiss them. We are dealing with a woman whose actions look outrageous and exaggerated. We’re not talking about a woman struggling with lust. We’re talking about a woman showing a level of aggressiveness that is hard to believe.

But if we understand she represents temptation, it makes perfect sense. Temptation is aggressive. At times, we can almost feel temptation pursuing us, seeking to catch us like the harlot caught the foolish young man.

Genesis 4:3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

When Cain’s offering was rejected, he faced the two choices we face when we sin: be humble, repent, and get the sin out of our hearts, or be prideful and angry and let sin control us. Sadly, he chose the second option. God could see what was happening in Cain’s heart, so he graciously warned him about what sin wanted to do with him:

Genesis 4:6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Talk about aggressive! How does sin sound when God says it is crouching at the door? It sounds like some monster waiting for Cain so it can pounce on him and attack…like the harlot with the foolish young man. God added that sin desired him like the harlot desired the foolish young man.

The Hebrew word for desire means a desire to control. When God spoke to Eve:

Genesis 3:16 Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

This is part of the curse. It is not a blessing. God is not telling Eve, “You will desire your husband in a loving, wonderful way.” He meant she would have flesh now that would tempt her to control her husband versus submit to him. But he had to rule, or remain in authority, over her.

Similarly, God told Cain that sin desired to control him, but he must resist and rule over it instead. The same is true for us: sin is crouching at the door. It desires to control us, but we must resist and rule over it.

Temptation Makes Itself Sound Good

Proverbs 7:13b and with bold face she says to him, 14 “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;

According to Leviticus 7:16-18, when people fulfilled their vows, they presented a peace offering to the Lord. But with peace offerings, the entire sacrifice wasn’t consumed. Some of it was kept by the worshipper to eat. Because there was no refrigeration, the food had to be eaten quickly. The harlot is saying, “I have this food; it must be eaten soon. Why don’t you join me?” But when harlots eat:

Proverbs 30:20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong.”