Tuesday, November
13, 2018 – Proverbs 22:14
We are to be Truthful Witnesses & Not Seduced to
Lie.
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Proverbs 22
1. The wise
discipline themselves to follow God in everything, vs. 1-16.
2. Wisdom tells us when to speak and when to be silent, vs. 17-21.
3. The wise ones care for and protect the poor, vs. 22-29.
Vs. 14
Prov 22:14, “The
mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is cursed of the LORD will fall
into it.”
We have noted the deceptions of the adulteress woman
previously in Proverbs and we will see her again, Prov 2:10-16; 5:3-6, 20; 6:24-26; 7:4-5; 23:27-28.
Prov 5:3-6, “For the
lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; 4But
in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her
feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol. 6She does not
ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it.”
The first nine chapters of Proverbs repeatedly warn against
the seductively flattering words of the strange woman, Prov 2:16; 5:3; 6:24; 7:5, 13-21, which are here likened to a “deep
pit.” Prov 23:27, also calls the
prostitute herself a deep pit.
As a standalone passage, our verse warns that sexual
licentiousness, which appears to be purely self-indulgent, is actually a
judgment of God upon those who are under His curse, cf. Psa 81:11-12; Rom. 1:24.
Rom 1:24, “Therefore
God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their
bodies would be dishonored among them.”
Yet, in the context of this chapter, the court room scene
envisioned, with the wealthy and powerful compared to the poor and powerless,
this verse gives us further imagery of that scene with a warning regarding it.
“Adulteress” also
called “strange woman,” is the Noun ZAR from the Hebrew Verb ZUR, זוּר, which
means, “foreigner, alien, different, or unlawful.” It is in the feminine gender
and is plural, so we know it is speaking of women. It is used several times in
Proverbs for the adulterous woman, Prov
2:16; 5:3, 20; 7:5; 22:14.
This femme fatale, who loomed so large in Collection I, is
again represented as a huntress waiting to trap her prey, Prov 6:26; 21:23, especially the youth who is under the power of
youthful lusts, 2 Tim 2:22.
The Noun ZONAH is used in Proverbs for the “harlot or
prostitute” that is also considered to be a strange woman, Prov 5:20; 6:26; 23:27.
Prov 23:27-28, “For a
harlot (ZONAH) is a deep pit and an
adulterous woman (NAKHERI) is a
narrow well. 28Surely she lurks as a robber, and increases the
faithless among men.”
The Adjective ZARAH and its synonym NAKHERI, “foreign or
strange,” Prov 5:20; 6:24; 7:5; 20:16; 23:27,
designate a woman who has deserted her place in society. It is a woman who does
not uphold the Law of God in her life.
From all of these passages, we see that this woman appears
as a specific type of woman, clearly described. She walks the streets and
attempts to seduce young men; she is dangerous and totally untrustworthy, for
instead of life and happiness she brings disgrace and death.
In addition, Solomon further warned about the adulteress
woman in Eccl 7:26, “And I discovered
more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands
are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner
will be captured by her.”
In addition, we see in Scripture that Israel, when it
rebelled against God, was called an adulteress, Hosea 3:1, cf. Jer 3:20.
PEH is used here for “mouth,”
meaning the speech of the adulterous woman. “Deep pit” is used here and in Prov
23:27, for the alluring tragedy that flows from her mouth. It is the Hebrew
Adjective AMUQQA from the root Verb AMOQ, עָמֹק that means, “to be deep or
mysterious,” and is joined with the Noun SHUCHAH, שׁוּחָה that means, “pit or
pitfall.” Sometimes, SHUCHAH is used as the “pit” for trapping animals. A deep
pit connotes danger and death, and refers to that which once it has fallen on
someone, he cannot get out from it without assistance. AMOQ is used to add
emphasis on the destructive nature the adulterous woman has on the young man.
As such, the words of the harlot, (as is the harlot herself), are considered a
dangerous and deep pit.
Therefore, the kisses and seductive, deceptive words of an
immoral woman are described here as a deep pit or trap. Her advances and words
conceal a trap in which her suitors become ensnared. She lures her victims with
her flattery, propositions, and promise of reward.
Unlike the sluggard’s fantasy of a man-eating lion roaming
the city streets, these harlots are very real and deadly predators in the
streets that we are warned to avoid at all costs. By way of analogy and context
in this verse, these harlots are those who are trying to convince witnesses or
even non-witnesses to a crime to lie when they appear before the judge. With
the promise of reward to ensue, we could say they are bribing, blackmailing, or
extorting these witnesses. Extortion
On the humorous side, as the sluggard was lyin’ about the
lion from self-preservation motivation to avoid the court room, this individual
is lured by the mouth of the seductress into the lyin’ inside the court room
from self-indulgent motivation. He is tempted to lie by his lust and promise of
reward.
In the second half of this verse we see that “he who is cursed of the LORD will fall into
it.”
“Cursed” is the
Verb ZA’AM, זָעַם that means, “to be indignant, enraged, to inveigh against,
(speak out angrily against), denounce, or curse.” The root literally means, “to
foam at the mouth.” It is in the Qal Participle Passive, which means they
continuously receive the action of being cursed. It refers to either the action
or the state of receiving indignation. Such indignation can take the form of a
curse, a denunciation, anger, or an accusation. This word may have originally
meant “to snap at in anger or to scold strongly.” Usually the verbs associated
with the noun ZA’AM have a clear judgment aspect to them. This word was also
used of someone when they would violate the terms of a contract, especially an
oral contract.
Some think this is the Qal Active meaning those who reject
the Lord will fall into the adulteresses trap. Although that may be the case,
here it is in the Passive meaning they receive the curse or judgment.
Here, it is “the Lord,”
YHWH, יְהָוה who will bring about the curse, because ultimately, YHWH is the
righteous Judge in the usages of this verb in, Ezek 21:31; 22:31; Zeph 3:8; Psa 69:24. His rage occurs with the
violation of the Covenant. It speaks of a legal environment where enforcement
of the curse is also expected by the hearers. And, the Lord’s ZA’AM, (curse),
is used for human pain and suffering as a result of His judgment, Jer 15:17; Psa 38:3; 69:24; 78:49; 102:10.
Therefore, we see that this “curse” is really the sentencing
of a penalty under the law, when one is found guilty of breaking the law.
Psa 7:11, “God is a
righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.” Cf. Isa 66:14.
“Will fall into it,” is
actually, “will fall there.” It is the Qal Imperfect Verb NAPHAL, נָפַל, along
with the Adverb SHAM, שָׁם.
NAPHAL has a wide range of meanings from a simple physical
fall to the violence of death in battle. Here it is speaking of the resultant
curse that comes from being persuaded to lie or give false testimony in a court
room. That means the individual actually perjures himself and is then guilty of
his own crime of which he will suffer the penalty thereof. Cf. Lev 6:1-7; Deut 19:18-19.
Deut 19:18-19, “And
the judges shall investigate thoroughly; and if the witness is a false witness
and he has accused his brother falsely, 19then you shall do to him
just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil
from among you.”
Many interpret this as falling into the adulteresses
temptations, which is step one, but step two is falling under the curse of the
righteous Judge, God Himself, in having a penalty fall on them for lying in the
court room.
As you know, perjury is one of the Seven Abominable Sins
against God, Prov 6:19, and is
something we are warned against many times in Proverbs and in the NT, cf. Prov 12:17; 14:5; 19:5, 9; 21:28; 25:18;
Mat 15:19, 18; Rom 13:9.
Prov 25:18, “Like a
club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his
neighbor.”
Prov 19:5, “A false
witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.”
Prov 19:9, “A false
witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish.”
So, we see that the “strange or adulterous woman” here is
anyone who tempts another to lie, especially in the court of law. As Israel is
called an “adulterer” numerous times in the OT for breaking God’s Law, so too
the perjurer / fool falls into the pit of the adulterer and will suffer the
judgment required by God. The imagery both here and in Prov 23:28, represents the man who falls into the adulteresses
clutches, as stripped of everything he has, even of his very life, cf. Prov 5:10-11; 6:32-35; 7:23.
In the spiritual realm, the adulterer is anyone teaching
false doctrines, including those with the intent of leading others into those
falsehoods. The pit is the lies of deception they are preaching. Those who are
gullible of them will suffer the judgment of the sin, human good, or evil they
have willingly been led into. To succumb to the adulteress, or to any such
folly, is both a sin and its punishment, as God many times makes our own sin
our punishment.
Prov 21:28, “A false
witness will perish, but the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.”
And, as we know, the Word of God is designed to protect us
from the seduction and flattery of strange lips, Prov 2:10-16; 7:4-5. That is why our next verse speaks of
discipline being necessary to remove any temptations of sin that may enter our
souls.
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