“My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it. So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved. Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.”
Proverbs 5:1-23 NLT
The Bible is a sex positive work. It is important to note that Solomon’s advice implies a rich sexuality. In the same breadth that he displays the folly of fondling the immoral woman’s breast, he also implies that it is a good thing to play with the breasts of the righteous woman to whom we are married. Solomon is not against sexual behavior in this passage. He is against lascivious behavior that lacks God’s character. In this type of behavior, the love that we have for another is disrespected by the fact that it doesn’t need that person to play a specific role. She could be anyone as long as our desires are satisfied. Solomon wants our desire. Even sexual ones to be a display of God’s character. They should be specific, directed, self controlled. In this, they can be joyful and even fun. Without this, they become destructive and filled with consequence. Exchanging love for lust makes us vulnerable to physical consequence, like disease, but also the relational consequence of being easily manipulated. It is not safe, wise or within God’s character to allow our love into the hands of a godless woman. Conversely, it’s none of those things to fill our hands with her breasts and give her our children. Only a godly woman deserves that. Too many men have sold their soul because they didn’t look for a women of God to trust with their bodies.
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