处心积虑 The Snare

Title: The Snare 处心积虑
Date: 19th June 2022
Preacher: Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

This is the third sermon in a row, from Proverbs 5 to 7, where we will talk about “the adulterous woman” (v.5). There are 2 ways to interpret this woman. She could be interpreted literally, so Rev. Enoch addressed the issue of adultery when he was preaching on Proverbs 5. When Rev. Weikang was preaching on Proverbs 6, he then shared how she could also be interpreted metaphorically as a form of foreign teaching which leads men to their folly. So today for Proverbs 7, I will be using both interpretations of this “wayward woman with her seductive words”. What is unique in Proverbs 7 in comparison with other chapters of Proverbs 1-9 is that the father teaches his son through telling a personal story of his own observation.

Reading from verse 6 to 23.

The purpose of storytelling is that the son can feel the impact of the deadly seduction, like watching a horror movie, like how Frodo slowly walked into Shelob’s lair （唐三藏走入蜘蛛精的陷阱）. “Get out!” “Don’t listen to her!” “It’s a trap!” Just like how the memorable scenes of a powerful movie are embedded in our minds, hopefully the father’s dramatic story instills awareness in his son to look out for similar dangers, whether it is interpreted as actual dangerous women or symbols for dangerous teachings. If we were to analyze the story, we might realize that the seductress used three techniques for the kill, techniques which I will now share with you. I’m not trying to teach any of you how to become a seductress, but rather that you would be adequately prepared against them.

Step 1: creating the opportunities 制造契机. The young man in the story might have thought that it was a chance encounter with the woman. But the father who narrated the story told us it was not. The woman had been roaming the hunting ground, taking the initiative, and creating the opportunities to get one of these simple-minded fellows. And she was well-prepared, both mentally and dressed to kill. She knew when was a good time to strike and where was a good place to attack. And when the prey arrived, she acted as planned like a well-rehearsed actress.

Step 2: capturing the senses 锁定感官. 13 She took hold of him and kissed him, and with that she had his full attention. Look at how the woman talked about the place she had prepared, food for the sense of taste, perfume for the sense of smell, a luxurious bed for the sense of touch, and of course he could see her well-dressed body, and hear her sensual words. This was a place you would want to go and stay, like a five-star hotel room. Before the brain could say yes, the heart had already said yes.

Step 3: controlling the decision 控制决定. At this point, the man was cornered, and he wanted to go, and there was only one lingering concern for the man. “Will I get caught?” And the answer from the seductress was no. The woman told him that her husband was away on a long business trip, and the proof was that he left with a lot of money. And since the only concern was resolved, the man followed her foolishly to his doom.

As long as she nailed down these three steps, the woman was like a well-trained assassin against her hapless victims. No wonder the father said, “26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.” Sometimes, when we watch movies about con artists, or when we read the news about stories of scammers, we wonder why anyone would be so blind to miss all the signs of the snare. I would argue that it is precisely such complacent mindsets that leads people into the snares, one after another. This was why the father had to tell the story to his son. I will now do a trifecta analysis of the three steps of the woman. And my recommendation is you need three essential wisdom to guard against the three steps of the seductress.

Wisdom 1: Prudence 【1】
We know from step 1 that adulterous women are busy on the prowl creating opportunities. And the easiest targets will be the simple-minded who have no idea of the danger signs – what we describe in Hokkien 走不知路 (walking without knowing the path). This is why the wisdom of Prudence takes precedence because if you stay clear of the danger spots, you avoid even the mere possibility of opportunities of temptations. The Chinese have a saying: 害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无。This is similar to Proverbs 22: 3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. 5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

I don’t have the time to go into the details of every possible situation of danger, but an example of prudence would be an awareness of where and when you are at all times, since certain situations leave you more vulnerable than others such as occasions where you might get drunk. If you are a young woman, I would suggest knowing about the “Mystery Method” to be aware of the common techniques of those who call themselves pick-up artists. 【2】 If you have never heard of it, read it and thank me later. If you are a parent with a teenage or young adult daughter, I think you should at least be aware of it. If you are a young man and you are looking for dating tips from the book, I would say it is like a double-edged sword. You can understand female psychology a little better, but the book also introduces foreign unbiblical concepts of romantic relationships, much like our metaphorical dangerous seductress. If you are an older adult male, then you should know about the badger game 【3】仙人跳 【4】, where “victims are tricked into compromising positions in order to make them vulnerable to blackmail.” This is especially true for cybercrimes these days. Even the elderly are not spared from danger, as you might know from the recent story of Yang Yin. 【5】 I am just listing examples of wisdom of prudence here, but there are many more you can discuss within your cell groups.

Wisdom 2: Temperance 【6】
But supposed if despite all your prudence, you still end up in a situation where you are cornered by the adulterous woman, and she has successfully created the opportunity, what should you do? Maybe it is business meeting or business trip that took you by surprise. Maybe you were tricked by a guy who turned out to be a player. Step 2 from the seductress (or seducer) would be to capture your senses. For this step, you need the wisdom of Temperance. I know that it is common these days to say “follow your heart”, but I would argue that the heart can be easily deceived by your senses. Instead, the biblical wisdom is to lead your heart with discipline. In today’s passage, the father said, 25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. This is similar to what the apostle Peter said about “minds that are alert and fully sober” in 1 Peter 1: 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. Temper your desires, and not let them dominate you.

Wisdom 3: Justice 【7】
Lastly, I want to address step 3 of the seductress which is controlling the decision. The question to the man was framed as “will he be caught?”, and the clincher from the woman was that, no problem, the husband was far away. But to the wise, the question should have been moot, because of the fear of the Lord. Even if nobody knows, God knows. There is no such thing as not getting caught. Even if the cuckolded husband cannot take revenge, God will take vengeance against the wicked for him. So the question for the wise is never about whether you will get caught or not, and always a question of right and wrong. For this, you need the wisdom of Justice. Instead of letting the seductress control the decision, our defence should be to take control of the decision by framing the right question. Proverbs 21: 2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. 3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

In my trifecta analysis, to be safe against the three steps of seduction for sexual sins, I have just shared on the three wisdoms of prudence, temperance, and justice to counter each and every step. I think these wisdoms are equally effective if the adulterous woman is a metaphor for foreign teachings of folly. Let me use a personal example of common secular “advice” of looking out of your own interest. You may have heard of Chinese sayings, such as 宁教我负天下人，休教天下人负我, or 人不为己，天诛地灭, or 识时务者为俊杰. In the western context, you have the “The Prince” by Machiavelli 【8】: “The general theme of “The Prince” is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.” 【9】 Machiavelli viewed injuring enemies as a necessity, stating, "if an injury is to be done to a man, it should be so severe that the prince is not in fear of revenge".

So when I am upset with someone, you can imagine such thoughts of guarding your own interest at the expense of your “enemy” coming to seduce me like the adulterous woman, tempting me to do something harmful to the other person. Just like how God described sin to Cain in Genesis 4: 7 sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. How do our three wisdoms come in handy? First the wisdom of prudence reminds me not to let self-centered thoughts be given any opportunity. One prudent way of dealing with things is I try to make sure that matters are clarified before they can become something contentious. Rev. Enoch shared how he now slows down before a traffic light, and I think that is a sign of prudence too. I feel a lot less road rage when I drive prudently. So I also “drive prudently” especially if I am working with someone unfamiliar.

Secondly, when conflict happens, I will have to rely on the wisdom of temperance. It feels good to give in to my anger and sense of self-righteousness, but I tell myself that might just be selfishness luring me to do something harmful to the relationship. I should be leading my heart to choose compassion, kindness and forgiveness.

Lastly, whenever I am really tempted to do something that I think nobody would know, maybe to spread a gossip, or to tell a lie, or to manipulate a situation to my favor, I know that Machiavelli is knocking at my door. And if I start to think to myself宁教我负天下人，休教天下人负我, this is the time to remember the God of justice. I need to do the right thing, and not the thing that just feels right to you. Let God be my vengeance and not to take my own revenge. In doing so, I am not just bringing good to the other person, ultimately, it makes my own life much more flourishing.

1]https://drive.google.com/file/d/10o2TKOUNVrbaznj6IZMsS7OcMX73BqHL/view?usp=sharing
2] https://thepowermoves.com/the-mystery-method/
3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_game
4]https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A1%83%E8%89%B2%E6%95%B2%E8%A9%90
5] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/china-ex-tour-guide-who-cheated-widow-of-11m-freed-from-jail-deported-on-june-9-and-barred-from-spore
6]https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d46xojw0t07OGPtD_44wubHUJir74NFF/view?usp=sharing
7]https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AWOCSRmA7xgSn3LjFjLVIaV5SLKzQrdP/view?usp=sharing
8]Incidentally, it is believed that Proverbs was also used as the teaching material for princes in the royal household of ancient Israel.
9]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince

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