The Path of Seduction, Or How You Ended Up Gutted Like a Deer in a Tree

And behold, the woman meets him,
        dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
    She is loud and wayward;
        her feet do not stay at home;
    now in the street, now in the market,
        and at every corner she lies in wait.
    She seizes him and kisses him,
        and with bold face she says to him,
    “I had to offer sacrifices,
        and today I have paid my vows;
    so now I have come out to meet you,
        to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
    I have spread my couch with coverings,
        colored linens from Egyptian linen;
    I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
        aloes, and cinnamon.
    Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
        let us delight ourselves with love.
    For my husband is not at home;
        he has gone on a long journey;
    he took a bag of money with him;
        at full moon he will come home.”
(Proverbs 7:10-20 ESV)

This is the speech of the harlot, this is her seductive ploy.  It’s easier to see through her seduction when you are viewing the exchange from the window of your house.  But when you are on the street walking next to her house the sounds of the siren are often too noisy to say no to. 

The battle against the harlot is often won or lost before you even leave you house.  The Proverbs seem to indicate that once you get within earshot of her “smooth talk” you are going to be compelled and like an ox goes to the slaughter you’re going to mindlessly walk yourself into the slaughterhouse. 

That is why it is important in these moments of sanity to pick her lies apart.  If we recognize the path of seduction for what it is before we start down that road, hopefully if we are ever caught dumbfounded we can recognize that we are on the path of seduction.  Rarely will you be allured by a sign that says, “Slaughter, This Way”. 

There are four lies in her speech that are worth noting. 

1) I’ve got the something extra.  When guys go shopping we want to think that we walked out of the store having stuck it to the man.  We want to think that we—of all the other men in the store—have hunted and gathered the best product and we did it at the best price.  In order to be successful the harlot has to convince the guy that she has that something extra. 

In verse 14 she says, “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows”. The implication from these peace offerings is that she has luxurious meat at home. She has that something extra to put her over the top, to catch his eye, and to make him desire. I’m the best product in the store. You take me home=alpha male. You’ve beat all the other dudes out there.

2) You are something special.  At this point the guy might be wondering whether or not he has what it takes to get this jewel home. She is the best product in the store, but is he really the alpha male? She is what he wants but does he have what it takes to get her?

Enter the speech and actions of the harlot. She wants you to believe that you are not like all her other johns.  She is seeking you eagerly.  There is something special about you, man.  You’ve got what it takes.  You know I could have many other guys.  But I want you, champ.

He’s hooked, he’s ready to move up to the purchase counter and lay his claim as alpha-male.

3) This really is going to be awesome. At this point the guy is going through purchase anxiety. You’ve had that haven’t you? That long walk from the back of the store to the check out line where you begin asking yourself if you really want and need a portable jack with the power to lift up your monster truck. “Wait, I don’t even have a monster truck,” you begin to ask. And then the battle begins—do I buy this thing or not?

Here she lays it on thick. “I have spread my couch…I have perfumed by bed…this is going to last all night…this will be filled with delight”. You want this product! Don’t even consider putting this product back on the shelf. You put this back on the shelf you are an idiot and some other alpha-male will know what is good for him and he’ll be walking out of the store with the deal of the day. This is going to be awesome—don’t miss out on this.

4) Nobody will ever know. Maximum pleasure with no consequences. This is the get yourself in a boatload of debt at 0% APR for 2 years deal. You get to enjoy this thing for two years without even making a payment, no interest for two years, just enjoy it. No consequences.

Added to all of these lies is the lure of the forbidden. This is the last hurdle for this stag to go through. If you can be convinced that you can have all of this pleasure with no consequences then you can rest assured given enough time you will be hung upside down outside of tree with your guts on the floor. You are well on your way to slaughter.

Next time I want to discuss how to do battle from your window instead of on the street…