An Ox to the Slaughter

Immediately he went after her,

as an ox goes to the slaughter,

Or as a fool to the correction of the slaughter.

Proverbs 7:22

The sinful nature within the believer weaves a rich tapestry of deception and temptation.  Things that seems so clearly wrong and terribly can quickly become frighteningly enticing when we begin listening to the wrong sources and entertaining the arguments of evil.  Proverbs 7 is giving a clear picture of a woman who is tempting a fool to immoral sexual behavior; however, it also gives us a pattern of the way that our sin can drag us away as James wrote about in James 1:14-15:

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 

Our path to destruction begins by entertaining the arguments regardless of the fact that we know them to be in opposition to God’s character.  This is personified in the wanton woman of Proverbs 7.  She uses her volume and her feet (v. 10).  She enticed him with both religious language (v. 14), and personal flattery (v. 15).  She tempts him with sensory pleasures (v. 16-18).  She assures him that they will not be caught…it will be their little secret (v. 19-20).  It is easy to blame the temptress – but it is the man himself who chose to pass by her house at night (vss. 8-9).