Proverbs 30:20
The Way of an Adulterous Woman
1. Last week we considered vs. 18-19 in which Agur described four things that were too wonderful for him and which he could not understand. (the eagle in the air, the serpent on a rock; the ship in the sea; and a man with a maid).
2. We noted that “wonderful” did not mean something pleasing or delightful, but rather, something that caused a person to wonder. It was something that stunned and amazed him.
3. And that he “did not know” these things. He couldn’t understand how it could be.
4. Verse 20 is connected in thought to the previous verses. In vs. 20, Agur is going to connect the four things with an adulterous woman.
1. Agur had been speaking about different “ways” of different creatures.
a. The Hebrew term “way” is the same in each case.
b. It means the road or pathway; a path travelled. It is often used in a metaphorical sense as a pattern of life or behavior, as it is here.
c. Agur is speaking about the pattern of life of an adulterous woman… the harlot or whore.
2. As Agur thought about the way of the adulterous woman (her patterns of life; her lifestyle; etc.) he records that her ways were in some sense similar to that of the eagle, the serpent, the ship, and the young couple.
a. Her ways caused Agur to “wonder.” (vs.18) In other words, her ways stunned him. He was shocked and dumbfounded. He stood amazed at her. He was full of wonder – he wondered, “HOW could such a thing be?” Yet it is.
b. Like the “ways” of the four things mentioned, Agur “did not know” (understand) how the adulterous woman could behave the way she did—but she did. Just like he was lost for an explanation as to how the eagle could fly so easily or how the snake could slither so easily over a rock, he could not understand how a whore could behave the way she did either.
3. That which the four “things” have in common with each and with the adulterous woman.
a. Their ways cause onlookers to be stunned and amazed that such a thing could be!
b. Their ways cannot really be known or comprehended.
c. They leave no trace behind them.
• The eagle, the serpent, the ship, and the young couple leave nothing behind. They all do something stunning and suddenly it is over with no trace left behind. It’s as if the eagle never flew through the sky… or the serpent never slithered over the rock. There is no trace left behind—it is as if nothing happened.
• So too with the adulterous woman. She commits a horrendous sin against a holy God, and walks away from the scene as if nothing happened.
d. They seem to instinctively know what to do.
• The eagle, the serpent, the ship, and the young couple do something amazing—and it seemed to be done out of instinct. The young couple just seems to “click” together. The eagle just stands up and flies. The way is IN them instinctively. It is part of their nature to do so. Eagles fly; snakes slither.
• So too the adulterous woman. It is her nature to behave that way. It is IN her.
• That’s because we are all born with a sin nature—bent towards sin.
• But just because something comes naturally to us, does not mean that it is right or good. SIN comes naturally to us.
• That’s why men need to be born again—and receive a NEW nature empowered by the Holy Spirit that God would give them VICTORY over sin and their sinful inclinations.
• Sinning is just as natural and instinctive to us as sinners as flying is to an eagle, or sailing is to a sailboat.
• Unless restrained, it just happens.
e. They make something exceedingly complex look very simple.
• Marvelous design went into the creation of the eagle that enables it to fly with such ease… almost effortlessly.
• Complex science is behind the movement of a serpent over a rock, but the snake makes it seem so easy.
• And what could be more graceful and seamless than a sailboat sailing over the waters.
• The young couple also makes something complex seem simple. Out of the millions of people on earth—bringing the right two together seems complicated. Yet, apart from the complexity of the chemistry going on—it is the most natural and simple thing in the world!
• In the same vein, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to lure a married man away from his family and his wife to be drawn in to the harlot.
• But it was not complicated for the harlot. She is a pro at this and makes it look easy.
• Consider her “ways” in Prov. 7:13-21.
» This harlot came up with a most intricate scheme.
» But the elaborate and detailed scheme didn’t seem like it was difficult for her. She didn’t even have to think about it… she had done it so many times before.
» She made the whole arrangement seem so simple and easy… and she made it seem fool-proof. They would never get caught. She had all the bases covered.
» Like the eagle that leaves no trail behind, the adulteress has a plan that leaves no traces for her husband to discover.
» The way of the adulterous is indeed very much like the way of the eagle, the serpent, the ship, and the young couple.
1. Here Agur describes a part of the “way” of the adulterous woman.
a. After committing her sin of luring a foolish man into an adulterous relationship, breaking up a family, ruining lives, this harlot walks away, eats a meal, wipes her mouth, as if it was nothing!
b. It is just as normal and natural for her to satisfy her sinful sexual desires as it is to satisfy her normal desire for food.
c. She makes no distinction. She lives in the flesh to satisfy the flesh.
2. And to make matters worse, she walks away and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
a. There is no guilt; no shame; no conviction;
b. There is no thought of the consequences of her action. There is no thought of how her action will affect the man and his family.
c. It is as if she had no conscience of sin.
d. Everyone has a conscience. And the first time this woman committed the sinful act, she was no doubt feeling very guilty.
e. But when a particular sin is repeated over and over and becomes a lifestyle, one loses that sense of conviction. There is no more conscience for sin. She is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
f. She was so accustomed to her sinful lifestyle that she had “seared her conscience.”
g. When we sin and sin repeatedly, we lose the sense of guilt and shame for sin. We no longer sense a guilty conscience.
h. Because she doesn’t feel as guilty, she actually starts to believe that she ISN’T guilty. “I have done nothing wrong.”
i. But SAYING she has done nothing wrong doesn’t mean that her act wasn’t wrong.
j. I John 1:8 – “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
k. And when the adulteress begins to actually BELIEVE that lie, her conscience no longer bothers her.
l. The conscience only operates according to the knowledge and information that it has. If this woman believes that fornication is not sinful, then she will experience no guilt.
3. Agur points out the FOLLY of such thinking. This woman is CLEARLY guilty before God.
a. The Bible expressly forbids adultery. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Ex. 20:14)
b. The Law made adultery a capital crime – the death penalty was established for it. (Lev. 20:10)
c. It was pretty clear what God thinks about that sin.
4. And it isn’t only adultery that is sin—sexual impurity with a married person. Any kind of fornication is sin.
a. The people involved don’t have to be married. Single people can commit sexual sin too.
b. I Cor. 5:9-10 – “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
c. Here Paul speaks not of committing one act of these sins. He is speaking of a lifestyle. Those folks demonstrate by their lifestyle that they are lost and have never been born again. They shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. God makes it clear what He thinks on the subject of sexual sins—and many other sins too.
d. I Cor. 5:11 – “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
e. Gal. 5:19 – lists fornication as a work of the sinful, fallen, fleshly nature of man.
f. And think about how accepted this sinful behavior is in our culture today. Young couples “live together.”
• But let’s call it what it is: sin.
• It doesn’t matter that our society seems to accept it today; God doesn’t. God hates it, as He does all sin.
• But the fact that people do it all the time, there is no more stigma attached to it, and our culture seems to accept it as normal does not change the facts: it is sin.
• But what effect does our tolerant society have on young people today? Very often they no longer feel guilty about sexual sin. Everyone does it. It no longer causes them to feel guilty. They have seared their consciences.
• Remember Sandra Fluck? She was pushing for government paid birth control. How come no one asked her why she, an unmarried college student would need such a thing?
g. Young people and older couples too—live in sin and think nothing of it. They live in sin and then walk away and say, “I have done no wickedness.”
h. They can SAY all they want, but they HAVE done wickedness in God’s sight. And He will judge according to TRUTH one day—not according to opinion polls of men.
5. And what about homosexuality today?
a. Here is another sexual sin that seems to be more and more tolerated in our culture.
b. But it’s pretty clear what God thinks about it.
c. Lev. 20:13 – “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
d. Rom. 1:26-27 – “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.”
e. What we see in our country (and around the world) today is the effect of decades of tolerance for a sinful lifestyle that God does not tolerate.
f. And because this lifestyle which has throughout the history of civilization been considered abnormal and sinful is suddenly being accepted by men, that does not mean God has changed His mind on the subject.
g. It is still an abomination… vile sin against a holy God.
h. Those who live that lifestyle will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
i. Yet, because it is becoming acceptable by our society, those who commit such sins can do just what the adulterous woman in Proverbs 30:20 did.
j. They commit their sin, go out and eat, wipe their face (as if it was nothing) and then proclaim—I have done nothing wrong.
k. Sinners can sin so many times, that they no longer feel guilty.
l. Sinners can also convince themselves that right is wrong and wrong is right.
m. But let’s not forget, that fallen, sinful man is not the standard. God’s Word is the standard against which all is judged.
n. Isa. 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
6. And keep in mind that as Christians, God wants us to hate sin—but love the sinner. Christ came to save sinners.
a. Sexual sin is becoming the norm.
b. Millions are engaged in various forms of sexual sin.
c. And we need to keep in mind that sexual sin is not an unpardonable sin.
d. Those folks engaged in sexual sins of any sort can be saved just like anyone else.
e. Don’t avoid them because of their sinful lifestyle. Every sinner has a sinful lifestyle.
f. Bring the gospel to them. We have the cure for that which is ruining their lives and sending them along a pathway to Hell.
g. They need to hear the wonderful words of life from God who is a righteous Judge of all the earth, but is also a gracious, loving and forgiving Heavenly Father – a pardoning God, who is not willing that any should perish.
h. But He doesn’t save anyone so that they can continue in their sin. He saves men FROM their sin.
i. God is able to deliver the adulteress, the fornicator, and the homosexual from sinful lifestyles too. Christ not only saves us from Hell; He saves and delivers from slavery to sinful ways… and gives NEW life in Christ.