For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,
Lips described like this would indeed be tempting and alluring. Both honey & oil were luxurious items in ancient times. In U2's song, "Running To Stand Still", there is an oft cited lyric that goes "sweet the sin, bitter the taste in my mouth". There is no denying the sweetness of a kiss; the context is what is most important. I don't know if this is still a thing, but for years I had heard "don't do that" without the acknowledgement that the beauty of a woman is good…in the context of marriage.
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
As far as my experience goes, there's nothing worse than the morning after effect of sexual sin. The heart may want what it wants, but the conscience of man cannot deal with what the heart wants. Nothing gets a man talking to himself and running from God more than this type of sin. Both wormwood and the two-edged sword are symbols of God's judgment and most of the time, the judgment is immediate in the mind, while later in the body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-19.
Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
I've heard it said that if we took just a few minutes to think on the sin before partaking, it would be far less appealing. The problem is the lack of introspection, submitting to God and the impetuous nature of satisfying the flesh.
Proverbs 5:8
This verse implies we control much of what we do in regard to the path we walk. There is a definitive choice we make when choosing to go to a door of someone's house. Among the many consequences, the rest of the verse shows what those consequences are in the long run- lost honor & lost years: essentially, authority, strength & respect.
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