Proverbs 5:9

Fornication or adultery will destroy you. Whores are cruel. They will steal and destroy your reputation, time, money, family, soul, and health. Pretending love, loyalty, and pleasure, they will use you until you no longer benefit them; then they will dump you.

Solomon warned his son about the strange woman – an adulteress or whore that preys on men (Pr 5:1-7). His advice was simple, “Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house” (Pr 5:8). His remedy was just as simple – have a great relationship with your legitimate wife and have lots of legitimate children (Pr 5:15-23).

Solomon’s son was the kind of man whores pursue (Pr 6:26; 23:27-28). Base or wicked men cannot provide emotional, financial, social, or intellectual satisfaction. Instead, whores seek a man of ability, confidence, intelligence, leadership, and even spirituality. Only a precious life has honor to give away. Solomon’s sons, princes all, were in danger.

When a girl gives her virginity away, or a wife commits adultery, God declares they are humbled – reduced in value and polluted (Gen 34:2; Num 5:11-31; Deut 21:14; 22:24,29; Judges 19:24; Ezek 22:10-11). Therefore, virgins carry a high premium to godly men (Ex 22:17; Lev 21:14; Deut 13:22-31; II Sam 13:18-19; II Cor 11:1-2). If it is true for the woman, it is also true for the man, who is the image and glory of God (I Cor 11:7). When a man falls to a whore, he spoils himself in the sight of God and men (Pr 6:32-33).

Samson gave away his honor as the strongest man to a conniving, conspiring, and seducing Philistine prostitute. Though he knew she was a liar and wanted to destroy him, he could not resist her wiles. He lost his strength, reputation, office, sight, and his life. His story should be read and reread by men to learn the fatal danger of flirting women.

Solomon married a thousand women, and he said of them, “And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her” (Eccl 7:26). It is these kind of women that increase the sinners among even strong men (Pr 7:26; 23:27-28).

Nehemiah wrote, “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin” (Neh 13:26). If the wise author of Proverbs got into trouble with women, you must surely avoid them.

The danger is real. An attractive woman can flatter and seduce a man into the heinous sin of adultery. Her beauty and offers of intimacy are too powerful (Pr 6:25). Therefore, Solomon warned against her honey-like words (Pr 2:16; 5:3; 6:24), and he illustrated her methods in a lengthy parable (Pr 7:6-23). Safety is by staying far away from her (Pr 5:8).

It is confounding that base women in ability, character, and intelligence can exert power over men who should know better. But their sexual sins have enslaved these men (Pr 5:22), and they give up everything for the fantasy of love from women who are hardly capable of real love. What a cheap exchange! What a wretched future! Stay far away!

A whorish woman is a cruel creature. She is selfish, only feigns affection and loyalty, and has no compassion for her victims (Pr 30:20). She will steal a man’s reputation and money, ruin his marriage, and break his heart without a twinge of conscience. When the prodigal returned home, where were the harlots that eagerly took his money, promising him love by word and deed (Luke 15:30)? As is usually true, they were lying leeches.

Men sacrifice reputations, squander money, waste time, lose jobs, leave their families, destroy their wives, ruin their children, break their parents’ hearts, get judged by their churches, contract sexual diseases, offend God, and are despised by family and friends to pursue the fantasy of love with a whore. Why? Because he did not keep his heart with all diligence and wandered too close to her house (Pr 4:23; 7:8)! Reader, how is your heart?

Young man! Do you hear the sober warning? A sexual thought or step toward a woman you have not married is a thought or step toward death and hell (Pr 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18). She does not love you, and she will not love you; whores are not capable of true love. Keep your honor. Save your life. Be a hero like Joseph, who was stronger than Samson and David. Be virtuous, and you will be worthy of a virtuous woman (Gen 41:45).

Can an adulterer reclaim his honor? Hardly. Solomon understood this question, because his father was an adulterous murderer, and he did not offer hope for natural men (Pr 6:29-35). Yet, David remained king and prophet, and saints have admired him and his Psalms very highly. There is forgiveness with God and good men (II Sam 12:13; I Cor 6:9-11), but the sin is so addicting and damning that few are ever recovered (Pr 2:18-19; 5:22).

Godly sorrow to true repentance is the only way to recover honor and clear oneself from this terrible sin. Such sorrow and repentance is quite different from the world’s idea of sorrow for getting caught. Paul defined repentance for humbled sinners, and declared that it could altogether clear sinners from guilt and spoiled reputations (II Cor 7:10-11). God’s forgiveness is greater than man’s as the heaven is higher than the earth (Is 55:6-9).

The woman of Samaria and Mary Magdalene were sinners, yet they are two highly esteemed women in the New Testament. Many harlots entered the kingdom of God, for Jesus forgave them (Matt 21:31-32). He came into the world to save sinners (I Tim 1:15). He forgave even the incestuous fornicator at Corinth (II Cor 2:6-11). Let every repentant adulterer or adulteress lift up holy praise from heart and lips to such a gracious God.