Is "wisdom" your sister? Verse 4 tells us to "love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family." In healthy, well-balanced families, family loyalties are among the strongest on earth. We should have this same loyalty to biblical wisdom, and we can find that only in God's Word.
This chapter contains more warnings about the immoral woman, and it's not a pretty picture! Though the warnings are directed to young men, they apply to young women and older men and women as well. Let's look at the strategies she uses to entrap the unsuspecting:
- She was seductively dressed. This is not a politically correct observation to make, but here it is right in the scripture.
- She was sly of heart
- Brash
- Rebellious
- Not content at home
- She boldly approached him, vv. 13-15
- She invited him to her place, vv. 16-17
- She answered his objections, vv. 19-20
- She seduced him with flattery. v. 21
- She trapped him, v. 23
Acts 22:24-30; Acts 23:1-11
As we come to end of Acts 22, we see that Paul was spared a lashing with whips because he was a Roman citizen, and it was apparently illegal to scourge Roman citizens.
As Acts 23 opens, Paul is brought before the Jewish high council. He spoke boldly, yet respectfully to the high priest, Ananias (whom he at first did not realize was a high priest). Paul, a Pharisee, took advantage of the rift in doctrine between the Sadducees (who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead) and the Pharisees by bringing up his own belief in the resurrection of the dead. This caused another huge uproar. In order to save Paul's life, Ananias ordered him taken back to prison.
That night the Lord appeared to Paul to encourage him. He had faithfully witnessed for the Lord Jesus, and now God promised him that he would live to witness in Rome as well. We can always count on God's promises! It's good to keep them in mind when times are tough.
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