“The lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (Proverbs 5:3).

The “strange woman” is actually any woman not instructed in the laws of God, as were the women of Israel, and consequently who tend to practice and encourage idolatrous promiscuity. In the nine proverbs written or collected by David for his son Solomon, this “strange woman” is the subject of at least six urgent and extended warnings. That such warnings were needed (though unheeded) by Solomon is evident from the fact that his marriages with such foreign women finally did lead him and his nation into deadly compromise with the idolatrous practices of other nations. “But king Solomon loved many strange women, . . . his wives turned away his heart after other gods: . . . And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, . . . And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods” (I Kings 11:1–8).

These warnings in Proverbs, although addressed specifically to young men, apply equally in principle even today to any believer who might be tempted to become involved romantically or sexually with an unbeliever.

But there is another application which is even more important. The strange woman is also called a “foolish woman” (e.g., Proverbs 9:13), and actually is personified as “folly,” or “foolishness.” In contrast, the virtuous woman is personified as wisdom (note Proverbs 1:20–33; 3:13–20; 4:5–9; 7:4; 8:1–21; 9:1–11), and the greet theme of Proverbs is the vital importance of true wisdom. In the ultimate sense, of course, folly is none other than the lure to Satan, for “her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:27). Likewise, wisdom becomes Christ, “for whoso findeth me findeth life” (Proverbs 8:35). HMM