Tactics of the Enemy: A Biblical Study of Proverbs 7

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[The following article is an edited transcription of our audio teaching, Tactics of the Enemy by Dan Gallagher.]
Welcome to this teaching titled “Tactics of the Enemy, a study of Proverbs 7.”
Before I get into the meat or the substance of this teaching, I would like to address why this teaching is being done now, in October of 2008. At the end of October each year, in the United States of America, we celebrate a holiday called Halloween—it was also called All Saints Day. It really is a day of the dead. It has pagan roots, but that is a whole other teaching. It is at this time of the year that children dress up in various costumes and go from house to house and do what we call Trick or Treating. They knock on your door and ask for a treat that is candy, which is usually given. The idea is that if they do not get candy then they would do some kind of trick on the homeowner. This holiday is in fact a very dark holiday. It has a lot of satanic and pagan roots. Many of the kids dress up as goblins, demons, and different things like that.
God does not want us to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (schemes).

2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
​

The word “devices” is in the plural. The NIV reads:

2 Corinthians 2:11
…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
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The NIV translates “devices” as “schemes.” Satan certainly has many devices and many schemes, and they are all around us all the time. Throughout the world, we are seeing a rise in witchcraft and a rise in cultic activity. I was recently in a couple of very large national bookstore chains, and noted that they had entire sections devoted to occultism and to the witchcraft movement called “Wicca.” They are actually selling taro cards, charms, and amulets, and some of the stores even have these under lock and key because people have a tendency to steal them.
This teaching is being given now because I believe that Satan’s devices and schemes are all around us, and that there is a rise occurring in his activities. It does not take a long time watching the television to see the shows that are promoting the state of the dead—are they really alive? For instance, a show is on television in the U.S. called Ghost Whisperer. Even on the channel called the Discovery Channel, which is generally devoted to scientific type endeavors, we have a show called Ghost Hunters, which is devoted to investigate “paranormal activities.” We also have shows devoted or targeted directly at our children. Recently, my wife, Lori, and I have had the privilege and blessing of spending a lot of time with three of my grandkids. I was watching a show called Dora and Diego. It seemed to be an innocent enough little show until all of a sudden a witch (ice-queen) came on the scene promoting spells and charms. What it promoted was that they could have control over the environment. Witchcraft is all about that. The movement of Harry Potter is really old news now; in fact, it is probably passé. It is promoted pretty much as harmless, but Harry Potter promoted wizardry, witchcraft, charms, spells, and control over others and the environment.
My point is that this stuff is prevalent. It is permeating the atmosphere of this age. These things that I just mentioned are only some of the aspects of Satan’s devices. Consider sex, violence, rebellion, murder, mayhem, and all the cruelty that he promotes. It does not take any one of us long in looking at the television, movies, books, video games, or the Internet to see that he is heavily promoting his schemes. These are all targeted primarily at our youth.
What is the answer? Well, I believe that God provides us with an answer. First, He tells us that He does not want us ignorant of Satan’s devices. He also tells us in Corinthians that we are not to be ignorant of spiritual matters. Understanding satanic activity and the devices of Satan certainly qualifies as a spiritual matter.

1 Corinthians 12:1
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
​

Proverbs is a book of wise sayings and we believe that Solomon, who was “the wisest man” on the face of the earth, wrote Proverbs. I believe that many of the Proverbs are directed at youth, or what God calls the “simple fool.” It really is just an unlearned or simple person who just does not know any better.

Proverbs 2:1
My son, if you accept my words…
Proverbs 3:
My son, do not forget my teaching…
Proverbs 4:1
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction…
Proverbs 5:1
My son, pay attention to my wisdom…
Proverbs 6:1
My son…
Proverbs 7:1
My son…
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These are wise sayings directed to the simple fool, the young, or the unlearned, so that they could know what Proverbs 2:9 says.

Proverbs 2:9
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair– every good path.
​

Proverbs was written approximately a thousand years before Christ was born. These are incredible truths that were recorded here in Proverbs over three thousand years ago. I want to take the time to go over Proverbs 7 and see what truths we can glean, what perspectives we can have, and what different applications we can gain. We will specifically look at our enemy, Satan (the Devil), his tactics, his methods, his motives, and his moves. I believe that as we look at this, the first lesson that we will see is that Satan intends to attack us by using our senses. The second lesson is the principle devices that he uses—specifically words. The third lesson is the paradigm of the spiritual sickness and how it parallels physical sickness. A lesson can also be learned concerning Satan’s methodology of pressure applied through pleasure and pain. He also uses deceit (or lying), fear, rejection, and rebellion. I believe that we will see what Satan’s goal is, and ultimately we will see what God’s answer is for our defense.

 

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[We have listed all of Proverbs 7 here for those reading this article that might not have access to a Bible.]

Proverbs 7
(1) My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
(2) Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
(3) Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
(4) Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman;
(5) they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
(6) At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.

(7) I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.
(8) He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
(9) at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
(10) Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
(11) (She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
(12) now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
(13) She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
(14) “I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.
(15) So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
(16) I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
(17) I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
(18) Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
(19) My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
(20) He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”
(21) With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
(22) All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose
(23) till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
(24) Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
(25) Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
(26) Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
(27) Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

​

We will now look at this chapter with the intention of discovering the tactics, schemes, methods, and motives that Satan has. I believe that God has interspersed these throughout this beautiful Proverb, and that this is a phenomenal lesson in the methods and tactics of our Enemy.

Proverbs 7:1-7
(1) My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
(2) Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. [Your pupil.] (3) Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
(4) Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman;
(5) they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
(6) At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.
(7) I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.

​

The word simple here is literally simple fool. It is a youth who lacked judgment. That literally is what a simple fool is. It is generally a young person. I would like to think of it as a two or three-year old young child who just does not know any better. I am reminded of my grandson when he was two years old. He got out of his mother’s car onto our black asphalt driveway, and unbeknownst to his mother, he had taken his shoes off. At that time, it was a hot summer day, and he ran across the black pavement. Soon his feet started burning from the heat of the pavement, and his tender young two-year old feet began to seriously hurt. He started crying, and rather than running back to his mother who is calling him, he continues to run away trying to get away from the pain of the heat on his feet. However, he was only causing more damage. That is a simple fool. He just does not know. He has no idea. He has never been taught. He has never been instructed.

 

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This is the type of person that God is saying is being noticed or watched.

Proverbs 7:8 and 9
(8) He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
(9) at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
​

I believe that we could glean a perspective from this. A definite contrast can be found here between good and evil, dark and light. God is light, and this is what happens when we enter into the darkness of night.

Proverbs 7:10
Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
​

Remember this woman is referred to in verse five as the adulteress. Now, here in verse ten she is a prostitute, literally a harlot. In Scripture, God many times refers to idolatry as spiritual adultery. It is spiritual prostitution, spiritual harlotry. That is why I believe that a lesson can be gleaned from this in regards to the contrast of good and evil, of light versus dark. One of the things we can see is the greater spiritual lesson beyond just the way of a man with a woman or a young simple youth with a harlot (prostitute). This is a lesson in spiritual adultery and idolatry.

Proverbs 7:11 and 12
(11) (She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
(12) now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
​

The lesson that we can take from this part of the Proverb is that evil is never really far from any one of us. We do not have to wander far from God to find evil; in fact, it almost is just a slight tangent move away from God. It lurks at every corner; it is in the street and in the squares. Evil is out there looking for you. It never stays at its home. It is wandering, and it is going to try and take hold of you; in fact, verse 13 says just that:

Proverbs 7:13
She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
​

This is one aspect of what evil is. Evil is bold. Evil is brazen, and it is going to try to take hold of you. It is going to try to lure you in. It is out there lurking, never far away.

Proverbs 7:14
“I have fellowship offerings at home;
​

That sounds very religious, does it not? I think that is one of the lessons that we can take from this. Many times one of Satan’s tactics is to hide behind religion, to hide behind noble causes, to hide behind things that sound good or look really righteous and appear great. Not just in the religious sense. There are many great world movements that Satan makes sound really good, but in essence they all lead to nothing but idolatry.

Proverbs 7:14 and 15
(14) “I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.
(15) So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
​

Here is another lesson for us to glean. It is a different perspective, but how many times does evil come to us and cloak itself in trying to make you feel special. I think back to how many times I have literally made errors in my life because the appeal was to my own pride and my ego. That is exactly the tactic that the Enemy takes here, the tactic of pride, ego, and self—“So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!” Wow! This poor simple-unlearned fool is being set up in a big way. I think that is another lesson that we can take from Proverbs 7: evil intends to set us up.

 

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Look at the appeal in this next verse. This lesson is the battle of the senses.

Proverbs 7:16
I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
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For linen to be colored means that it has color. It appeals to the visual senses, and that is one of the tactics of the Enemy. He tries visual appeal. How many times has a good-looking girl or guy that Satan has sent your way tried to tempt you through your sense of sight? Here God clearly reveals to us that temptation is by an appeal to colored linens.

Proverbs 7:17
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
​

This is the sense of smell.

Proverbs 7:18
Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning;
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To drink involves the sense of taste. Now we have seeing, smelling, and tasting. This is all in the context of “at the twilight, at the dark” with the adulteress; I believe that God is clearly giving a perspective about our enemies. Some of Satan’s tactics are going to be an appeal to seeing, smelling, and tasting.

Proverbs 7:18
…let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
​

I believe that lovemaking is one of the greatest appeals to the sense of touch (feeling). Also, how did she make these appeals in all of these verses, 14-18?

Proverbs 7:13
…with a brazen face she said:
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In other words, the appeal is through words. It is something that he is hearing. We have from verse 13 to 18 an appeal to seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, and hearing.
Still another lesson that we can glean from Proverbs 7 is the fact that Satan employs words.

Proverbs 7:5
they [God’s instructions.] will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
​

God is telling us that one of the ways that the Enemy is going to attack us is through words. The word seductive literally means smooth or slippery.

Proverbs 7:11
She is loud and defiant,
​

Loud implies speaking or the sense of sound, and she is loud with what? She is loud with her words; many times it is the loudness of the attack or the high amplification. It just seems to overwhelm you. This woman is loud and defiant.

Proverbs 7:21
With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
​

Words are called the fiery darts (arrows) of the wicked. They are offensive weapons of attack. Arrows and darts are not like most other weapons that a person might have, at least in the ancient days where a sword was commonly used. A sword could parry; it could deflect. It could be used to lunge and could be both an offensive and defensive weapon. An arrow is quite different. When an arrow is shot, it reaches out, unleashed at its target. It is basically ejected toward a certain objective.

Proverbs 26:18 and 19
(18) Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows
(19) is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
​

How does he deceive a neighbor? He does this through words, “I was only joking!” Ephesians tells us that we are to take the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
​

It is words which are the fiery darts, and Satan is a master at using them.
In Revelation 12:10, he is called the accuser of the brethren.

Revelation 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
​

 

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How does he accuse? He accuses through words. Remember where Jesus said, “You are of your father the Devil (Satan).”

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
​

He is the father of lies. Words are one of the principle things that Satan uses to attack.
God has clearly identified in Proverbs 7:5 her “seductive words,” in verse 11, “loud and defiant,” in verse 13, “she said,” and in verse 21, “persuasive words, seduced, smooth talk.” I stand in awe that God, over three thousand years ago, inspired Solomon to write Proverbs chapter 7, for it lays out the attacks that Satan uses through words.


I want to remind you of some of the methods that Satan uses. He specifically uses whispering. That is one who secretly passes on an evil report. How much damage has been done just through whispering and murmuring? How about gossip? Remember that God has records all over Proverbs and Psalms about a gossip. This is a person who sensationalizes. They spread rumors and magnify partial and untrue information. How much damage and destructiveness is done by gossip? How many close friendships have been destroyed because of gossip? That is one of the ways in which Satan uses words. How about slander? In fact, one of the names for Satan is “the accuser” or “the slanderer.” It is one who seeks to destroy another’s reputation. A busy body, that is a person who goes around digging up evil, and then they try to make it their business to spread it. Satan uses words to attack. He uses words to lure us. He uses words to wear us down. His attack can be loud, defiant, and brazen.


Another perspective or lesson that we can learn from Proverbs 7 is what I call the disease paradigm. Once of my professions was in hazardous waste. While I was in that, I had to learn how toxins affect the human body. One day as I was reading Proverbs 7, I saw a parallel between what I was taught in school about the stages of a disease and spiritual attacks. First you are taught about ignorance. Ignorance is a lack of knowledge of how contamination and diseases spread. It is ignorance of preventative measures. It is just being ignorant of what you need to do to keep yourself healthy. Remember that in Proverbs 7 God is talking about a simple fool, which is an ignorant person.
The next stage of a physical disease is called exposure. Exposure literally means that you are open to contamination. You are in a situation where you are susceptible to being contaminated by a hazard because you have placed yourself where you can be exposed.

The next stage of a physical disease is contamination. Contamination occurs when germs are on you. The germs have literally crossed the line and are on you. Many times people are quarantined so that they can limit the contamination stage by interrupting the exposure.
After contamination comes infection. That is where the germs have actually entered into the body, and they begin to overcome your body’s defenses. They take hold and reproduce and begin to spread through your body causing damage.

That is when a fever rises, when you get headaches or swelling, or where your body is actually showing signs that the invader (germs, virus, bacteria) has begun doing damage to your body.

After the infectious stage of a physical disease, you then go into the disease stage. That is where infection begins to affect many of the vital life supporting systems of your body. It sometimes can become systemic, meaning it spreads. It can affect major systems and organs. If this is not interrupted, it will generally result with death, unless, the body can produce antibodies or bring about some means of interrupting the stages of the disease.

 

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At every stage of the physical attack, it can be arrested. You can limit it; you can stop it. Although we recognize that sometimes depending upon how invasive that attack is, permanent damage can be caused; in other words, consequences can occur.
I believe that the physical stages of disease have a parallel in the spiritual realm. I believe that God has revealed this in Proverbs 7.
The first physical stage of disease is ignorance.

Proverbs 7:7
I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.
​

That is ignorance. How did it progress? Well, he was just walking down the street.

Proverbs 7:8
He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
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This is the next stage of physical disease, exposure.
He has gone from being ignorant to being exposed. He is not just ignorant in the middle of a field with nothing around him. He is ignorant and going down the street near her corner. This now results in an exposure to this evil. The next stage that I mentioned was contamination. I believe that in verse 13 God is showing us where the contamination actually occurs.

Proverbs 7:13
She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
​

This is the first place where a connection is actually there between them. This connection is what is required for contamination to occur. The other day, my little four-year old granddaughter went off to preschool. All summer long she has been perfectly fine and healthy. However, by the end of her first week at preschool, she had the sniffles, a runny nose, and was coughing a little bit. Why? She went to preschool where she was exposed to all these other little kids, who at some point contaminated her, which happens by playing with contaminated toys or something like that. That is the stage here in verse 13. Contamination occurred when she took hold of him and kissed him. A touch occurred, and then the transfer happened.

 

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The next stage of physical disease is infection. I believe that infection occurs in Proverbs 7:21.

Proverbs 7:21
With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
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Now, it is not just a matter of seduction and that she has contaminated him. Now, he has crossed the line and become an active participant. It is at this point in verse 21 that “with persuasive words she led him astray.” She seduced him with her smooth talk. He is now a participant in this. For him to be led astray, means that he is going along with it.
The next stage of physical disease is the actual disease.

Proverbs 7:23
until an arrow pierces his liver,
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The liver is a vital organ and disease is a state where infection begins to affect life supporting systems and functions of the body. This is what we have right here. The arrow has pierced his liver. We only have one liver, and we cannot live without it. This arrow has pierced his liver. Earlier we talked about words being like arrows and fiery darts. Here the arrow has pierced his liver.
The final stage of physical disease is death.

Proverbs 7:27
Her house is a highway to the grave,
​

The grave represents death.

Proverbs 7:22
All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter,
​

He is not slaughtered yet, for that is the disease stage, but that is the tangent or direction in which he is heading.

Proverbs 7:22
…like a deer stepping into a noose
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The noose will ultimately kill that deer.

Proverbs 7:23
till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare,
​

Again, the snare is the trap that is going to take the bird’s life.

Proverbs 7:23
…little knowing it will cost him his life.
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I was just amazed when I saw this. Remember, John 10:10 says:

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
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I stand in absolute amazement that Proverbs chapter 7 contains the principles of ignorance, exposure, contamination, infection, disease, and death. God had this written over three thousand years ago to teach this young son.

Proverbs 7:1
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.


​

How powerful is this? God does not have to say, “Ignorance, exposure, contamination, infection, disease, and death”; however, that is in effect what God has done. This is how we can apply this. That is exactly what is taught in hazardous waste classes concerning the spreading of diseases and hazards and how they affect our body and here it is in Proverbs. It is absolutely amazing that God has laid out that lesson.

 

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Another lesson that we can glean from this is what I call the pressure-pleasure-pain cycle. Satan works by applying pressure. The pressure that he applies is specifically pleasure and pain. Remember in verse 13 where she took hold of him? Pressure is present when you grab something. To do this, you are applying pressure. She took hold of him. That is a lesson that we can glean. Also, she is loud and defiant. Pressure is there with hearing a high volume or amplitude coming toward you. What specifically was the pressure that she applied? Clearly it was a pressure of a sexual nature, which appeals to pleasure. In verse 21 we looked at persuasive words. It is just a very heavy pressure through the use of words. Also in verse 21, she seduced him with her smooth talk. Satan knows how to get to every one of us. He will come at you with the pleasure lure, and then boom, he backs away and comes with the pain lure. This pain is specifically through trying to pressure you away from God’s Word. Maybe not necessarily a physical pain but emotional pain or discomfort. You have to endure through what you believe to be an attack. Once you endure that, he might turn around and attack your children, if not your children then your grandchildren. If you are going to stand for God, God is telling you that you had better be prepared. An attack is going to happen, and it is going to come in the form of pleasure and pain. Where is the pain in Proverbs 7? Well, I consider infection, disease, and also death pretty painful.

Proverbs 7:22
All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter,
​

That does not sound very pleasurable. It certainly is in contrast to the pleasure of the sexual lure in verses 14-18. How about the deer stepping into a noose? It probably is pretty excruciating to be asphyxiated through a noose around your neck. How about the arrow that pierces the liver? That sounds pretty painful. How about the bird darting into a snare? Satan is going to pressure you with pleasure or with pain. If you yield to the pleasure, it is going to end in pain. It is going to hurt.

I think of pressure like the story of how you boil a frog. You put it in a pot of cool water, and you very slowly increase the heat. I remember years ago when my dad brought a lobster home. He had this pot of boiling water, and he tried to put the lobster in the pot, tail first. I have never seen a lobster snapping and squiggling as much it did. What is the right way to do it? You stick it in headfirst and boil it. That is what Satan can try to do to us. He can make a frontal attack and just come straight at us. There are plenty of records of that in the Word of God. A lot of times the attack is slowly turning up the heat to the point that you do not even feel yourself being cooked. That is why God says that bad company corrupts good character. It does not just happen overnight. There is an old saying of “Hang out with the dogs, and pretty soon, you will get fleas.” I have seen it in my life, and I have seen it in many others’ lives where you just start hanging out around the wrong people or the wrong influences. That is why God says in Corinthians,

1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
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Can you see here in Proverbs 7 that this is a lesson in the tactics of the Enemy? We have seen where Satan goes after our senses. One of the ways that he does this is the use of words. How about the pressure-pleasure-pain? What about the spiritual paradigm of disease, and how it mirrors the physical paradigm?

A few other lessons can be found here. What is usually involved is rejection and rebellion; in fact, Satan first rejected God, and then he rebelled against God. I believe that is part of Satan’s very nature. For years, as I have tried to help and work with people who have been caught in different situations and different demonic strong holds, it always involves rejection and rebellion. In fact, many times in my own personal life where I have gotten myself into some serious trouble, it was because of issues of rejection and ultimately I ended up in some rebellious behavior.

 

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Proverbs 7:11
She is loud and defiant,
​

Defiance is rebelliousness. Remember that God says:

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,…
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Witchcraft is idolatry. I believe that Proverbs 7 is an entire lesson in adultery or spiritual idolatry.

Proverbs 7:19 and 20
(19) My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
(20) He took his purse filled with money and will not be home until full moon.”


​

This is not just some single prostitute. This is a married woman. Look at the rejection of her husband, the rejection of her marriage vows. How about the rebellious behavior of defiling her marriage bed—the sanctity and sacredness of her marriage bed? Look at the deceitfulness that she is employing. She is deceiving the young man, and she is also being deceitful to the vows and to the commitment that she has made to her husband. Also, look at the crafty planning. She has taken observation that he has taken his purse filled with money. She has thought through the fact that her husband is not going to be back until the full moon.

Proverbs 7:10
…with crafty intent.
​

These are some other lessons that we can glean from this. Rejection and rebellion are being demonstrated by defiance in the rejection of her husband, her marriage vows, the rebellious behavior of defiling her marriage bed, of the sexual promiscuity, and her deceitfulness or crafty planning. Remember that in verse 12 it talked about her lurking. Lurking is an active moving; it is out there. It is subtleness, but also on her part, she has a very active participation in this. At every corner, temptation is there.


I mentioned that usually pride is involved. I believe that is exactly the lesson that God is trying to give us here.

Proverbs 7:15
So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
​

Again, it is always generally an appeal to ego or self. I remember attending a seminar years ago and one of the statements that the person made was, “It is pride which always keeps us in sinfulness.” The answer to pride is humility. We should submit ourselves one to another. If I have sinned against my brother, I am to go and confess my sin and ask for his forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 2:11
in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
​

The context of that verse is forgiveness. A whole lesson is written right in there. It is a lesson about pride. Again, Satan’s sin was his own pride in that he lifted himself up and raised himself up and said, “I will usurp God. I will ascend to the throne of heaven.” Also, I mentioned earlier in Proverbs 7:14 about religious behavior. How a cloaking is there. Many times Satan is going to hide behind good causes. It may not necessarily be religion, but it certainly could be. A lot of evil has been promoted in the name of religiousness. A lot of wicked and evil things have been done through the dark ages and the periods of the inquisition. Some of that still does come up. We have to be very careful concerning ourselves in that we never hide behind religious attitudes and defenses because it is one of the ways in which Satan works. It does not even have to be religious in the traditional sense. It could be a cause for “mother earth.” It could be a cause for some of these other things such as global warming. I am not against any of those things. I believe that we need to steward and take care of our resources, but many times I have seen people get off on tangents that lure them away from the real plans and purposes of God. I believe that God provides an answer. Let us look in verse 24 because ultimately that is what the lesson of Proverbs 7 is.

 

[rizen1]

Sure, God reveals to us the tactics, manners, methods, and moves of the Enemy. God gives us the answer here.

Proverbs 7:24
Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
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I believe that a big part of the answer is that we need to listen to God and pay attention to him. That is why Psalm 119 says this:

Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
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We need to pay attention to God; we need to listen to Him.

Proverbs 7:25
Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
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That is a huge principle. We need to guard our hearts. That is the key to deliverance—Guard our hearts and pay attention; listen to what God says. Proverbs 7:1 parallels this. It is almost like God sandwiches all these lessons of the Enemy’s tactics between the first part of this Proverb and the last part.

Proverbs 7:1 and 2
(1) My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
(2) Keep my commands and you will live…
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God says to keep His commands, store up His commands, and keep His words. Look at these imperatives that He is using. Look at how verse 2 ends.

Proverbs 7:2
…guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
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Guard them like you would guard the very pupil of your eye.

Proverbs 7:3
Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
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It is the guarding of our heart and the sowing of God’s Word into our hearts that will keep us protected from the tactics of the Enemy.

I mentioned my grandchildren sitting and watching cartoons where wizards and witches and ice queens and charms were being shown. How powerful would it be for us to just teach our young children the lessons that God has here for us in Proverbs 7? After all, God says that it was the simple fool that was noticed. It is the person who was uneducated or unlearned concerning spiritual matters. That is not necessarily related to age.
I think back over my own life, and I wish that I had been taught these lessons when I was young. How powerful would that have been? I think that we need to teach the fact that the Enemy is out there, and God does not want us ignorant of his devices. We need to teach about how Satan is going to make an appeal against our senses. We need to teach the way in which he will do that is by using words to attack: seductive, loud, defiant, persuasive, and smooth talking words. They are the fiery darts of the wicked. He is going to work through deceit, whispering, gossip, slander, and busy-bodying. We need to teach the paradigm of spiritual disease, and how it parallels physical disease.

I believe that we should teach our young people this stuff. After all, it is only through knowledge that we gain an ability to overcome our ignorance. We need to teach our young about spiritual ignorance, spiritual exposure, contamination, infection, disease, and death. After all, God put it right here in Proverbs 7, and it is directed toward “My son.” Also, we need to teach about the lesson of how Satan applies pressure specifically through pleasure, pain, and the appeal to our ego.

 

[rizen1]

Satan will work through rejection and rebellion. He is going to hide and lurk and conceal. He is certainly going to hide his motives and cloak them behind religious or good sounding endeavors or causes. The answer to all of this is God. Proverbs 7 is not just an illustration that God is using about the way of a man with an adulteress or an evil woman; for after all, this man is evil too when he yields to it. This is much more than an illustration of a simple fool with an adulteress. No, this is a lesson designed to reveal great truths.

Proverbs 7 reveals good versus evil, right versus wrong, and light versus darkness. It reveals idolatry. The Bible is not some old story book that has no relevance to today. Solomon taught these lessons over three thousand years ago and they are completely relevant to us today.

How powerful it would have been if my parents had this level of understanding concerning Satan and his tactics. If only I would have been taught from my youth that Satan is going to attack us through our senses with words, the whole paradigm of spiritual disease that patterns after physical disease and the pressure that he will use to pleasure us or to cause us pain, and that he works through rejection and rebellion. I just think that we need to teach our young people this, so that they can be properly prepared to be able to stand in the trenches of the spiritual war. That is what it is. We are in a spiritual war that is going on between God and Satan, and we are caught right in the crossfire. Satan is going to appeal to your ego or your pride. He is going to do it by hiding behind good causes, things that feel good. Satan is going to work through words to try and get us to lie, to slander, to whisper, and to gossip.

God has absolutely provided for us. Proverbs 7 is a phenomenal lesson of how God has concealed His Word. If we have the desire to search it out like fine gold then we will find these truths. We need to keep God’s Words; we need to store up His commands. We need to guard His teachings; we need to bind them on our fingers, and we need to write them on the tablet of our hearts. That is why with all conviction, at Spirit & Truth Fellowship International can say that we need to seek this and to pursue God with all our heart. That is why we say, “Truth Matters: Spread the Word!”

Tactics of the Enemy: A Biblical Study of Proverbs 7 | Truth Or Tradition?

 

[Shutterbug]

Excellent topic and lesson, Rizen1. Satan has a simple agenda: keep us separated from God by doing what we think is best for us. People can do good without God, but it matters not as it is done to give glory to another. The most original line Satan came up with is, "God did not mean that". Satan knows God better than we do. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church could be just another charitable organization working for the benefit of humanity. The lady in your lesson is the same as the harlot mentioned in Revelations: she is only out for herself, but she cannot do it alone. Those who get involved with her serve to spoil the purity of what human relationships were meant to be as sanctioned. That is, freely seeking the will of God first as our guide and abiding by it. If we choose to exclude God, then we choose to exclude his blessings. In the end, we can't have it both ways although Satan will try convince us otherwise. Cheers, John