“For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,” (Pr 7:6-7 AV)
At first glance, one might as why the writer looking out a window where he knows ladies of the evening might frequent. One pillar of righteousness is to avoid places or situations where temptation is known to lurk. In fact, the same writer above uses those very words. Speaking of a similar situation, he writes, “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” (Pr 4:15 AV) The best defense is an offense. There is no cause given why the writer was looking out this particular window or if it was, in fact, a place frequented by illicit behavior. The statement above is just that. A statement. What is important is the observation made. Solomon did not notice the strange woman as much as he noticed the consequences of the young man who fell to her temptations. In other words, we can observe sin in one of two ways. We can see temptation as something to fall to for a mere moment of pleasure. Or, as Solomon did above, look upon temptation as a trap. A trap from which a substantial cost is exacted.
It is interesting what happens when one cuts sugar out of a diet. I am trying to control my A1Cs by cutting back on sugar and carbohydrates. Not a strict KETO diet. Just a manageable one. What happens to the body when refined sugar and bad carbs are reduced is quite interesting. There are no more sugar highs and lows. Thirst is more manageable. Energy is more consistent and long lasting. The mind improves. Most of all, I noticed a loss of desire for the things that I cut out. I am a huge brownie fan. I love homemade brownies. I used to drink a lot of coffee with creamer. Now I drink it mostly black. My wife is not on such a diet. So, these things remain in the house. I have to see them. I have to look at them. They are always around me. How, one might ask, do you resist? Easy. When I look at those things I should not eat, there is a part of me that remembers how I felt when I did consume them. A sick feeling washes over me. I see those things as rushing energy, but resulting in a crash, a headache, or worse. So, by looking upon them in a context of the full experience, the will to resist becomes easier.
Mind you, this is not permission to dabble into temptation for the goal of building resistance. We must avoid places and situations that lend themselves to temptation. That is Solomon’s first bit of advice. Not able to avoid temptation, the saint must do the next best thing. Muse on the consequences. The luxury Solomon has is he can watch someone else fall to the temptation. It doesn’t have to be him. There is great wisdom here. When tempted to fall away from God’s holy law, if we stopped for just a moment, and observed the consequences befallen on others, maybe we will make the right choice. Solomon speaks from experience. Having thousands of wives and concubines, he knows the temptation to chase skirts is not worth it. He knows no matter how beautify a woman might be, there is only one whom God has chosen for you. He knows, by experience, if you chase skirts, eventually you will be asked to make greater and greater compromises. Solomon knows that going down the road of temptation never ends well. There is a price to be paid and sometimes the price is greater than what one has in store.
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