A Snare of Passion

I'm not going to preface this- just read it, okay?
Ecclesiastes 7 (Amplified version)

26And I found that [of all sinful follies none has been so ruinous in seducing one away from God as idolatrous women] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

29Behold, this is the only [reason for it that] I have found: God made man upright, but they [men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil]

The Brown Commentary on www.searchgodsword.org put it this way; "I find" that, of all my sinful follies, none has been so ruinous a snare in seducing me from God as idolatrous women (1 Kings 11:3,4, Proverbs 5:3,4, 22:14). As "God's favor is better than life," she who seduces from God is "more bitter than death."

Solomon had what- 300 wives and 700 concubines - that's 1000 sexual partners, obviously breaking one of God's first laws of "one man, one woman, for life". Seriously Solomon? How could someone so wise expect to find a woman of good character amongst his thousand sexual gratify-ers? Not likely.


Whoever pleases God will escape from this sinful, ensnaring woman- how does that work though? We will be pleasing God by loving (obeying) Him. If we are obeying God that will prevent us from compromising sinful situation. If we are seeking after God we aren't going to find ourselves falling in "love" with someone whose hands are chaining us to them (albeit, away from God).

God created us good in his eyes, to be pure like he is pure. But we have found many ways to run away from this- as the New Living Translation says: "But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path". We see God but for some reason we still turn away from Him and fix our eyes on ourselves and other idols, on our hopes and schemes and desires. I want to be virtuous as God created me to be. I want to, I really do, hopefully you, as well, feel the call of God upon your spirit.