For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey and her mouth is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell.
Lest you ponder her path of life — Her ways are unstable; you do not know them. Prov 5:3-6
I read this and it stuck in my mind.
I guess what is unusual to me is the two-edged sword.
You remember what is written about the word of God don’t you?
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb 4:12-13
Knowing that this proverb speaks of the immoral woman, I began to think on the sword.
What if the immoral woman is also a false religion?
The church is pictured as a woman, the bride. In Revelation the great harlot is a religious system.
This proverb perfectly describes how someone is pulled into a cult.
Sweet and smooth talking (honey and oil) lead the unsuspected and the unaware into the fold.
Their doctrine is like the word of God, in that it is sharp as a two-edged sword. The difference is that theirs is a falsehood because God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is difficult for those that do not have God’s word written on their heart to tell the difference.
In the end the cult is bitter, leading to death and hell and is unstable and contradictory.
Proverbs continues with instruction in verses 7 through 14.
It is hard for the Church to fight against “good looking, sweet and smooth talking” religion.
This fight is not physical but spiritual. Remember though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor 10:3-6
Arm yourself with the real sword and prepare for battle. Don’t forget the rest of the armor!