E19. The Bait & The Trap

Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 7:23-29

What can turn a wise man into a fool? Solomon was determined to discover the answer. He had already found several emotions that would make a wise man foolish. Greed, pride, anger and fear all have this effect upon humanity. Now Solomon tells us that a wicked woman is the ultimate weapon against a wise man. He describes a wicked woman as being a snare. She uses feminine wiles to entrap a man and bind him as if with chains. In her heart, she knows what she is doing, and knows that it is wicked, but she does not care. She intends to trap the man; she is doing it on purpose. Only a godly man can escape such a trap. When he searches the world around him Solomon concludes that only one in 1000 men are godly. He studies farther and concludes that a godly woman does not exist. Any rational person recognizes the Solomon has reached the wrong conclusions. If it is possible for there to be godly man, then it seems obvious that there can be godly women. Why did he not recognize this? He did not recognize this fact because he could not find a single righteous woman among all that he knew, and he only believed what he could verify from personal experience. Consider that Solomon had a harem of wives and concubines that numbered over 1000. According to what he has written, all of them were schemers intent upon making him a fool. He believes that God has created humanity upright, but most men and all women have gone in search of many schemes. He blames women and their wickedness for the direction his life has taken. He has not been honest with himself and with God. Yes, his life was full of wicked women who had ensnared him, yet God had forbid him to marry foreign women who worshipped pagan gods. Women tempted Him, but sin trapped him.

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