Going down the slippery slope

Solomon’s Wisdom Part 9

Proverbs 2:16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

Proverbs 2:17  who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God

Proverbs 2:18 Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Proverb 2:19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

We have covered the idea of not following the ways of evil men and now we are going to look at evil women. The term “evil” or “strange” woman in these passages has a broad spectrum of definitions. 

1. She belongs to another person
2. Sensitive appetites
3. Idolatry
4. Superstition
5. False doctrine
6. Everything that is contrary to true wisdom

As we know, when God created humanity (ha’adam), He created man (ish) and woman (ishshah). Bible Study Tools defines ishshah as woman, wife, female woman (opposite of man), wife (woman married to a man), female (of animals), each, every (pronoun).

 

Digging deeper into ishshah we find that by looking at the Hebrew alphabet, particularly the pictograms they are based upon Man אישׁ  and Woman אשּׁה  Both share the Hebrew letters aleph and shin and when they are combined, as, in marriage,  they form אשׁ = Fire.

 

K.  Gallagher writes; “Fire burns. Fire is hot. Fire consumes. Fire can destroy life. Fire can preserve life. In the case of the ishshah, a woman or wife is fire with the addition of the letter hey. Hey has a numerical value of five and means breath or to behold. Thus, for all intents and purposes, a woman is a “fiery breath”. Yikes! That sounds too much like a dragon for my liking! Yet, the fact remains that a woman who is not walking uprightly can sure depict this flaming beast.” When she does walk with purpose and wisdom, she is a healer and breath of fresh air in thought, word, and deed.

In Proverbs 2:16 the first warning is that wisdom will deliver you from the zuwr or strange woman. The next line defines her as the nokriy or adulteress.

The word Zuwr can include or mean one of the following:

to be strange, be a stranger

1. (Qal)
   1. to become estranged
   2. strange, another, stranger, foreigner, an enemy (participle)
   3. loathsome (of breath) (participle)
   4. strange woman, prostitute, harlot (meton)
2. (Niphal) to be estranged
3. (Hophal) to be a stranger, be one alienated

And the word nokriy is:

foreign, alien

1. foreign
2. foreigner (subst)
3. foreign woman, harlot
4. unknown, unfamiliar (fig.)

Why do I go through all this? To set a scene. A simple scene where throughout the Bible God warns the Jew of staying pure and not mixing with other races, creeds, or religions. Why? So, they would not stray or be distracted from loving the one and only True God.

But how does this apply to business?

As soon as you stray from your initial:

Knowledgebase

Mission

Plan

Purpose

Reason

Strength

Understanding

You are open to being led down the path away from your original dream, often to needless frustration and stressful dead ends.  Don’t get me wrong; learning, adapting, improving, and innovating is essential. That does not mean that you can’t change your mind and go down a different path. If that is what you want to do, go for it! Just make sure you gain the knowledge, make the plan, surround yourself with the right people, and make it your new mission.

But, straying from the path, losing your focus, going after fast gains or short cuts will most often lead to ruin. It usually is a slow, insidious path – it sneaks up on you slowly. As verse 18 states “For her house sinks down to death”. Keyword sinks or shuwach. The word shuwach is so appropriate to this situation as it means:

to sink down, be bowed down, be humble

1. (Qal) to sink down
2. (Hiphil) of depression of the mind

 

What happens when we fail or run into trouble, we are often humbled, and this can lead to depression!

What can we do?

1. Plan
   1. Know what you are trying to achieve
   2. Create a vision for it
   3. Develop a mission
   4. Make solid deadlines
   5. Think months, quarters and year – not days and weeks
   6. Be flexible but don’t make major changes unless absolutely warranted

 

1. 2.Stay focused
   1. Don’t look back
   2. Don’t live in the future
   3. Stay in the present
   4. Avoid distractions
   5. Avoid negative people
   6. Always ask, “Will this get me closer to my goal?”

1. 3. Find a mentor
   1. Online mentorship networks
   2. Industry meetups
   3. Ask someone who has done it before
   4. Ask someone who is successful in another field and apply their advice
   5. Read copiously

1. 4. Constantly Review and Assessment
   1. A clear business strategy will help to answer any concerns and show practical ways forward. By reviewing and assessing it will make sure you are staying on point.
   2. Are you being efficient and effective?
   3. Are you financial and management systems accurate, solid, and do you have room to grow?
   4. Know where your competitor is, how they are doing, and how you are competing relative to them.
   5. How are you holding up? Are you staying healthy and focused? How about your employees? Do you have a plan in place to help maintain physical, mental, and emotional health for everyone involved, most importantly you?

By staying vigilant, you will stay meaningful, current, and relevant! Isn’t that a big part of success?