For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man's wife preys on your very life. – Proverbs 6:26

Today's Scripture Reading (November 3, 2022): Proverbs 6

We are less than a week away from another voting season in the United States. Many have already cast their vote for their preferred politicians. But others are waiting for election day when they will go to the polls to cast their ballot. Money has been spent on advertising, and promises have been made. And now, after a final week of campaigning, the people will make their decision. And one of the mysteries of elections is that there might be a right choice, but sometimes we don't know who that right church might be.

However, part of the political problem is that we often decide who to vote for based on things over which politicians have very little control. In 2020, Donald Trump and Joe Biden made promises to the voting public. And the truth is that they had very little power to keep many of their commitments. Politics is built around the idea that a group of people can effect political change, but they will be paralyzed unless we elect enough from one side. That is not a bad situation in a perfect world because politicians can make compromises that will get the most important things done. But the authors of the world political systems and constitutions probably never envisioned a time when politics would become so polarized that no compromise would be available; only a stalemate would prevail, paralyzing our governments and their ability to do almost anything. Promises would be made by both sides that no one would be able to keep without help from someone else, and sometimes they are promises that could not be fulfilled without a worldwide agreement.

The NIV translation of Proverbs 6:26 seems to want the reader to make an interesting choice between a prostitute and the wife of a neighbor. But that misses the point. We need to remember Hebrew poetry often tries to state the same thing twice in parallel statements, and this passage is no different. The actual comparison is between a prostitute and an adulteress. And in Solomon's mind, that is the same person.

The idea is that the prostitute makes promises to the one who wishes to use her services. For a small price, she promises to add something to the experience of the one hiring her. She promises excitement, pleasure, attention, and many other things that her customer thinks are missing in his life. But the reality is that the promises are empty. She has no power to fulfill them; in reality, the price will be much higher, costing the customer much more and emptying his life of all he truly values.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 7