Yesterday I drew attention
to what at first glance might appear to be an imbalance in the teaching of the
book of Proverbs. Solomon gives many dire warnings about “women on the make” to
young men, but no warnings at all to young women concerning the dangers of
lustful men.
This was not because God is uninterested in maintaining the virtue of women, as we will see shortly.
However, ancient Eastern societies, and especially Israel, had a culture of built-in
familial and legal protections for ordinary women which made them difficult for
men on the prowl to access or seduce, and this without imposing on them pillbox-style
face-coverings and body bags.
And of course there was no internet in those days. Where temptation is concerned, that was far from
a negative.