“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men.” Proverbs 23:26-28
One thing that can be said about sexual sin is that it’s easy to fall into but difficult to climb out of. That’s not an original observation from a sex addiction therapist in the 21st century. It’s a truth that Solomon, renowned for his great wisdom, penned in a proverb to his son.
“A harlot,” warned Solomon, “is a deep pit.” That is, a harlot, a woman who sells her body for sex (a prostitute), is a hole in the ground that’s easy to fall into. Men fall for sex with prostitutes because the sex satisfies their lust but involves zero emotional commitment, zero chance of rejection, and zero responsibility towards the needs of the woman. The sex is simply transactional. As long as a man can afford the fee, sex is always available to satisfy his needs on his terms.
But sex with a prostitute comes with a cost, as Solomon alludes. A deep pit is hard to climb out of. Sex that is always available and that comes with no strings attached can be habit forming and destructive. A man who turns to prostitutes to satisfy his base sexual lust whenever he wants shouldn’t be surprised if he wrecks his marriage and loses his kids. Adultery defiles the marriage bed.
Solomon’s warning applies to pornography. Porn is easy to find, enjoyable to watch, but hard to turn away from. Men who watch porn for long enough develop a tolerance. They grow desensitized. Images that once gave them a dopamine high no longer satisfy. Like drug addicts who start with marijuana but move up to heroin, these men must seek increasingly more novel, violent and degrading forms of pornography to achieve the same sexual buzz. Some eventually act out on their online fantasies in the real world, engaging in deviant sex and criminal activity, such as rape and pedophilia, and other wickedness that can’t be mentioned.
The prevention? Right here in the text: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” If you want to avoid pornography and sexual immorality, find a man who has victory in this area, then trust him with your heart by making yourself accountable to him. Observe his ways. Let him show you how to avoid deep pits.
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