Once upon a time, in the grand city of Jerusalem, lived a doting father and a impressionable son. The father, a wise man known for his profound teachings, sat his young son down one day, and began to entreat him with a heartfelt sermon, using the words from the book of Proverbs, chapter seven.
He started, “My son,” he began sincerely, resting his hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “Keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
The words hovered in the air as the father’s tone implored his son to take heed. “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and to insight, ‘You are my relative.’ They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.”
And as the sun set, the father narrated a tale of a young, naive man like his son, living in the corners of their city.
“He was passing along the street near her corner, moving along the path to her house. In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night…” The father’s voice took on a somber tone. He told of the young man meeting a woman, dressed provocatively and with crafty intent in her heart.
“She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. She took hold of him and kissed him, with a brazen face she said: ‘Today, I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.'”
The father emphasized, the woman’s flattering tongue working magic on the naive lad, her soothing words mixed with promises of forbidden pleasures captivating him completely. The son listened in rapt silence, his eyes wide in apprehension as he visualized the unfolding drama.
“Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”
Spellbound, the young man followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, unaware of the impending danger—the sacrificial trail he was treading upon.
The father pronounced solemnly, “Little do men know that such is the path toward death, leading down to the chambers of the grave.”
He paused, letting the words sink into his young son’s heart. He looked into his son’s eyes, clear pools of innocent curiosity and said, “So, my son, listen to me; do not stray from my words. Don’t let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.”
He then took his son’s hands into his and concluded his story. “Her house is the road to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death. Therefore, my son, always guard your heart, observe my teachings and cherish wisdom as your most esteemed kin. Keep your way far from her.”
The son felt a chill ripple down his spine as he heard his father’s words. A heady mixture of fear and understanding filled his heart, and he nodded solemnly, promising to heed his father’s advice. From that day forward, the son held his father’s words, his wisdom, close to his heart, his path safeguarded from the allure of wayward temptations. His road, much like the path of wisdom, continued to shine brighter with each passing day, securing him from the paths leading towards darkness and doom.
