This week we come to an end of a series of “instructions” offered from teacher to student in the first few chapters of the book of Proverbs. Let’s take a few moments to read through the 7th chapter.
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In this 7th chapter we return to the stark and harsh analogies of Woman Wisdom and the “loose” or “strange” woman. While teaching against adultery was definitely part of what is going on in this chapter, it is important to reiterate as we have done before that both women, Wisdom and Strange, are metaphors. Woman Wisdom represents the teachings of the priestly Jewish traditions while the Strange Woman stands for the cultures, religions, and practices around the Jewish people. The greatest fear of the disparate people was losing their youth to teachings and religion of others, and thus losing their own tradition.
While we have talked about the Strange Woman before, here we are specifically looking at the influences of fertility goddess religions of the near east. The draw of wealth and prosperity promised by those faiths centered on a fertility goddess was strong, and the risk of losing people to those religions was high. To combat that, Woman Wisdom is presented as a counterpart, a love goddess. Unlike the fertility goddess who feeds the needs of the flesh, the love goddess meets deeper more intimate needs.
This shouldn’t sound foreign to us, especially when we look at where we are in the year. Not long after Remembrance Day, Christmas decorations and songs could be seen and heard in stores and homes across our city. We are just making our way into the season of Advent, a season of preparation, but the world around us is telling us that Christmas is already here. But it isn’t saying to celebrate the Christ, so much as it is to celebrate the sales. The draw to the material can drown out the spiritual journey that we are on. As we reflect on this reading, let us see ourselves in the seat of the student, reminded to listen for the still small voice that calls from behind the music, to see the path God is calling us to from beyond the decorations.
Let us pray as we make our way towards the first Sunday of Advent:
Teach us O God. Prepare our hearts to welcome the coming Christ. Remind us of the gifts that we have in one another and the grace that flows from a stable.Walk with us as we begin our Advent journey we pray. AMEN