At the window of my house I looked
out through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men,
a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking
along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the
dark of night set in (Proverbs 7:7-9)
This
morning, someone shared a post about rape. The message of the post was “Don’t
blame the victim.” We are especially not to blame the victim for wearing the
clothes she wore. They’re right. Different rapists seek different types of
victims. There is no way to know what is or is not safe to wear.
But I also think about passages like the one above. A youth, walking in a dangerous neighborhood at twilight. There seems to be such an emphasis on not blaming the victim that the belief is that we should be able to go where we want, when we want, alone, and not get into trouble. And that’s true, we should be able to do those things, but the reality is that if you put yourself in a position that makes you easy prey, you are more likely to be a victim. If you stick a hand in an aquarium of hungry piranhas, you shouldn’t be surprised if the piranhas bite.
This passage isn’t about things like rape. It’s not even just about sexual sin, though that’s what is portrayed. This passage is really about any behavior that endangers you. I don’t like alcohol or carbonation. Not only do I not like alcohol, but I don’t like the way people act when they’ve been drinking. Add to that the fact that I don’t tend to be good about moderation. I’ve had people say that I should try this or that, to find some sort of alcoholic drink that I like, but forty percent of the violent crimes committed in this country involve someone who has been drinking. Eighty-eight thousand people per year die in ways that involve someone who has been drinking. Why would anyone in their right mind go searching for an opportunity to be part of those statistics?
I’m not telling you that you must not drink alcohol, but there seems to be a complete rejection of the use of common sense - or of wisdom – in our nation right now. We’re so caught up in what we think we can do that we don’t stop to consider whether or not we should do it. We can’t imagine how dangerous the world actually is, until we are its victims.
My friends, stay away from the adulteress, who or whatever she may be. Don’t hang out in her neighborhood. You have the right to do so, but it's really not worth the price you'll end up paying.
But I also think about passages like the one above. A youth, walking in a dangerous neighborhood at twilight. There seems to be such an emphasis on not blaming the victim that the belief is that we should be able to go where we want, when we want, alone, and not get into trouble. And that’s true, we should be able to do those things, but the reality is that if you put yourself in a position that makes you easy prey, you are more likely to be a victim. If you stick a hand in an aquarium of hungry piranhas, you shouldn’t be surprised if the piranhas bite.
This passage isn’t about things like rape. It’s not even just about sexual sin, though that’s what is portrayed. This passage is really about any behavior that endangers you. I don’t like alcohol or carbonation. Not only do I not like alcohol, but I don’t like the way people act when they’ve been drinking. Add to that the fact that I don’t tend to be good about moderation. I’ve had people say that I should try this or that, to find some sort of alcoholic drink that I like, but forty percent of the violent crimes committed in this country involve someone who has been drinking. Eighty-eight thousand people per year die in ways that involve someone who has been drinking. Why would anyone in their right mind go searching for an opportunity to be part of those statistics?
I’m not telling you that you must not drink alcohol, but there seems to be a complete rejection of the use of common sense - or of wisdom – in our nation right now. We’re so caught up in what we think we can do that we don’t stop to consider whether or not we should do it. We can’t imagine how dangerous the world actually is, until we are its victims.
My friends, stay away from the adulteress, who or whatever she may be. Don’t hang out in her neighborhood. You have the right to do so, but it's really not worth the price you'll end up paying.
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