Wise or Cowardly?

(Pro 5:3 KJV) For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

What do you associate “oil” (8081) with?  The first thing I think of is motor oil.  Moderns tend to get this because we think of oil as a slippery substance that makes things move easier.  I can’t think of too many places in ancient Israel where they would think that way.  They might have used it on door hinges but most people were not rich enough to have metal door hinges.  They used oil to burn in lamps and to rub on their skin like a lotion.  In spite of that, they knew it was slippery.

We have a lot of things in our world that work this way.  If I have a sticky lock or a squeaky door I use graphite.  It that doesn’t work I use WD-40.  If that doesn’t work I get ear plugs.  In any case we are being warned about people and situations that make it too easy to slip.  Or to compromise.  Or simply to ignore.

So?  Stay alert.  Avoid things that are dangerous.  It is called wisdom not cowardice.