We all have seen the little girl who places a pout on her face and a pathetic look in her eyes just so that she can get her way. And what about the girl on the verge of becoming a young lady that only addresses her Father as 'Daddy' when she wants something. And then there is the young lady who flirts and flaunts and giggles, and may or may not be as blond as she appears to be, simply to capture the attention of the young men around her. And then we have the thirty-year-old business woman who uses what she can to shift her opinions and ideas around so things fall her favor.
These are all negative uses of feminine wiles. Here is my question, can our feminine wiles be used in a good way?
We all know that as females, we can have a huge influence on the individuals around us. In particular, men. Boys, guys, whatever you want to call them, you know who I am talking about.
Look at Genesis chapter three with me. Who used her wiles to not only cause mankind to fall into sin (I am not entirely blaming Eve, her husband didn't have a proper view of authority, and certainly didn't practice it either!!!) and pass the blame onto others?
And then we have Tamara in Genesis 38. Yes, Judah and his sons were also at fault, but it was her wiles that ultimately caused the incest.
Judges chapter 4 and on reveals to us another woman who used her influence to do great things. Deborah effectively leads the people, but doesn't take the leadership out of the hand of a man. Barak is still in charge, Deborah simply gives him advice and inspires him to lead. \
In I Kings 25 we read of another woman who uses here influence to change the hearts of men around her. Abigail, the wife of Nabal, effectively uses her words to alter the actions and attitude of David, and is rewarded for here faithfulness in the end.
A son of David, King Solomon speaks of the influences of a woman in the book of Proverbs. He compares an adulterous woman who uses her wiles to cause men to stumble to the woman of wisdom. In contrast to the first woman, she uses her wisdom to change the lives of men for good. She humbly teaches and encourages men to stand up, to lead, to follow God, and to do good to all.
The prophets and apostles speak of other such women, some who use their influence for good, others for bad. We see many, many examples of how us, as women, are used to influence those around us. As we look throughout history, we are able to view many, many more examples of this. Look at where the use of feminine wiles has led us to where our culture is sitting today.
Are we using our influences wisely? Next time I want to focus on the HOW part. How can we uses our feminine wiles for the good of others?
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