Daily Wisdom, Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5

"My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding; that you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one; and strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; and you grown at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;" (verses 1-11).

The father continues to point his son towards life. He warns him of the adulteress woman he works to steel his life. This lesson is such a crucial one, because the adulteress will steel life in many ways.

Adultery destroys families. My own life and ministry has been affected by an affair my grandpa had over forty years ago. It destroys marriages. It destroys the relationship of parents and children, and it often leads to the kids feeling at fault.

Adultery destroys ministry. When a pastor falls into an affair everything he has worked for is undone.

Adultery destroys character. Credibility and trust are destroyed with an affair. Respect is lost and integrity destroyed. Everything that your life has been spent to achieve can be destroyed with an affair.

An affair brings nothing but death, and death in so many ways. And so the father warns his son against it. He says, yes, it might seem appealing and worth the cost at first, but it is only an illusion. There is nothing but death down this road, and it reaches farther than just you.

And the the father ends with this, "Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be exhilarated always with her love. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress and embrace the bosom of a foreigner? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all His paths. His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray" (verses 18-23).

In marriage a man and a woman come together. He brings and offers his strength, she unveils and captivates with her beauty. The two different sides come together and reveal the full heart of God. She is his to delight in, and it is a union that is blessed by God.

God sees all. Sin can be hidden from man to an extent, but God sees everything, and a man will be held in his own sin and death is the result. The instructions of the father lead to life. This warning points the son to the path of righteousness, it warns him of the dangers that will try to ensnare him and take him out. But because he has been warned, he can be prepared for it.

The instructions of the father can save the son's life and help him share God with the world.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you