Day 11
Proverbs 7:1-27
Pr verbs The False Attractions of Adultery 7:1 My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you; 2 keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, 5 that they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words. 6 For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, 7 and I saw among the simple ones, I observed among the youths, a young man without sense, 8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house 9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. 10 Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart. 11 She is loud and wayward;her feet do not stay at home; 12 now in the street, now in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait. 13 She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent face she says to him: 14 “I had to offer sacrifices and today
Where wisdom and life intersect…….
Week 3
I have paid my vows; 15 so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you! 16 I have decked my couch with coverings, colored spreads of Egyptian linen; 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. 19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. 20 He took a bag of money with him; he will not come home until full moon.” 21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. 22 Right away he follows her, and goes like an ox to the slaughter, or bounds like a stag toward the trap 23 until an arrow pierces its entrails. He is like a bird rushing into a snare,not knowing that it will cost him his life. 24 And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 25 Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. 26 For many are those she has laid low, and numerous are her victims. 27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
Ready: We need a spiritual awakening to carry out what we are learning in Proverbs. We need something deep inside us to change. We need to start treasuring God’s commands from the heart. Read verses 1- 5. These verses tell us to call wisdom our intimate friend. Intimacy with wisdom leads us to ignore the words of a seductress or seducer because we have treasured up God’s words in our hearts. Read: Read through these verses asking God to write them on your heart. Reflect: “The father saw something. He wants his teenage son to see it too, so he can walk into adulthood fully aware. The father tells us three things about the strategies of sexual temptation: the approach of temptation (verses 6-13), the speech of temptation (verses 14-20), and the impact of giving in to temptation (verses 21-27). Who is involved? The guy, in this case, is one of “the simple.” We have seen the simple before (Proverbs 1:4, 22). A simple person, a petî – related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be open” – this person is keeping his options open, he is stand-off-ish, uncommitted, still “exploring life,” we might say. So this particular simpleton is feeling restless early one evening and takes a walk. He’s curious. He’s heard about a certain part of town – or certain sites on the internet. So there he is, probably thinking, “I can handle this. I’m strong. And I need to see these things for myself anyway.” “Then a woman comes toward him,decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart.” Vs. 10-12, “Wily of heart” means, literally, “guarded of heart.” She is unguarded in her dress, revealing much. But she is guarded in her heart, revealing nothing. There are men and women who do not know what a relationship is. They have never experienced it. They can role-play a relationship, but they do not give their hearts away. Sex they give, but themselves they guard. This poor guy has no idea what he’s walking into. Vs. 16-18, “Only the rich owned furniture in their homes back in this world. So this guy thinks he’s hitting the jackpot. A beautiful woman, a great feast, a luxurious setting, exotic experiences are all just waiting for him. The Hebrew could be paraphrased and expanded, “Come, let’s saturate ourselves with love-making in all its forms, let’s enjoy ourselves with every act, all night long, slowly passing the night, no hurry.” But as one commentator points out, To have a full sexual relationship with somebody is to give physical expression to what is meant to be a covenanted relationship – that is, stable, faithful, permanent. To say physically, “I am giving myself to you,” while emotionally and spiritually holding back from covenanted commitment is in fact to live a lie – a split in the personality which is ultimately stressful and destructive.” Ray Ortlund Jr. Proverbs 7:19 says “For my husband is not at home;he has gone on a long journey.”My husband is not at home is kind of like satan tempting Eve in the garden. We always hope that our sin will not be found out, but verses 22- 27 make it clear that the sexual sin is usually found out. It will trap you, pierce you, and cost you your life. Repent:Take time to confess, repent and renounce sexual sin. Rejoice: Thank God for the Holy Spirit who is your helper and comes alongside you and helps you stay on the path of sexual purity.