Wise Up: Proverbs 5
Proverbs 5 (NIV)
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
Proverbs 5:22, 23
I have to be careful how I look at these verses and, frankly, much of scripture. You see, I can effortlessly focus my thoughts on those wicked people whose sins are great, who hold fast to their sinful ways, who lack discipline, and who are led astray. We’ve all seen them and we know who they are don’t we? But I am called to work out my own salvation and in doing so, a loose quote of Pogo applies, “I have seen the enemy and it is me.” In those lucid moments I cry out as Paul did, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.” (Romans 7:18, 19) I am a new man in Christ but my old self seizes every opportunity that pride and self-confidence offer. They will blind me to God’s wisdom and convince me that the blessings of joy, peace, contentment, etc. can be obtained in my own strength, in my own way, and ultimately without God. Without diligence I become ensnared and trade the joy of the Lord for self-esteem, the peace of Christ for self-satisfaction, and contentment in the Spirit for self-indulgence. God freely offers all my heart’s desire but it’s an easy thing to pursue them without Him and find myself led astray by the great folly of self.
Lord you have saved me from death and freed me from slavery to sin yet I still answer the call of the flesh. Help me to love you more fully and protect me from self. Transform my heart that I may seek your truth, wisdom, and righteousness. Your word promises a most excellent way; Lord help me lay claim to it. By your mercy, through your grace, in your strength, and to your glory.
I thought this bit of commentary on 5:3 was interesting and the last line a bit humorous.
” Some Jewish expositors view this ‘promiscuous’ woman as a metaphor for heresy. She seduces, deceives, and drags to hell. For the believer, the promiscuous woman can be a picture of the false anointing of the religious spirit that attempts to seduce us, weaken our message, and rob the anointing of God from our ministries. Of course, there is also a clear and dire warning for all to stay sexually pure or face the consequences.”
Also, 5:23 is an excellent warning against the temptation of pornography. One of my translations puts it this way:
“Those who chose wickedness die for lack of self control,
For their foolish ways lead them astray, carrying them away as hostages – kidnapped captives robbed of destiny.”