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.
Verse 21.
My ways are in full view of the Lord and He examines all of my paths.
Yes, Lord!
There is freedom in being seen completely by God.
My sin has no chance to ensnare me because He already knows about it and because I belong to Jesus, I am free to live in this freedom along whatever path He has me on.
I am completely known and STILL free!
Thanks God.
❤️
Great insight here. Though there are many facets to being ensnared by sin, I am reminded of the adage I often hear regarding politics, “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.” One way I become ensnared by sin is in the attempt to hide it. By hide I mean covering it up with a load of self-righteousness. Aren’t my sinful thoughts, words, or deeds justified? Maybe they’re not even sin after all? Doesn’t everyone do it? Wouldn’t anyone feel the same way as I do? Thanks Tanya, for reminding me that God already knows, has paid the penalty, and has set me free.
Awesome thoughts Tanya! And so early!
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
Kind of a tough chapter this one. A very simple but blunt reminder for those who are married to protect that relationship at all costs.
And I love how this is worded.
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.
Knowledge and Wisdom go hand in hand! You can’t have one without the other. Let us continue to seek the Knowledge of the Lord!
May we be smart enough to not be foolish but to learn from our lessons and the lessons of others and be wise with wisdom.
I love how beautifully the writer describes the life-long, ongoing desires needed in a marriage:
May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
1. My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding.
2. that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge.
I remember many things that my dad shared with me to this day. He was a wise man and I didn’t always like what he said when I was a teenager, but I do remember much of what he said to me and later realized what he said was very wise, and I also shared it with my children. Even though he was not a committed Christian, much of what he shared was biblical. God’s wisdom is awesome and worth remembering and sharing. 🙂