Provérbios 5
Matthew Henry · Citado em PreceptAustin
Provérbios 5
Henry reminds us... Solomon's lectures are not designed to fill our heads with notions, with matters of nice speculation, or doubtful disputation, but to guide us in the government of ourselves, that we may act prudently, so as becomes us and so as will be for our true interest. Steven Cole in a sermon I highly recommend writes that... Dwight Eisenhower once said, “War is a terrible thing. But if you’re going to get into it, you’ve got to get into it all the way.” That’s true in the war against lust. You won’t win by being halfway into it. But if you’ll get into the battle all the way—God’s way, using His strategy—you can win! (Beloved, if you are a man you MUST read Pastor Cole's pithy and powerful personal testimony on Winning the War Against Lust) Your lips may reserve knowledge - The ESV says that "your lips may guard knowledge". The idea is to protect like a watchman and so to preserve the Words of Truth and Life (for they alone are the source of true knowledge) and when we speak to others we speak words that will benefit them (especially in this area of proper sexual contact). Reserve (05341) (natsar) means to keep, tend, guard, protect, conceal, observe, preserve, be as a watchman. The main idea is holding fast to something with which you have been been entrusted - see use of natsar in Proverbs 4:23 -- Exposition (cp Ps 119:100, 115, 69). To cause to be safe from danger (Ps 40:12). A study of the things kept or guarded or protected gives insight into the meaning of this Hebrew verb. Here are the 62 OT uses - Ex 34:7; Deut. 32:10; 33:9; 2Ki. 17:9; 18:8; Job 7:20; 27:18; Note that most of the references in Psalms speak of us choosing to obey God and His Word! - Ps 12:7; 25:10, 21; 31:23; 32:7; 34:13; 40:11; 61:7; 64:1; 78:7; 105:45; 119:2, 22, 33, 34, 56, 69, 100, 115, 129, 145; 140:1, 4; 141:3; Pr 2:8, 11; 3:1, 21; 4:6, 13, 23; 5:2; 6:20; 7:10; 13:3, 6; 16:17; 20:28; 22:12; 23:26; 24:12; 27:18; 28:7; Is 1:8; 26:3; 27:3; 42:6; 48:6; 49:6, 8; 65:4; Je 4:16; 31:6; Ezek 6:12; Nah 2:1. All uses in Proverbs... (Prov 2:8) Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. (Prov 2:11) Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, (Prov 3:1) My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; (Prov 3:21) My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, (Prov 4:6) “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. (Prov 4:13) Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. (Prov 4:23) Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. (Prov 5:2) That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. (Prov 6:20) My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; (Prov 7:10) And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. (Prov 13:3) The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. (Prov 13:6) Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness subverts the sinner. (Prov 16:17) The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life. (Prov 20:28) Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness. (Prov 22:12) The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man. (Prov 23:26) Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways. (Prov 24:12) If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? (Prov 27:18) He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. (Prov 28:7) He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. If you are in need of reassurance of Who is guarding and protecting you, take a moment and hold your pointer over the following references and be still and ponder, knowing that He is God -- Ex 34:7, Deut 32:10, Ps 12:7, 31:23, 32:7, 40:11, 64:1, 140:1, 4, Pr 2:8. SCRIPTURAL STRATEGIES IN OUR WAR AGAINST LUST Below are a number of Scriptural strategies for fighting the war against lust and for sexual impurity. Please read the Scriptures for they are the sword the Spirit will use (Ps 119:9, 11 - see Memorizing His Word) and as we ponder the Living Word (Ps 1:2, 3-note), Christ will increase and we will decrease (Jn 3:30). All of these suggestions are predicated on the most important "step" and that is our relationship with God. If we are slipping in our time in God's Word and prayer, praise and thanksgiving, then all the "rules" in the world won't be of any value in this battle. We must continually seek first His kingdom (and His King, Jesus) and His righteousness, and He will provide for our daily needs in this daily spiritual battle. 1. Depend on God's power not your own for the Victory, learning to walk by the Spirit (1Sa 17:47 contrast with 1Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Gal 5:16, 17-note, Eph 5:18-note, Php 2:12, 13-note, Ezek 36:27, Zech 4:6, Ro 8:13-note, 2Cor 12:9-note, 2Co 12:10-note) 2. Recognize and affirm that sexuality is a good gift from God. (James 1:17, Ge 2:24, 25; Pr 5:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-notes, 1Co 7:3, 4, 5, 1Ti 4:3) 3. Recognize that God gives us prohibitions not to deny us something good but that we might experience His good and acceptable and perfect will for our lives. (Ex 20:14, 1Co 6:18, 1Co 7:2, 1Th 4:3-note) 4. Believe that God is for you in this battle and desires for us to be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus (Deut 10:12, 13, Ps 84:11, Ro 8:31, 32-note) 5. Consider and meditate on the potential temporal and eternal loss for those who make lust a lifestyle (Mt 5:27, 28, 29-note, Pr 5:4, 5, Pr 7:27-notes, Eccl 7:26, Jdg 16:18, 19, 20, 21-notes) 6. Consider the truth that there is more joy in God's presence than in the presence of sin. (Ps 16:11, Ps 73:25, 26) 7. Recognize that lust weakens our soul and we must fight against it by abstaining (1Peter 2:11-note, cp Mark 4:19) 8. Cultivate a passion for God's Word and His glory (1Pe 2:2-note, 2Sa 12:9, 10, 14 - note what David in his sin with Bathsheba despised!) 9. Develop a mental grid that views everything in relation to God. (1Co 10:31, Col 3:17-note) 10. Recognize that God designed marriage to be a picture of His commitment to His Bridegroom, the church. (Ephesians 5:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-notes) 11. Zealously guard your eyes, turning from anything that might give a provision to your lust (Job 31:1, Ro 13:14-note, 2Ti 2:22-note, Ps 101:3, see context Ps 101:1,2, 4) 12. Think often that Christ suffered to redeem you for purity, for His possession and for His purpose. (Titus 2:14-note, 1Pe 1:18-note; 1Pe 2:24-note, 1Co 5:15) 13. Beware of pride rising up making you think that past success guarantees future victory over lust (1Cor 10:12, Gal 2:13 contrasted with Acts 11:24, 1Pe 2:11-note wages war is present tense = continually until we die!) 14. Beware of feeling above accountability. (3 John 9 Diotrephes not submissive, James 4:6, 10, 1Pe 5:6-note, 2Chr 32:36, 33:12, 19, 23, Pr 18:12, 22:4, Is 57:15) 15. Seek a band of brothers where you wage war together encouraging one another daily in regard to the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:12-note, Heb 3:13-note, 2Ti 2:22-note) (See Related Discussion: The Deceitfulness of Sin) 16. Memorize and meditate on many scriptures. (Ps 119:9, 11, 1:2, Josh 1:8-note, Job 23:12-note , Jer 15:16, 1Jn 2:14, Php 4:8-note) 17. Take every pernicious, prurient thought captive to Christ and replace them with good thoughts (1Cor 10:3, 4, 5, Php 4:8-note) 18. Beware of the trap that you deserve relief through gratifying your sinful flesh, remembering that every test carries with it the potential of a temptation to sin (Acts 14:22, Luke 9:58, 2Ti 2:3-note, 2Ti 4:16, 17-note) 19. Pray at all times in the Spirit for God's protection and deliverance. (Ep 6:18-note, Lk 22:40, 46, Mt 26:40, 41, 1Chr 4:10, Ps 19:13, 119:116, 117, 133, Pr 30:8, 9, Mt 6:13-note) 20. Think often that God has given you even now many good things so how could you brazenly sin against Him! (Ge 39:7,8, 9) Can I ask you a candid question? Is the seductive, deceptive lure of some sin such as anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, sexual immorality, etc, knocking at the door of your heart, dear saint? Are you getting ready to be captured by your own iniquities, bound by the cords of your own sin (Pr 5:22)? If so, than prayerfully, meditatively, take just a few moments (3' 43") and... LISTEN TO THE SPIRITUAL SONG... "GUARD YOUR HEART" Click here to listen to Steve Green's soul piercing rendition of Guard Your Heart. Dear brother (or sister), if you are "toying" (an oxymoron for this is not "child's play"!) with and making provision for an "affair" (A euphemism which is far too kind! Cp Ro 13:14-note, Gal 5:16-note; Gal 5:17-note), then take just a few moments and please listen carefully to the words of Steve's song and as you listen ponder the consequences in David's life - notice especially the last 2 verses in the following passages! (David's sin with Bathsheba and some of the consequences = 2Sa 11:1,2, 3, 4, 5, 12:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 13:1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31). As Steve Green rightly and passionately sings "As a payment for pleasure it is a high price to pay "! Remember that when sin comes in at the door of a person’s life, it eventually moves to the inner chambers and takes over. If King David could speak to us today (and of course he is in one sense for the word is living and active, Heb 4:12-note, 1Pe 1:23-note), I have no doubt he would say that he would gladly forgo that 15-30' of pleasure he had with Bathsheba on that fateful night, if the terrible consequences of his sin could be erased. O, dear beloved brother in Christ, if you are being tempted in this area, as you read this note, know that I have prayed for you that the Spirit would quicken your heart, renew your mind and empower your will to turn around and away from the potential devastation you are about to enter into to because of the deceitfulness (Heb 3:13-note)(See Related Discussion: The Deceitfulness of Sin) of this pleasurable (Heb 11:25-note) but tragic sin of porneia. Guard your heart --- for your God, for your wife and children, for your reputation, for the Lord's reputation, and remember that one day we will all stand before the Lord of Glory and give account for the deeds in the body (for believers at 2Cor 5:10 or unbelievers at Rev 20:11, 12, 13, 14, 15). See a related topic - Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage George Lawson - THE wise man gives us this chapter, as an antidote against those youthful lusts by which so many are ensnared. Let such as are tempted by their own hearts, or by the agents of Satan, to sins of uncleanness, seriously consider its contents, and pray that God may bless them for their benefit. None of us are superior to all temptations of this nature; let us therefore give heed to the things that are spoken, in order to represent the danger and mischief of impurity, and to show us in what manner to avoid it. Proverbs 5:1, 2. The wisdom which Solomon teaches in this chapter cost him dear; but if we attend to his instructions, we shall have them at an easy rate. It may save us much bitter repentance, and preserve us from some of the most dreadful dangers; for it will teach us that spiritual subtilty and discretion, by which, like David, we shall become wiser than our enemies, and be enabled to escape their snares. Attention will enable us to keep knowledge in our hearts, for a wanton imagination, ever dictating corrupt conversation to the lips, proves the beginning of ruin to many of the sons of men. They accustom themselves to speak of things not fit to be named among Christians; and from foolish talking, and impure jesting, by which they corrupt themselves and their companions, they proceed to the works of darkness. When the word of God enters into our hearts, it will banish all pollution from the tongue, and dispose us to entertain our companions with that discourse which is good for the use of edifying. Thus our own hearts will be more deeply impressed, God will be honored, and other men guarded against the snares of the destroyer. Now it is of great importance for men, especially in their younger days, to furnish themselves with preservatives, from that word which is able to keep us, against the snares of the strange woman (Ed: See a sampling of the prayers in Psalms - this should tell us how great is our need when a godly man like David is inspired to repeatedly pray this way! Ps 25:15b, Ps 119:10b [not sure this was written by David], Ps 141:4, Ps 19:13). Solomon had already warned us against her; but he is directed by God to do it a second time at greater length. (George Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; Pr 2:16; 6:24; 7:21; Revelation 17:2, 3, 4, 5, 6 For - Always pause and ponder this strategic term of explanation - Ask (and attempt to answer) at least one simple question - "What is the writer explaining?" Remember that when you find a "for" at the beginning of a verse, it is usually (not 100% - check the context = Keep Context King) a term of explanation. In Proverbs 5-7 there a several "for's" for you to pause and ponder. (Pr 5:3, 20, 21, Pr 6:23, 26, 34, Pr 7:6, 19, 26). As an aside there are over 9000 occurrences of for in the NASB, which should give you many opportunities to practice (and make "perfect") the discipline of interrogating the Biblical text (See interrogate with the 5W/H questions). Kenneth T. Aitken - There is an old saying, 'Honey is sweet, but the bee stings'; and this lady has a sting in her tail. (Proverbs) The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery writes that "The Bible’s most graphic teachings against adultery come in Proverbs 5:1-23 and Pr 6:20ff, Pr 1-7:27, where images of injury, entrapment and death are used to underline the dangers and the sheer folly of adultery: “Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife” (Pr 6:28, 29 NIV). “He followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose.... Her house is a highway to the grave” (Pr 7:22, 27 NIV). Adultery in the wisdom literature comes to picture hidden deeds, which are done in secret because the perpetrator senses they are wrong, and which inevitably are found out: “The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed” (Job 24:15 NIV). Drip honey...smoother than oil - See note on the value of observing and accurately interpreting terms of comparison = metaphors. See also Guidelines for Figuring our Figurative Language Matthew Henry introduces Solomon's strong cautions against sexual improprieties "The caution itself, and that is to abstain from fleshly lusts, from adultery, fornication, and all uncleanness. Some apply this figuratively, and by the adulterous woman here understand idolatry, or false doctrine, which tends to debauch men's minds and manners, or the sensual appetite, to which it may as fitly as any thing be applied; but the primary scope of it is plainly to warn us against seventh-commandment sins, which youth is so prone to, the temptations to which are so violent, the examples of which are so many, and which, where admitted, are so destructive to all the seeds of virtue in the soul that it is not strange that Solomon's cautions against it are so very pressing and so often repeated (cp Pr 5:1,2, 5:7, 8, 6:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 7:1, 2, 3, 4, 24, 25). Solomon here, as a faithful watchman, gives fair warning to all, as they regard their lives and comforts, to dread this sin, for it will certainly be their ruin. Observe carefully that this woman's number one "weapon" is not necessarily her beauty but her speech (cp Ge 39:10, Pr 2:16, 22:14, Jdg 16:16, 17, 18, 19, 20-note)! The message for men seeking to be godly (1Ti 4:7, 8 ,9, 10, 11, 12-notes) is that we have to use great discretion when as a men we speak with women other than our wives, specifically when the topic is "personal". Be careful! We have to guard against being counselors to other women (give that job to your wife). We have to refuse to hear negative comments or complaints about their husbands or their lack of happiness with their marriage. As 1Cor 6:18 says we should "flee" these situations. They harbor the potential for the beginnings of a crack in the damn of fidelity we cherish in our marital bond. There are now many women in business, and this is a setting in which the man made wise by Proverbs 5-7 would indeed be wise to exert special precautions. And obviously this applies to business trips that one must take with a woman business associate. Be very careful and remember that God never allows us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure but with the temptation He is faithful to supply for us not "a" way of escape, but "the" way, the specific way, one which we should be alert to perceive, lest we miss the divine provision and begin a downward journey that can only end in a veritable sexual abyss! To reiterate, be careful in your communication with the opposite sex young men, husbands, fathers, old men! The lips...speech - Solomon first warns us not to listen to the charms of the sin of sexual immorality, for the pleasures promised by the lust of the flesh in this area are very powerful and very tempting. Even as honey was the sweetest substance known in Israel, so could be the sensual, seductive words of a woman on the prowl! He says her persuasions are so good that they entice him (see Pr 7:21). Although Solomon does not say specifically "Don't listen to her", the command is clearly implied. Adulteress (ESV = forbidden woman, Amp = Loose woman, NKJV = immoral woman) (02114) (zur) is a Hebrew verb which means to be a stranger (from literal meaning of to turn aside as for lodging, but also can mean to go astray). Although some see this as indicative only of a prostitute who hires out her body for sexual favors, others are more general and see it as including for example another man's wife. The Septuagint translates it with two Greek words that describe literally a "low grade, morally base and substandard, worthless woman"! TWOT writes that the verb zur "is principally used in the participial form, zār, appearing sixty-nine times. It carries the force of a noun, and is so listed by KB. It is used for some action strange to the law (Lev 10:1), and for one who is a stranger to another household (Deut 25:5), to another person (Pr 14:10), and to another land (Ho 7:9). The basic thought is of non-acquaintance or non-relatedness. The feminine form, “The Strange Woman,” often in Prov is the adulteress. (Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) Here are the uses of zur in Proverbs - Pr. 2:16; 5:3, 10, 17, 20; 6:1; 7:5; 11:15; 14:10; 20:16; 22:14; 23:33; 27:2, 13 Drip honey - The initial encounter seems quite pleasant and desirable, but as Solomon describes in this section sexual sin is attractive in prospect (cp Heb 11:25) but hideous in retrospect. This metaphor gives the picture of a seductive, tempting woman. The allure of a tryst (secret appointment, a private, romantic rendezvous between lovers, who if unfaithful is a rendezvous of two sinners!) may seem "sweet" but the ugly end will inevitably come as Solomon explains. Smoother (02509) (chalaq -- see discussion of the root verb chalaq - 02505 also in the context of sexual immorality) is an adjective is used to describe the smooth skin of Jacob as opposed to hairy Esau (Ge 27:11), and the smooth stones in a wadi (Is 57:6). Chalaq is used figuratively by Solomon to describe the mouth of the flatterer (here in Pr 5:3; cp Pr 26:28). Chalaq is used 5 times in the OT - Ge 27:11; Pr. 5:3; 26:28; Is 57:6; Ezek 12:24. Smoother than oil is her speech - The NET says "her seductive words are smoother than olive oil." She flatters with smooth alluring words that excite the man’s lustful desires. Bridges - The extreme plausibility of the temptation is our call to attention. The deluded victim only sees the present gratification; only tastes, or expects to taste, the honeycomb; only hears the wily smoothness of the charmer’s voice. (Pr 2:16; 6:24; 7:21.) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) George Lawson - Pr 5:3. She talks of nothing but love, and pleasure, and perpetual delights. To hear her, one would suppose that she possessed the most generous and disinterested spirit. Her tongue is taught by him who betrayed Eve to paint the vilest sin with the most beautiful colours, and to conceal all its deformity and danger; but it is the part of a reasonable creature to look beyond the present moment, and to consider the end of things, as well as their beginning. There is sweetness indeed in the mouth of this strange woman (George Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Pr 6:24-35; 7:22,23; 9:18; 23:27,28; Eccl 7:26; Heb 12:15,16 Judges 16:4, 5, 6,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21; Ps 55:21; Hebrews 4:12 But - (See notes on value of observing and interrogating terms of contrast) Bitter and sharp present a striking contrast with honey and smooth...oil (Pr 5:3)! Here's the point in the context of sexual temptations - the payoff of passing pleasure is bitter and painful! Do not keep being deceived by the siren song of this present evil (and growing daily more so) age that you can taste a bit of forbidden (stolen) honey and get away with it. This is a lie straight from the father of lies (Jn 8:44), who seeks to cloak his "product" in the "skin" of relative values (no absolutes or constraints re sexual behavior) so that the unwary, naive or foolish bite into this "apple of deception" (cp Satan's schemes - Rev 12:9, 10, 2Co 11:3) and in the end are devoured and destroyed (cp 1Pe 5:8, Job 1:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, Job 2:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; King David - 2Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15!) Bridges - But never is the beginning so sweet, as the end is bitter. God shows the wormwood; the two-edged sword (Ps 55:21) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Bitter as Wormwood - See note on the value of observing and accurately interpreting terms of comparison = metaphors and similes. See also Guidelines for Figuring our Figurative Language Wormwood is a plant from which a bitter-tasting juice is made and used as a medicine. In short, what at first appears pleasant like honey ends up like a bitter tasting medicine. You can mark it down that sexual temptation, like many other forms of enticement, is thoroughly deceptive in nature for it is never in reality (and consequence) what it appears to be at the outset. As King David and Samson found out, Sexual temptation, represented by the adulteress, promises one thing yet delivers quite another. The painful consequences of the violation of God’s will are lost in the excitement of the moment. However, the reality of judgment, and even death, is just around the corner for those who give in to her seductive voice. Wormwood - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Wormwood - Holman Bible Dictionary Wormwood - Fausset's Bible Dictionary A two edged sword (literally sword of edges) - This phrase pictures sexual impropriety as causing wounds and pain. Matthew Henry writes "that fruit will the sinner have of his honey and oil when the end will be (1) the terrors of the conscience: It is bitter as wormwood. What was luscious in the mouth rises in the stomach and turns sour there; it cuts, in the reflection, like a two-edged sword; take it which way you will, it wounds. Solomon could speak by experience, Ecclesiastes 7:26. (2) The torments of hell. If some that have been guilty of this sin have repented and been saved, yet the direct tendency of the sin is to destruction of body and soul; the feet of it go down to death, nay, they take hold on hell, to pull it to the sinner, as if the damnations slumbered too long, Pr 5:5. Those that are entangled in this sin should be reminded that there is but a step between them and hell, and that they are ready to drop into it. As
Provérbios 5
Henry has an interesting insight on her ways are unstable writing that "Her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them; she often changes her disguise, and puts on a great variety of false colours, because, if she be rightly known, she is certainly hated. Proteus-like, she puts on many shapes, that she may keep in with those whom she has a design upon. And what does she aim at with all this art and management? Nothing but to keep them from pondering the path of life, for she knows that, if they once come to do that, she shall certainly lose them. She does not know it - One of the greatest traps and tragedies of one who is deceived by their own lust (James 1:14) is that they are not even aware of the deadly self deception (cp 2Ti 3:13, of sin = Heb 3:13). The "other woman" may appear beautiful and desirable person, but her life is empty and void of any spiritual vitality. She does not ponder the path of life or seriously consider the consequences of her actions. Sadly, she does not love God and is destined for destruction though she does not know it. The warning is that those who pursue her are likewise on the pathway of judgment and death. Solomon is saying in essence, don't walk down her path and destroy your health, your family, your finances, your eternal destiny (either in loss of rewards if you are genuinely saved or loss of your soul in the lake of fire [Re 19:20, 20:10, 14, 15] [References or here] which burns forever and ever if you are not genuinely saved!). As discussed more fully below, sin in general and sexual sin in particular is is always a costly thing: you can lose your reputation (Pr 5:9), your possessions (Pr 5:10), your health (Pr 5:11), and your very life (Pr 5:22, 23). The “cords of sins” bind slowly, but they bind surely, until one day the sinner discovers escape is impossible. George Lawson - Pr 5:6. When men enter into a course of sin, they have no intention to be damned. They intend only to indulge themselves in the pleasures of sin for a time, and then to return to the paths of life. Millions of souls have been seduced to everlasting destruction by this one temptation of the old serpent,—“Ye shall not die although you eat; grace is free, and there is abundance of time to repent.” The wise man gives what may repel this temptation, by letting us know how foolish it is for men to flatter themselves with the hope, that they shall be truly disposed and enabled to repent of their sin. “Her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.” She can form her mode of behaviour into a hundred different shapes, to entangle the heart of the lover. She spreads a thousand snares, and if you escape one of them, you will find yourself held fast by another. She knows well how to suit her words and behaviour to your present humour, to lull conscience asleep, and to spread before your eyes such a mist, as shall prevent you from being able to descry the paths of life. If you ever think of the danger of your course, and feel the necessity of changing it, she will urge you to spend a little time longer in the pleasures of sin. If her solicitations prevail, if you linger within the precincts of guilt, your resolutions are weakened, and your passions gain new strength. What is the awful result? The devil obtains more influence; conscience; forcibly repressed, ceases to reclaim with so loud a voice; God gives you up to the lusts of your own heart, and leaves you to chuse your own delusions. Attend, then, to the wisest of men, who instructs you to keep free of these dangerous temptations. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") ><>><>><> Meyer, F. B. Our Daily Homily - On Pr 5:6, 21 - It is a remarkable expression, “the level path of life”; and there is great comfort in knowing that God is ever before us, leveling our pathway, taking insurmountable obstacles out of the way, so that our feet do not stumble. It may be that you are facing a great mountain range of difficulty. Before you, obstacles, apparently insuperable, rear themselves like a giant wall to heaven. When you cross the Jordan there is always a Jericho which appears to bar all further advance, and your heart fails. But you are bidden to believe that there is a level path right through those mighty barriers; a pass, as it is called, in mountainous districts. The walking there is easy and pleasant if only you will let yourself be led to it. God has made it, but you must take it. How we dread the thought of those steep cliffs! It seems as though we could never climb them; but if we would only look at the Lord instead of at the hills, if we would look above the hills to Jehovah, we should be able to rest in sure faith that He will show us the level path of life. Your path is not level, but full of boulders which have rolled down upon and choked it. But may this not be partly due to your mistakes or sins-to your willfulness and self-dependence? There are sorrows and trials in all lives; but these need not obstruct our progress. The text surely refers to those difficulties which threaten us with their arrest, putting barriers in our way. When Peter reached the iron gate he found it open; when the women reached the sepulchre door they found the stone gone. What an awful indictment against the child of sensual pleasure, “She findeth not the level path of life!” Proverbs 5:7 Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Listen - Pr 4:1; 8:32, 33, 34, 35, 36; 22:17, 18, 19, 20, 21; Hebrews 12:25 Do not depart - Pr 3:21; 4:21 SOLOMON INJECTS A WARNING In this and the following verse Solomon gives the reader a series of solemn warnings, two of which are overt commands - listen, do not depart, keep, do not go near. Bridges - Can we wonder then at the earnestness of parental anxiety, forcing back the children playing on the brink of a precipice. Hear now—O ye children? We mean no austere restraint upon youthful pleasures. Only avoid the tempter’s touch—her word—even her look. (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Now then - Because of the background Solomon has just presented regarding the deceptive snares and torrid temptations in the area of sexual immorality and its certain harvest of fruit which is rotten to the core (Pr 5:3, 4, 5). Instead of listening to the honey coated lips of the adulteress, the wise son will listen to Solomon's warnings. Matthew Henry paraphrases Solomon's words... "Hear me now therefore, O you children! whoever you are that read or hear these lines, take notice of what I say, and mix faith with it, treasure it up, and depart not from the words of my mouth, as those will do that hearken to the words of the strange woman. Do not only receive what I say, for the present merely, but cleave to it, and let it be ready to thee, and of force with thee, when thou art most violently assaulted by the temptation." Depart (05493) (sur) means to turn aside, to desert, to quit, to keep far away, to stop, to take away (literally as Moses turned aside in Ex 3:3, 4). Here sur is used in a figurative sense, to describe turning away from the wise, instructive, discretion producing warnings of Solomon regarding sexual impropriety. Matthew Henry comments.... This caution is introduced with a solemn preface: "Hear me now therefore, O you children! whoever you are that read or hear these lines, take notice of what I say, and mix faith with it, treasure it up, and depart not from the words of my mouth, as those will do that hearken to the words of the strange woman. Do not only receive what I say, for the present merely, but cleave to it, and let it be ready to thee, and of force with thee, when thou art most violently assaulted by the temptation." (2.) The caution itself is very pressing: "Remove thy way far from her; if thy way should happen to lie near her, and thou shouldst have a fair pretence of being led by business within the reach of her charms, yet change thy way, and alter the course of it, rather than expose thyself to danger; come not nigh the door of her house; go on the other side of the street, nay, go through some other street, though it be about." This intimates, [1.] That we ought to have a very great dread and detestation of the sin. We must fear it as we would a place infected with the plague; we must loathe it as the odour of carrion, that we will not come near. Then we are likely to preserve our purity when we conceive a rooted antipathy to all fleshly lusts. [2.] That we ought industriously to avoid every thing that may be an occasion of this sin or a step towards it. Those that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm's way. Such tinder there is in the corrupt nature that it is madness, upon any pretence whatsoever, to come near the sparks. If we thrust ourselves into temptation, we mocked God when we prayed, Lead us not into temptation. [3.] That we ought to be jealous over ourselves with a godly jealousy, and not to be so confident of the strength of our own resolutions as to venture upon the brink of sin, with a promise to ourselves that hitherto we will come and no further. [4.] That whatever has become a snare to us and an occasion of sin, though it be as a right eye and a right hand, we must pluck it out, cut it off, and cast it from us, must part with that which is dearest to us rather than hazard our own souls; this is our Saviour's command, Matthew 5:28, 29, 30. George Lawson - Pr 5:7. If a father saw his son walking on the edge of a precipice, how greatly would he be alarmed! how loud would be his cries! And if the adventurous youth Still kept his dangerous post, he would fly to him, and try to force him from the brink of destruction. No less earnest is this kind instructor to save us from impending ruin. His words are cries; they have life and power in them. He is deaf who will not attend; he is stubborn who will not comply. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:8 Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, Pr 4:15; 6:27,28; Mt 6:13; Ep 5:11 Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], (Amplified Bible - Lockman) Take a moment to watch and listen to the well done 5'26'' video of the rock song "Slow Fade" that deals with the issue adultery. As you read through Solomon's "Men's Manual for A Healthy Marriage" in Proverbs 5-7 you will note that this song picks up a number of his themes... Slow Fade — by Casting Crowns — (Play) Be careful little eyes what you see It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings Be careful little feet where you go For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade Be careful little ears what you hear When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near Be careful little lips what you say For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day Daddies never crumble in a day Families never crumble in a day Oh be careful little eyes what see Oh be careful little eyes what you see For the Father up above is looking down in love Oh be careful little eyes what you see Bridges - Remove thy way far from her. Not only go not into her—but—such is the contagion—come not near the door. (Pr 4:14, 15, 6:27, 28) To thrust ourselves into temptation, is to throw ourselves out of God’s protection. The snare as one approaches becomes more enticing. The voice of wisdom therefore is—"Flee youthful lusts." (2Ti 2:22) The loss of honor (Pr 6:32, 33, Ge 38:23-26), taking the crown from the victim’s head (2Sa 12:14; 13:13, Neh 13:26); years given to the cruel mockers of his misery (Pr 6:26, 30:3, Jdg 16:18-20); the waste of the family wealth; (Pr 6:26, 35, Job 31:12, Hos 7:9, Lk 15:13, 30) servitude in a stranger’s house (Lk 15:15-16); consumption—slowly bringing the body to the grave (1Cor 6:18)—all is the bitter fruit of the neglected warning. Add to this the voice of conscience at the last, telling of slighted privileges, stifled convictions, abused knowledge. And will not this be the sting of thousands instructed in our schools, or the children of godly parents—now despising the reproofs of God, and the voice of these teachers, proclaiming their shame openly; perhaps making Christian assemblies the scenes of almost all evil? (Nu 25:6, Ezek 8:5-16) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Solomon makes it clear that the best way to avoid the temptation of sexual immorality is to avoid the company of a temptress ("Don't surf that web!" "Don't click that mouse!") (cf. Ge 39:10; 2Ti 2:22-note ; Mt 5:28-29-note). Keep your way far from her - This command (Hiphil imperative = not a suggestion) could not be much clearer beloved! Stay away from the adulteress, as far away as you can! Temptation (James 1:14) is by its nature so powerfully tempting that one must stay as far removed from it as possible. Don't be deceived by thinking that you can knowingly walk into a tempting situation and "handle it" (1Co 10:12) or can then ask God to deliver you. To do so is presumptuous and is in fact testing the Lord. Do not test the Lord! Practically speaking the practical application of this verse may call for some difficult decisions. For example, if you are working in an office where you are continuously tempted, you may have to give prayerful consideration to even changing jobs. I know a man who not only changed jobs but changed cities because he realized it was going to cost him his family, his reputation and his life! Now that is wisdom put into practice! D. G. Kehl rightly says that immorality is never a sudden fall but can be traced to prior thoughts and decisions (some of which we might have deceptively thought were harmless)... We do not fall in a moment; the predisposition to yield to sin has been forming, building, germinating—but not necessarily consciously so. Sin has both a cumulative and a domino effect. Satan plants subtle stimuli, often subliminal ones; he influences an attitude; he wins a "minor" victory—always in preparation for the "big" fall, the iron-bound habit. (D. J. Kehl, "Sneaky Stimuli and How to Resist Them," Christianity Today, Jan. 31, 1975) Comment: One take home point from Kehl's comment is that we need to be very careful as men regarding our thought life. Remember, a "secret thought life" is not secret, for God knows. Furthermore, it is not harmless, because evil actions always proceed from evil thoughts. We may deceptively think, we can look and lust and as long as we don't touch, we are just fine, forgetting all the while that lust corrupts and sin kills. That is the lie of the Devil, the snare of our flesh and the lure of the evil world system. We cannot prevent the thoughts from coming into our mind. However we are not helpless. We need to learn the discipline of taking these thoughts captive before they "inseminate" and sin is brought forth and then death (see 2Co 10:5-note, Jas 1:14, 15-note). As In Martin Luther's said "You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair." Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny Keep (07368) (rahaq) conveys the primary meaning (in the Qal stem) of a person being positioned “far” from someone or something. Here Solomon paints a clear picture charging his son to put some distance between his senses and the sensual signals of a seductive siren! The Greek translation, the Septuagint (LXX), is even more emphatic, with the first word being "far away" or "far off" (makran) which describes something or someone being at a relatively great distance from something or someone! Literally the Septuagint reads something like this - "Far away keep (aorist imperative = a command to not hesitate. This is urgent!) from (apo = marker of dissociation) her" so that this is not a suggestion but a command and has two words (makran = far away and apo = dissociation) that speak of putting (or keeping) distance between a man and the potential adulteress! It reminds one of God's will for us as expressed by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians and specifically the picture of "putting some distance between us and porneia... For this is the will of God, your sanctification (word study); that is, that you abstain (more literally apechomai means to To hold oneself [middle voice conveys this reflexive intent = you initiate this action & participate in the results thereof] away from) from sexual immorality (word study on porneia; English = pornography) (see note 1Th 4:3) Comment: Paul's point amplifies that of Solomon -- A key step on the highway of holiness (cp Is 35:8) is abstinence from any and all sexual impropriety! Not only are young men (cp 2Ti 2:22-note; and old men! -- the expression "dirty old man"!) to stay far from a physical encounter with an adulteress, but also to stay far away from all sensual images of such seductive women (cp Ep 5:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 -notes; 1Th 5:22-note), whether this means not going to PG-13 movies (which in the 21st century have devolved to the base level of now routinely depicting relatively graphic sexual images or suggestive language heavily laden with sexual innuendo), not looking at the covers of the magazines placed near every grocery checkout stand (don't say this is going too far - read Jesus' serious warnings again - Mt 5:28, 29, 30 - see notes), not looking at sensual billboards as you are driving home, not looking at improperly dressed young ladies at church [keep your eyes straight ahead and do not let allow your glance to turn into a gaze, for the gaze will inevitably lead to a lustful thought - don't even go there!], not ogling the Victoria Secret commercials that come on even in prime, family time television (or when the camera pans to the sidelines, don't let your eyes fix on the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, whose outfits are far removed from the acceptable guidelines of Phil 4:8-note, cp Ps 101:3), not staying up late at night and secretly peeking (cp Pr 5:21, 15:3!) at scantily clad adulteresses on the internet (if you are addicted, then [1] confess it to God [1Jn 1:9] and then to a man you consider godly and who would be willing to hold you accountable [remember - Nu 32:23, Pr 28:13] and [2] get Covenant Eyes, which is not a filter, but a "monitor" which tracks and "grades" every site you visit and sends a report to your accountability partner. If you attempt to remove it from your computer, an email is sent immediately to your accountability partner and [3] learn to walk by the Spirit [Gal 5:16-note; Ro 8:13-note; Eph 5:18-note; 2Cor 10:3, 4, 5-note] and as you do you will be empowered to not carry out the desires of your flesh to gratify this addiction.) Let Proverbs 5:21, 22 [notes] motivate you to begin this liberating journey today, for as Jesus said "When the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" [Jn 8:36]. In other words, although the enemy of your soul accuses you and says you can never be free, God's only Son states emphatically and dogmatically that you can be free indeed. Do not go near - In case we missed Solomon's command, he rephrases the warning. Unfortunately, the naive youth did just the opposite (Pr 7:8, 9, 10). Why? Because he did not listen to the truth, but instead turned aside from truth and turned to deadly deception and lies (every deception has an element of a lie). Matthew Henry - Such tinder (Ed: Something very inflammable used for kindling fire from just a spark!) there is in the corrupt nature (Ed: flesh -- the evil disposition - still present even in believers and forever incorrigible!) that it is madness, upon any pretence whatsoever, to come near the sparks. If we thrust ourselves into temptation, we mocked God when we prayed, Lead us not into temptation (Mt 6:13 - see explanation). As Thomas Watson said "A wandering heart needs a watchful eye. (Ed: And a wandering heart will inevitably lead to wandering feet! cp warnings Pr 1:15, 7:7, 8, 9) Reminds me of "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten (Hebrew verb for glue! Also used to translate "joined" in Ge 2:24) its grip on me." (Ps 101:3) Therefore... Watch (command in Lxx in present tense = only possible as we yield daily,continually to the control of the Holy Spirit!) over your heart with all diligence, (why is vigilance so critical?) for from it flow the springs of life. (Pr 4:23-Proverbs 4:23 Exposition) Compare Solomon's words in Proverbs 2... 10 For wisdom (Pr 5:1, 7:4) will enter your heart and knowledge (Pr 5:2) will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion (Pr 5:2) will guard you, understanding (Pr 7:4) will watch over you (Pr 6:22), (What is the purpose of wisdom, knowledge and discretion? Deliverance from the clutches of sin!) 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, from the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death and her tracks lead to the dead; (Pr 5:5, 23, 6:27, 7:23, 26, 27) 19 None who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life. Do not go near - Don't even go near to the threshold of the house of an adulteress. Or as some might say "Don't even pass near the shadow of her house!" In the next verse Solomon explains why we should be motivated to hear and heed his warnings.
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Henry comments that... The arguments which Solomon here uses to enforce this caution are taken from the same topic with those before, the many mischiefs which attend this sin. [1.] It blasts the reputation. "Thou wilt give thy honour unto others (v. 9); thou wilt lose it thyself; thou wilt put into the hand of each of thy neighbours a stone to throw at thee, for they will all, with good reason, cry shame on thee, will despise thee, and trample on thee, as a foolish men." Whoredom is a sin that makes men contemptible and base, and no man of sense or virtue will care to keep company with one that keeps company with harlots. [2.] It wastes the time, gives the years, the years of youth, the flower of men's time, unto the cruel, "that base lust of thine, which with the utmost cruelty wars against the soul, that base harlot which pretends an affection for thee, but really hunts for the precious life." Those years that should be given to the honour of a gracious God are spent in the service of a cruel sin. George Lawson - Pr 5:9–11. A good name is better than precious ointment, but of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it. By it has the honour of thousands been irrecoverably lost. Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean persons part with every thing that renders life worthy of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the pursuit of this sin by the just vengeance of God, by its native consequences, or by the accidents to which it exposes those who practise it. And for what are these years given away? Did men generously part with their lives in the defence of their country, or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss would be amply compensated by honour, and by the pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are they who give their years unto the cruel, who conceal a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love! All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life, and every thing dear to us? These false friends and malicious enemies rob you of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you are deprived. Their real views, however, are directed to your money or estate, and why should men give away the fruits of their own labour and toil? or if they wish to be rid of them, why should strangers be filled with them, rather than friends? Some are so foolish, as to live in the lust of uncleanness, to save the necessary expences of a family. But observation, as well as Scripture, might convince them of their error. The followers of vice are often attacked by poverty, that comes upon them like an armed man; and how distressing is poverty to those who have indulged themselves in lewd courses, contracted insatiable desires after carnal pleasure, deprived themselves of their friends, and disqualified themselves for any business that might retrieve their circumstances, or supply their wants! Poverty is still more distressing when it is attended by weakness and disease, the natural consequences which Providence has annexed to those courses by which men dishonour God and themselves. When the body is tortured, and the spirits dejected by the loathsome distempers which sin brings in its train, their conscience, which was formerly trampled under foot, rises up and regains its power, and inflicts severe vengeance for the injuries it has received. Then, O profligate sinner! thou wilt mourn—(Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:10 And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; Strangers - Pr 6:35; Hosea 7:9; Luke 15:30 Strength - Pr 31:3 Strength (03581)(koach) refers to strength, power, force, ability and conveys the basic meaning of the ability to do something. For example, the strength of Samson (who fell prey to the wiles of a strange woman) was in his long hair (Jdg 16:5). Koach in some contexts can convey the special sense of one's property, in the sense that the results of one abilities and/or the manifestation of one's strength often led to prosperity and riches. Other uses of koach in Proverbs are Pr 14:4, 20:29. In context strength could refer to either one's ability in sense of one's power or could also refer to one's wealth. In a sense, both are adversely affected by sexual immorality. Your hard-earned goods - Solomon's emphasizes the inestimable "cost" of sexual immorality. Blackmail in these situations is not uncommon and can deplete you of your hard earned goods! As has been well said the most expensive thing in the world is sin. Proverbs 5:11 And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; Pr 7:23; Deut 32:29; Jer 5:31; Ro 6:21; Heb 13:4; Rev 21:8; 22:15 When - Nu 5:27; 1Co 5:4,5 THE HIGH PRICE OF INFIDELITY Groan (05098) (naham) refers to the roar of a lion (Pr 28:15), but in this context it describes a deep moan or mournful sound uttered out of pain, sorrow, anguish or grief, for not having heeded the warnings against sexual immorality and now for having to pay the price of the various losses. Next time you are tempted to gaze at a finely formed female with an attitude of lust, take that tempting thought captive (2Cor 10:3, 4, 5-see notes) and (enabled by divinely powerful weapons, including sufficient grace [Titus 2:11, 12 - note] and the Spirit of holiness, (cp Ro 8:13-note, Gal 5:16, 18, 25 - notes) replace that incendiary idea immediately with the thought that it will ultimately lead to deep groaning in light of the heavy cost. Why? Because it a promise that will be reaped "for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13:4-note) 'Gaming, Women and Wine, While they laugh, they make a man pine.' Naham - 5v - Usage: groan(2), growl(1), growls(1), roaring(1). Proverbs 5:11 And you groan (Lxx = metamelomai = feel remorse, regret in future tense = predicts fate of this behavior) at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people. Isaiah 5:29 Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it seizes the prey And carries it off with no one to deliver it. 30 And it will growl (Lxx = boao = cry aloud, shout)) over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds. Ezekiel 24:23 'Your turbans will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet. You will not mourn and you will not weep, but you will rot away in your iniquities and you will groan (Lxx = parakaleo - not sure of the sense of this usually positive word in this context) to one another. At your final end - At the end of your life. As you look back over the wasted years and ruined lives strewn across the landscape wrought by sexual immorality, you can only groan with the Septuagint (LXX) conveying the sense of having remorse or regret! Consumed (03615) (kalah) means to complete, accomplish. The Septuagint (LXX) translates this Hebrew word with a rare verb katatribo (kata = down or intensifies meaning of + tribo = rub, wear away, break in pieces) not even found in the NT (Only in Lxx -Deut 8:4; 29:4; Pr 5:11; Da 7:25) and literally means rubbed or pressed down (eg used of clothes that are worn out). In Proverbs 5:11, katatribo gives us the picture of a life which is worn out, consumed, exhausted, spent. It speaks of a life that has been squandered in the dregs of immorality. Little wonder this individual groans and regrets (next verse) William MacDonald is quite graphic (but not inaccurate) observing that "The end of such a life is punctuated with a protracted groan, as the body is racked with gonorrhea, syphilis, blindness, locomotor ataxia, AIDS, and emotional disturbances. (Believer's Bible Commentary) Mary Whitehouse was correct when she concluded that "What a man or woman does with his or her sexual energy will decide not only the quality of their own lives, but the kind of world in which they live." As Harold P. Wells said "sex involves the entire life and personality, and to misuse sex is to abuse oneself as well as one's partner. Proverbs 5:12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! Pr 1:7,22,29,30; 15:5; Psalms 50:17; 73:22; Zech 7:11, 12, 13, 14; Jn 3:19,20 My heart - Pr 1:25; 6:23; 12:1; 13:18; Ge 19:9; Ex 2:13,14; 2Chr 24:20, 21, 22; 25:16; 2Chr 33:10,11; 36:16; Je 44:4; Zech 1:4, 5, 6 Regret and remorse fill this man's memories for not having listened to Solomon's wise counsel in the area of sexual purity/impurity. Young man, young husband, father of four, elder, pastor, old man... imagine yourself for a moment in this man's position and let the Spirit of God burn the negative image into your cerebral cortex so that ever after you would rather die than fall into the pit of such moral decay and despondency! Hated instruction...spurned reproof - Indeed, spiritual hindsight often gives us "20/20" vision. May God grant us mercy and grace to have such clarity of spiritual vision prospectively by reading and heeding His instruction manual, the Bible. See word study on Discipline (instruction) (04148) musar John
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Henry has a lengthy note on Pr 1:23: The precept is plain: Turn you at my reproof. We do not make a right use of the reproofs that are given us for that which is evil if we do not turn from it to that which is good; for for this end the reproof was given. Turn, that is, return to your right mind, turn to God, turn to your duty, turn and live. The promises are very encouraging. Those that love simplicity find themselves under a moral impotency to change their own mind and way; they cannot turn by any power of their own. To this God answers, "Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you; set yourselves to do what you can, and the grace of God (Titus 2:11, 12-note) shall set in with you, and work in you both to will and to do (Php 2:12, 13, cp Heb 13:20, 21) that good which, without that grace, you could not do.'' Help thyself, and God will help thee; stretch forth thy withered hand, and Christ will strengthen and heal it. {1.} The author of this grace is the Spirit, and that is promised: I will pour out my Spirit unto you, as oil, as water; you shall have the Spirit in abundance, rivers of living water, Jn 7:37, 38, 39, cp Jn 4:14. {2.} The means of this grace is the Word (Word of grace, Acts 20:32, 24, 14:3, cp Titus 2:11, 12-note, 1Th 2:13-note, 1Pe 2:2-note, 2Ti 3:16,17-note), which, if we take it aright, will turn us; it is therefore promised, "I will make known my words unto you, not only speak them to you, but make them known, give you to understand them.'' (cp Jn 14:21, 23) Note, Special grace is necessary to a sincere conversion. But that grace shall never be denied to any that honestly seek it and submit to it. Sadly Solomon records these words after the gracious offer of Pr 1:23 - Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my counsel, and did not want my reproof 26 I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you. 28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, 29 because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD (cp Job 1:1). 30 "They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof. 31 So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices. 32 For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them. 33 But he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil. (Pr 1:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33-see commentary) George Lawson - Pr 5:9–11. A good name is better than precious ointment, but of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it. By it has the honour of thousands been irrecoverably lost. Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean persons part with every thing that renders life worthy of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the pursuit of this sin by the just vengeance of God, by its native consequences, or by the accidents to which it exposes those who practise it. And for what are these years given away? Did men generously part with their lives in the defence of their country, or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss would be amply compensated by honour, and by the pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are they who give their years unto the cruel, who conceal a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love! All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life, and every thing dear to us? These false friends and malicious enemies rob you of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you are deprived. Their real views, however, are directed to your money or estate, and why should men give away the fruits of their own labour and toil? or if they wish to be rid of them, why should strangers be filled with them, rather than friends? Some are so foolish, as to live in the lust of uncleanness, to save the necessary expences of a family. But observation, as well as Scripture, might convince them of their error. The followers of vice are often attacked by poverty, that comes upon them like an armed man; and how distressing is poverty to those who have indulged themselves in lewd courses, contracted insatiable desires after carnal pleasure, deprived themselves of their friends, and disqualified themselves for any business that might retrieve their circumstances, or supply their wants! Poverty is still more distressing when it is attended by weakness and disease, the natural consequences which Providence has annexed to those courses by which men dishonour God and themselves. When the body is tortured, and the spirits dejected by the loathsome distempers which sin brings in its train, their conscience, which was formerly trampled under foot, rises up and regains its power, and inflicts severe vengeance for the injuries it has received. Then, O profligate sinner! thou wilt mourn— Pr 5:12–14. Religion has received many testimonies in its favour from enemies, whose hearts have at last forced them to curse the day when they were so mad, as to turn a deaf ear to its friendly voice. The word of God read and preached, is God’s appointed means of keeping or reclaiming men from sin, and in a Christian land the votaries of vice are rebels against the light. They are, to their own loss, fatally successful in fighting against that God who opposes their wickedness by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, written by prophets and apostles, and preached by the ministers of God. It is not in vain for ministers, and parents, and tutors, to use means for acquainting young persons with the Scripture, and imprinting it upon their hearts. The confession of profligates, when arrived at the end of their career, makes it evident, that if any thing would have proved effectual to preserve them from ruin, it would have been the instructions and reproofs of teachers. Such means have no doubt been the instruments of preserving many, and reclaiming some. The confession of the wretch tortured by his conscience, is not introduced by the inspired sage as the humble confession of a penitent, who looks for pardon through the merits of Christ. How greatly are they deluded who think that misery can produce true repentance, or that sorrow pressed out of the soul by distress of body and anguish of conscience, are signs of real grace! Persons may cry out of their folly, and warn others, and beg others to pray for them; and yet, like Simon Magus, remain all the while in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Sinners who will not comply with the calls of God, may now make them the object of their scorn; but at the latter end, when conscience shall preach with a voice louder than any minister, sorrow shall be their inevitable portion. Then, in the breasts of desperate sinners, despised admonitions shall burn like raging fire. Then shall multitudes of iniquities, once overlooked, present themselves like so many dismal apparitions to the eyes of the sinner, and make him a terror to himself. The pleasure derived from the present moment is nothing. Our enjoyment is derived from the recollection of the past, or from the prospect of what is to come. Sensualists cannot flatter themselves so grossly, as to fetch any pleasure from that part of life which they have already spent, but their hopes are ever on the wing to seize on anticipated pleasure. It frequently happens, that when their course is run, and hope can no longer be indulged, their attention is forced back on the scenes of life, through which they have already passed. When in this manner they are brought to recollect the numberless sins, to the commission of which their various dispositions have led them, and to forebode the punishments that await them, their souls are convulsed with remorse, and horror takes full possession of them: “Wretched creatures that we are! Our impetuous passions have hurried us into all wickednesses, those only excepted which our powers were too feeble and narrow to add to the rest. Would to God we had been brutes, or could yet have our portion with them, to be turned for ever into earth and rottenness! O that we had been heathens, and had never heard the gospel of Christ, and the law of the Most Holy! Our abominable iniquities are dreadfully aggravated by the opportunities we have had of being present in the assemblies of Zion, and receiving the instructions and reproofs of life. Instead of deriving benefit from the ordinances of God’s worship and the communion of saints, we have exposed ourselves to the reproach of the whole assembly of the pious. By our example we have grieved some, and caused others to stumble. Our hell must be heated seven times more than the hell of heathens!” The words in the 14th verse may be translated, In a moment I am in all evil, &c. ‘I am suddenly punished with all the plagues threatened by the ministers of God, and made a spectacle of misery and horror to the whole congregation.’ It is an aggravation of that misery which is the fruit of a man’s own ways, when publicity is one of its attendant circumstances*. They who will not believe the threatenings of God shall feel them. There are no free-thinkers in hell, and but few on a death-bed. How happy are they who are preserved by the grace of God from laying up treasures of wrath against the last days, and planting thorns to line their death-bed pillows! To avoid uncleanness, let every man have his own wife, and let him love her as himself. This remedy against such a vice Solomon illustrates in a beautiful allegory. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:13 "I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors! Luke 15:18; 1Th 4:8; 5:12,13; Heb 13:7 In context (Pr 5:12, 13), Solomon pictures the victim of his own insatiable cravings for sexual gratification expressing the grief of regret and remorse (cp 2Co 7:10 which contrast godly sorrow that leads to true repentance), even reproaching himself for not have listened to those who warned him to repent from his "sexual insanity". This reminds me of the radical contrast between real repentance and simple remorse - "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2Cor 7:10) Proverbs 5:14 "I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation ." Pr 13:20; Nu 25:1-6; Hosea 4:11, 12, 13, 14; 1Co 10:6, 7, 8; 2Pe 2:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18; Jude 1:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Utter (03605) (kol) means all, every, everything. It depicts the entirety of something, in this case the entirety of one's ruin! Woe! Ruin (07451) (raah) describes evil with varying shades of meaning. Utter ruin - This is another potential consequence of sexual immorality if one does not repent. Ryrie feels that "The adulterer nearly lost his life as punishment for his sin (cf. Deut. 22:22)." In the midst of the assembly - Solomon warns of the possibility that the man guilty of sexual immorality may experience public disgrace. Pastors, elders, church leaders, men of godly reputation are at great risk of sexual immorality. The Puritan Richard Baxter writes... Take heed to yourselves, because the tempter will more ply you with his temptations than other men. If you will be the leaders against the prince of darkness, he will spare you no further than God restraineth him... As wise and learned as you are, take heed to yourselves, lest he outwit you. The devil is a greater scholar than you, and a nimbler disputant... Take heed to yourselves, because there are many eyes upon you, and there will be many to observe your falls. (Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, reprinted, 1974. First published, 1656) Comment: Read the sad saga of Pastor Steven Cole's ministerial friend name "Bob" - click here. Proverbs 5:15 Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well. (NASB: Lockman) Pr 5:18,19; Hebrews 13:4 Proverbs 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries METAPHOR OF DRINKING WATER You have your own spring and your own well which flow with clear water. So drink from these sources! (German Common Language Version) Do not go to the well of another man. Stay with your own wife and sleep only with her, just as a man drinks water from his own well. (UBS) Note: Verbs in bold red indicate commands, not suggestions! See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands (or "How to Keep All 1642 Commandments in the New Testament!") See also chart comparing Filled with His Spirit/Richly Indwelt with His Word Bridges - A restless dissatisfaction with our present blessings cherishes the lust for forbidden pleasures. Where contentment is not found at home—drinking out of our own cistern, it will not be found abroad. Thus conjugal love—the greatest earthly blessing—is the Divine remedy against incontinence. (1Cor 7:2, 36) ‘First—choose thy love; then love thy choice.’8 Quench thy thirst out of thine own, and lust not after thy neighbor’s, well. ‘Enjoy thou the lawful delights and contentments of thine own wife.’ (Bishop Hall) Let the streams of a happy issue derived from thee, as little fountains, or springs from the fountain (cp Nu 24:7, Deut 33:28, Ps 68:29, Isa 48:1)—be dispersed abroad, fertilizing the streets (cp Zech 8:5) with their godly influence—children whom thou knowest to be thine own, and canst acknowledge without shame (Ps 127:3-5, 148:13). Rejoice with the wife of thy youth. (Dt 24:5, Eccl 9:9) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) In Proverbs 5:15-21 Solomon offers his "remedy" calculated to counter the temptation to commit sexual immorality with a strange woman. His remedy - delight yourself in fidelity to your own wife, your covenant partner, your one flesh. The world ridicules faithfulness, but God honors and blesses it. One wife for one life and one partner to enjoy sex with for all of your days. That is God's "old fashioned" plan! In context Solomon is speaking in highly metaphorical language, using cistern, well and fountain as pictures of one's wife. Notice that that possessive pronoun precedes each description and that is Solomon's emphasis -- sexual relations with your OWN wife, and no one else's! That is his main point in this section and to heed such sage advice will keep one far from the paths of the adulteress woman. The best way for a man to avoid sexual misconduct (including indulging in pornography and the fantasizing and self-gratification that naturally accompany this sin) is to (1) have a loving relationship with your Creator and (2) secondly a loving relationship with the wife of your youth. In short, to experience the expulsive power of a new affection! (Click Thomas Chalmers famous sermon on The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.) Explorer the Bible notes adds that "the institution of holy matrimony has been designed by God as the only place for the expression of sexual love. It is also quite clear that a satisfying and intimate marriage is a powerful safeguard against sexual temptation. Again, from the perspective of the male, the text calls upon the young man to find his fulfillment in his wife alone. With plain, yet appropriate, language the man is exhorted to be thoroughly satisfied with his wife’s sexual intimacy and to ever be exhilarated or, more literally, “intoxicated” with “her love” (Pr 5:19). This command places a holy responsibility upon both partners in the marriage. Each should be sensitive and attentive to the needs of the other so that any temptation to violate the marriage bond is effectively repelled (cf. 1Cor 7:5). (Be Wise About Sexual Purity) The UBS Handbook on Proverbs observes that… Pr 5:15-20 use a number of images such as water, cistern, well, springs, fountain, hind, and doe to appeal to the learner to be satisfied with his own wife rather than going after another person’s wife. A cistern is an underground chamber used to catch rainwater for storing. Cisterns, like wells in the next line, were often dug in the ground and lined with limestone plaster to keep them from leaking. They were also sometimes hollowed out of rock. The scarcity of water made it essential to guard cisterns and wells closely. The emphasis in this verse is on the private use of water from a cistern. The thought expressed here is “Just as you drink water from your own cistern, so you should have sex only with your own wife.” (Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. New York: United Bible Societies) W A Criswell comments that "These verses use frankly erotic language as is found in the Song of Solomon in expressing that sexual delight in marriage is by divine design (Pr 5:15), as is the joy of procreation, in which husband and wife join hands with the Creator God to produce the next generation (Pr. 5:16, 17, 18; Ge 1:28). The wife is compared to a "cistern" and "well" (Pr 5:15; Song 4:12). This figure enhances her value in the eastern world, in which water was scarce and valuable. The terms "fountains" and "streams of water" are references to children who are victims of marital discord. They suffer from lack of a proper home, either abandoned or raised by "strangers" (Pr 5:17). (Criswell, W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas Nelson) Drink water - A command, not a suggestion! Drinking is a normal God given desire but even it is to be gratified in an appropriate way. Solomon here uses this normal physical need to picture a man's sexual need which is also God given and is only to be fulfilled by one's spouse. In other words the idea is be faithful to your own wife, just as you drink water from your own cistern and well. Let her be your "cistern" and "well" with her companionship alone will a husband find total satisfaction and the quenching of all his sexual thirst. Constable agrees writing that "The figures of a cistern and well refer to one’s wife (cf. Song 4:15) who satisfies desire. In first Corinthians Paul writes that… because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (1Co 7:2, 3, 4, 5) Adam
Provérbios 5:1-14
Henry reminds us... Solomon's lectures are not designed to fill our heads with notions, with matters of nice speculation, or doubtful disputation, but to guide us in the government of ourselves, that we may act prudently, so as becomes us and so as will be for our true interest. Steven Cole in a sermon I highly recommend writes that... Dwight Eisenhower once said, “War is a terrible thing. But if you’re going to get into it, you’ve got to get into it all the way.” That’s true in the war against lust. You won’t win by being halfway into it. But if you’ll get into the battle all the way—God’s way, using His strategy—you can win! (Beloved, if you are a man you MUST read Pastor Cole's pithy and powerful personal testimony on Winning the War Against Lust) Your lips may reserve knowledge - The ESV says that "your lips may guard knowledge". The idea is to protect like a watchman and so to preserve the Words of Truth and Life (for they alone are the source of true knowledge) and when we speak to others we speak words that will benefit them (especially in this area of proper sexual contact). Reserve (05341) (natsar) means to keep, tend, guard, protect, conceal, observe, preserve, be as a watchman. The main idea is holding fast to something with which you have been been entrusted - see use of natsar in Proverbs 4:23 -- Exposition (cp Ps 119:100, 115, 69). To cause to be safe from danger (Ps 40:12). A study of the things kept or guarded or protected gives insight into the meaning of this Hebrew verb. Here are the 62 OT uses - Ex 34:7; Deut. 32:10; 33:9; 2Ki. 17:9; 18:8; Job 7:20; 27:18; Note that most of the references in Psalms speak of us choosing to obey God and His Word! - Ps 12:7; 25:10, 21; 31:23; 32:7; 34:13; 40:11; 61:7; 64:1; 78:7; 105:45; 119:2, 22, 33, 34, 56, 69, 100, 115, 129, 145; 140:1, 4; 141:3; Pr 2:8, 11; 3:1, 21; 4:6, 13, 23; 5:2; 6:20; 7:10; 13:3, 6; 16:17; 20:28; 22:12; 23:26; 24:12; 27:18; 28:7; Is 1:8; 26:3; 27:3; 42:6; 48:6; 49:6, 8; 65:4; Je 4:16; 31:6; Ezek 6:12; Nah 2:1. All uses in Proverbs... (Prov 2:8) Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. (Prov 2:11) Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, (Prov 3:1) My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; (Prov 3:21) My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, (Prov 4:6) “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. (Prov 4:13) Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. (Prov 4:23) Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. (Prov 5:2) That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. (Prov 6:20) My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; (Prov 7:10) And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. (Prov 13:3) The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. (Prov 13:6) Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness subverts the sinner. (Prov 16:17) The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life. (Prov 20:28) Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness. (Prov 22:12) The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man. (Prov 23:26) Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways. (Prov 24:12) If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? (Prov 27:18) He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. (Prov 28:7) He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. If you are in need of reassurance of Who is guarding and protecting you, take a moment and hold your pointer over the following references and be still and ponder, knowing that He is God -- Ex 34:7, Deut 32:10, Ps 12:7, 31:23, 32:7, 40:11, 64:1, 140:1, 4, Pr 2:8. SCRIPTURAL STRATEGIES IN OUR WAR AGAINST LUST Below are a number of Scriptural strategies for fighting the war against lust and for sexual impurity. Please read the Scriptures for they are the sword the Spirit will use (Ps 119:9, 11 - see Memorizing His Word) and as we ponder the Living Word (Ps 1:2, 3-note), Christ will increase and we will decrease (Jn 3:30). All of these suggestions are predicated on the most important "step" and that is our relationship with God. If we are slipping in our time in God's Word and prayer, praise and thanksgiving, then all the "rules" in the world won't be of any value in this battle. We must continually seek first His kingdom (and His King, Jesus) and His righteousness, and He will provide for our daily needs in this daily spiritual battle. 1. Depend on God's power not your own for the Victory, learning to walk by the Spirit (1Sa 17:47 contrast with 1Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Gal 5:16, 17-note, Eph 5:18-note, Php 2:12, 13-note, Ezek 36:27, Zech 4:6, Ro 8:13-note, 2Cor 12:9-note, 2Co 12:10-note) 2. Recognize and affirm that sexuality is a good gift from God. (James 1:17, Ge 2:24, 25; Pr 5:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-notes, 1Co 7:3, 4, 5, 1Ti 4:3) 3. Recognize that God gives us prohibitions not to deny us something good but that we might experience His good and acceptable and perfect will for our lives. (Ex 20:14, 1Co 6:18, 1Co 7:2, 1Th 4:3-note) 4. Believe that God is for you in this battle and desires for us to be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus (Deut 10:12, 13, Ps 84:11, Ro 8:31, 32-note) 5. Consider and meditate on the potential temporal and eternal loss for those who make lust a lifestyle (Mt 5:27, 28, 29-note, Pr 5:4, 5, Pr 7:27-notes, Eccl 7:26, Jdg 16:18, 19, 20, 21-notes) 6. Consider the truth that there is more joy in God's presence than in the presence of sin. (Ps 16:11, Ps 73:25, 26) 7. Recognize that lust weakens our soul and we must fight against it by abstaining (1Peter 2:11-note, cp Mark 4:19) 8. Cultivate a passion for God's Word and His glory (1Pe 2:2-note, 2Sa 12:9, 10, 14 - note what David in his sin with Bathsheba despised!) 9. Develop a mental grid that views everything in relation to God. (1Co 10:31, Col 3:17-note) 10. Recognize that God designed marriage to be a picture of His commitment to His Bridegroom, the church. (Ephesians 5:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-notes) 11. Zealously guard your eyes, turning from anything that might give a provision to your lust (Job 31:1, Ro 13:14-note, 2Ti 2:22-note, Ps 101:3, see context Ps 101:1,2, 4) 12. Think often that Christ suffered to redeem you for purity, for His possession and for His purpose. (Titus 2:14-note, 1Pe 1:18-note; 1Pe 2:24-note, 1Co 5:15) 13. Beware of pride rising up making you think that past success guarantees future victory over lust (1Cor 10:12, Gal 2:13 contrasted with Acts 11:24, 1Pe 2:11-note wages war is present tense = continually until we die!) 14. Beware of feeling above accountability. (3 John 9 Diotrephes not submissive, James 4:6, 10, 1Pe 5:6-note, 2Chr 32:36, 33:12, 19, 23, Pr 18:12, 22:4, Is 57:15) 15. Seek a band of brothers where you wage war together encouraging one another daily in regard to the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:12-note, Heb 3:13-note, 2Ti 2:22-note) (See Related Discussion: The Deceitfulness of Sin) 16. Memorize and meditate on many scriptures. (Ps 119:9, 11, 1:2, Josh 1:8-note, Job 23:12-note , Jer 15:16, 1Jn 2:14, Php 4:8-note) 17. Take every pernicious, prurient thought captive to Christ and replace them with good thoughts (1Cor 10:3, 4, 5, Php 4:8-note) 18. Beware of the trap that you deserve relief through gratifying your sinful flesh, remembering that every test carries with it the potential of a temptation to sin (Acts 14:22, Luke 9:58, 2Ti 2:3-note, 2Ti 4:16, 17-note) 19. Pray at all times in the Spirit for God's protection and deliverance. (Ep 6:18-note, Lk 22:40, 46, Mt 26:40, 41, 1Chr 4:10, Ps 19:13, 119:116, 117, 133, Pr 30:8, 9, Mt 6:13-note) 20. Think often that God has given you even now many good things so how could you brazenly sin against Him! (Ge 39:7,8, 9) Can I ask you a candid question? Is the seductive, deceptive lure of some sin such as anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, sexual immorality, etc, knocking at the door of your heart, dear saint? Are you getting ready to be captured by your own iniquities, bound by the cords of your own sin (Pr 5:22)? If so, than prayerfully, meditatively, take just a few moments (3' 43") and... LISTEN TO THE SPIRITUAL SONG... "GUARD YOUR HEART" Click here to listen to Steve Green's soul piercing rendition of Guard Your Heart. Dear brother (or sister), if you are "toying" (an oxymoron for this is not "child's play"!) with and making provision for an "affair" (A euphemism which is far too kind! Cp Ro 13:14-note, Gal 5:16-note; Gal 5:17-note), then take just a few moments and please listen carefully to the words of Steve's song and as you listen ponder the consequences in David's life - notice especially the last 2 verses in the following passages! (David's sin with Bathsheba and some of the consequences = 2Sa 11:1,2, 3, 4, 5, 12:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 13:1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31). As Steve Green rightly and passionately sings "As a payment for pleasure it is a high price to pay "! Remember that when sin comes in at the door of a person’s life, it eventually moves to the inner chambers and takes over. If King David could speak to us today (and of course he is in one sense for the word is living and active, Heb 4:12-note, 1Pe 1:23-note), I have no doubt he would say that he would gladly forgo that 15-30' of pleasure he had with Bathsheba on that fateful night, if the terrible consequences of his sin could be erased. O, dear beloved brother in Christ, if you are being tempted in this area, as you read this note, know that I have prayed for you that the Spirit would quicken your heart, renew your mind and empower your will to turn around and away from the potential devastation you are about to enter into to because of the deceitfulness (Heb 3:13-note)(See Related Discussion: The Deceitfulness of Sin) of this pleasurable (Heb 11:25-note) but tragic sin of porneia. Guard your heart --- for your God, for your wife and children, for your reputation, for the Lord's reputation, and remember that one day we will all stand before the Lord of Glory and give account for the deeds in the body (for believers at 2Cor 5:10 or unbelievers at Rev 20:11, 12, 13, 14, 15). See a related topic - Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage George Lawson - THE wise man gives us this chapter, as an antidote against those youthful lusts by which so many are ensnared. Let such as are tempted by their own hearts, or by the agents of Satan, to sins of uncleanness, seriously consider its contents, and pray that God may bless them for their benefit. None of us are superior to all temptations of this nature; let us therefore give heed to the things that are spoken, in order to represent the danger and mischief of impurity, and to show us in what manner to avoid it. Proverbs 5:1, 2. The wisdom which Solomon teaches in this chapter cost him dear; but if we attend to his instructions, we shall have them at an easy rate. It may save us much bitter repentance, and preserve us from some of the most dreadful dangers; for it will teach us that spiritual subtilty and discretion, by which, like David, we shall become wiser than our enemies, and be enabled to escape their snares. Attention will enable us to keep knowledge in our hearts, for a wanton imagination, ever dictating corrupt conversation to the lips, proves the beginning of ruin to many of the sons of men. They accustom themselves to speak of things not fit to be named among Christians; and from foolish talking, and impure jesting, by which they corrupt themselves and their companions, they proceed to the works of darkness. When the word of God enters into our hearts, it will banish all pollution from the tongue, and dispose us to entertain our companions with that discourse which is good for the use of edifying. Thus our own hearts will be more deeply impressed, God will be honored, and other men guarded against the snares of the destroyer. Now it is of great importance for men, especially in their younger days, to furnish themselves with preservatives, from that word which is able to keep us, against the snares of the strange woman (Ed: See a sampling of the prayers in Psalms - this should tell us how great is our need when a godly man like David is inspired to repeatedly pray this way! Ps 25:15b, Ps 119:10b [not sure this was written by David], Ps 141:4, Ps 19:13). Solomon had already warned us against her; but he is directed by God to do it a second time at greater length. (George Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; Pr 2:16; 6:24; 7:21; Revelation 17:2, 3, 4, 5, 6 For - Always pause and ponder this strategic term of explanation - Ask (and attempt to answer) at least one simple question - "What is the writer explaining?" Remember that when you find a "for" at the beginning of a verse, it is usually (not 100% - check the context = Keep Context King) a term of explanation. In Proverbs 5-7 there a several "for's" for you to pause and ponder. (Pr 5:3, 20, 21, Pr 6:23, 26, 34, Pr 7:6, 19, 26). As an aside there are over 9000 occurrences of for in the NASB, which should give you many opportunities to practice (and make "perfect") the discipline of interrogating the Biblical text (See interrogate with the 5W/H questions). Kenneth T. Aitken - There is an old saying, 'Honey is sweet, but the bee stings'; and this lady has a sting in her tail. (Proverbs) The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery writes that "The Bible’s most graphic teachings against adultery come in Proverbs 5:1-23 and Pr 6:20ff, Pr 1-7:27, where images of injury, entrapment and death are used to underline the dangers and the sheer folly of adultery: “Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife” (Pr 6:28, 29 NIV). “He followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose.... Her house is a highway to the grave” (Pr 7:22, 27 NIV). Adultery in the wisdom literature comes to picture hidden deeds, which are done in secret because the perpetrator senses they are wrong, and which inevitably are found out: “The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed” (Job 24:15 NIV). Drip honey...smoother than oil - See note on the value of observing and accurately interpreting terms of comparison = metaphors. See also Guidelines for Figuring our Figurative Language Matthew Henry introduces Solomon's strong cautions against sexual improprieties "The caution itself, and that is to abstain from fleshly lusts, from adultery, fornication, and all uncleanness. Some apply this figuratively, and by the adulterous woman here understand idolatry, or false doctrine, which tends to debauch men's minds and manners, or the sensual appetite, to which it may as fitly as any thing be applied; but the primary scope of it is plainly to warn us against seventh-commandment sins, which youth is so prone to, the temptations to which are so violent, the examples of which are so many, and which, where admitted, are so destructive to all the seeds of virtue in the soul that it is not strange that Solomon's cautions against it are so very pressing and so often repeated (cp Pr 5:1,2, 5:7, 8, 6:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 7:1, 2, 3, 4, 24, 25). Solomon here, as a faithful watchman, gives fair warning to all, as they regard their lives and comforts, to dread this sin, for it will certainly be their ruin. Observe carefully that this woman's number one "weapon" is not necessarily her beauty but her speech (cp Ge 39:10, Pr 2:16, 22:14, Jdg 16:16, 17, 18, 19, 20-note)! The message for men seeking to be godly (1Ti 4:7, 8 ,9, 10, 11, 12-notes) is that we have to use great discretion when as a men we speak with women other than our wives, specifically when the topic is "personal". Be careful! We have to guard against being counselors to other women (give that job to your wife). We have to refuse to hear negative comments or complaints about their husbands or their lack of happiness with their marriage. As 1Cor 6:18 says we should "flee" these situations. They harbor the potential for the beginnings of a crack in the damn of fidelity we cherish in our marital bond. There are now many women in business, and this is a setting in which the man made wise by Proverbs 5-7 would indeed be wise to exert special precautions. And obviously this applies to business trips that one must take with a woman business associate. Be very careful and remember that God never allows us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure but with the temptation He is faithful to supply for us not "a" way of escape, but "the" way, the specific way, one which we should be alert to perceive, lest we miss the divine provision and begin a downward journey that can only end in a veritable sexual abyss! To reiterate, be careful in your communication with the opposite sex young men, husbands, fathers, old men! The lips...speech - Solomon first warns us not to listen to the charms of the sin of sexual immorality, for the pleasures promised by the lust of the flesh in this area are very powerful and very tempting. Even as honey was the sweetest substance known in Israel, so could be the sensual, seductive words of a woman on the prowl! He says her persuasions are so good that they entice him (see Pr 7:21). Although Solomon does not say specifically "Don't listen to her", the command is clearly implied. Adulteress (ESV = forbidden woman, Amp = Loose woman, NKJV = immoral woman) (02114) (zur) is a Hebrew verb which means to be a stranger (from literal meaning of to turn aside as for lodging, but also can mean to go astray). Although some see this as indicative only of a prostitute who hires out her body for sexual favors, others are more general and see it as including for example another man's wife. The Septuagint translates it with two Greek words that describe literally a "low grade, morally base and substandard, worthless woman"! TWOT writes that the verb zur "is principally used in the participial form, zār, appearing sixty-nine times. It carries the force of a noun, and is so listed by KB. It is used for some action strange to the law (Lev 10:1), and for one who is a stranger to another household (Deut 25:5), to another person (Pr 14:10), and to another land (Ho 7:9). The basic thought is of non-acquaintance or non-relatedness. The feminine form, “The Strange Woman,” often in Prov is the adulteress. (Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) Here are the uses of zur in Proverbs - Pr. 2:16; 5:3, 10, 17, 20; 6:1; 7:5; 11:15; 14:10; 20:16; 22:14; 23:33; 27:2, 13 Drip honey - The initial encounter seems quite pleasant and desirable, but as Solomon describes in this section sexual sin is attractive in prospect (cp Heb 11:25) but hideous in retrospect. This metaphor gives the picture of a seductive, tempting woman. The allure of a tryst (secret appointment, a private, romantic rendezvous between lovers, who if unfaithful is a rendezvous of two sinners!) may seem "sweet" but the ugly end will inevitably come as Solomon explains. Smoother (02509) (chalaq -- see discussion of the root verb chalaq - 02505 also in the context of sexual immorality) is an adjective is used to describe the smooth skin of Jacob as opposed to hairy Esau (Ge 27:11), and the smooth stones in a wadi (Is 57:6). Chalaq is used figuratively by Solomon to describe the mouth of the flatterer (here in Pr 5:3; cp Pr 26:28). Chalaq is used 5 times in the OT - Ge 27:11; Pr. 5:3; 26:28; Is 57:6; Ezek 12:24. Smoother than oil is her speech - The NET says "her seductive words are smoother than olive oil." She flatters with smooth alluring words that excite the man’s lustful desires. Bridges - The extreme plausibility of the temptation is our call to attention. The deluded victim only sees the present gratification; only tastes, or expects to taste, the honeycomb; only hears the wily smoothness of the charmer’s voice. (Pr 2:16; 6:24; 7:21.) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) George Lawson - Pr 5:3. She talks of nothing but love, and pleasure, and perpetual delights. To hear her, one would suppose that she possessed the most generous and disinterested spirit. Her tongue is taught by him who betrayed Eve to paint the vilest sin with the most beautiful colours, and to conceal all its deformity and danger; but it is the part of a reasonable creature to look beyond the present moment, and to consider the end of things, as well as their beginning. There is sweetness indeed in the mouth of this strange woman (George Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Pr 6:24-35; 7:22,23; 9:18; 23:27,28; Eccl 7:26; Heb 12:15,16 Judges 16:4, 5, 6,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21; Ps 55:21; Hebrews 4:12 But - (See notes on value of observing and interrogating terms of contrast) Bitter and sharp present a striking contrast with honey and smooth...oil (Pr 5:3)! Here's the point in the context of sexual temptations - the payoff of passing pleasure is bitter and painful! Do not keep being deceived by the siren song of this present evil (and growing daily more so) age that you can taste a bit of forbidden (stolen) honey and get away with it. This is a lie straight from the father of lies (Jn 8:44), who seeks to cloak his "product" in the "skin" of relative values (no absolutes or constraints re sexual behavior) so that the unwary, naive or foolish bite into this "apple of deception" (cp Satan's schemes - Rev 12:9, 10, 2Co 11:3) and in the end are devoured and destroyed (cp 1Pe 5:8, Job 1:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, Job 2:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; King David - 2Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15!) Bridges - But never is the beginning so sweet, as the end is bitter. God shows the wormwood; the two-edged sword (Ps 55:21) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Bitter as Wormwood - See note on the value of observing and accurately interpreting terms of comparison = metaphors and similes. See also Guidelines for Figuring our Figurative Language Wormwood is a plant from which a bitter-tasting juice is made and used as a medicine. In short, what at first appears pleasant like honey ends up like a bitter tasting medicine. You can mark it down that sexual temptation, like many other forms of enticement, is thoroughly deceptive in nature for it is never in reality (and consequence) what it appears to be at the outset. As King David and Samson found out, Sexual temptation, represented by the adulteress, promises one thing yet delivers quite another. The painful consequences of the violation of God’s will are lost in the excitement of the moment. However, the reality of judgment, and even death, is just around the corner for those who give in to her seductive voice. Wormwood - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Wormwood - Holman Bible Dictionary Wormwood - Fausset's Bible Dictionary A two edged sword (literally sword of edges) - This phrase pictures sexual impropriety as causing wounds and pain. Matthew Henry writes "that fruit will the sinner have of his honey and oil when the end will be (1) the terrors of the conscience: It is bitter as wormwood. What was luscious in the mouth rises in the stomach and turns sour there; it cuts, in the reflection, like a two-edged sword; take it which way you will, it wounds. Solomon could speak by experience, Ecclesiastes 7:26. (2) The torments of hell. If some that have been guilty of this sin have repented and been saved, yet the direct tendency of the sin is to destruction of body and soul; the feet of it go down to death, nay, they take hold on hell, to pull it to the sinner, as if the damnations slumbered too long, Pr 5:5. Those that are entangled in this sin should be reminded that there is but a step between them and hell, and that they are ready to drop into it. As
Provérbios 5:1-14
Henry has an interesting insight on her ways are unstable writing that "Her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them; she often changes her disguise, and puts on a great variety of false colours, because, if she be rightly known, she is certainly hated. Proteus-like, she puts on many shapes, that she may keep in with those whom she has a design upon. And what does she aim at with all this art and management? Nothing but to keep them from pondering the path of life, for she knows that, if they once come to do that, she shall certainly lose them. She does not know it - One of the greatest traps and tragedies of one who is deceived by their own lust (James 1:14) is that they are not even aware of the deadly self deception (cp 2Ti 3:13, of sin = Heb 3:13). The "other woman" may appear beautiful and desirable person, but her life is empty and void of any spiritual vitality. She does not ponder the path of life or seriously consider the consequences of her actions. Sadly, she does not love God and is destined for destruction though she does not know it. The warning is that those who pursue her are likewise on the pathway of judgment and death. Solomon is saying in essence, don't walk down her path and destroy your health, your family, your finances, your eternal destiny (either in loss of rewards if you are genuinely saved or loss of your soul in the lake of fire [Re 19:20, 20:10, 14, 15] [References or here] which burns forever and ever if you are not genuinely saved!). As discussed more fully below, sin in general and sexual sin in particular is is always a costly thing: you can lose your reputation (Pr 5:9), your possessions (Pr 5:10), your health (Pr 5:11), and your very life (Pr 5:22, 23). The “cords of sins” bind slowly, but they bind surely, until one day the sinner discovers escape is impossible. George Lawson - Pr 5:6. When men enter into a course of sin, they have no intention to be damned. They intend only to indulge themselves in the pleasures of sin for a time, and then to return to the paths of life. Millions of souls have been seduced to everlasting destruction by this one temptation of the old serpent,—“Ye shall not die although you eat; grace is free, and there is abundance of time to repent.” The wise man gives what may repel this temptation, by letting us know how foolish it is for men to flatter themselves with the hope, that they shall be truly disposed and enabled to repent of their sin. “Her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.” She can form her mode of behaviour into a hundred different shapes, to entangle the heart of the lover. She spreads a thousand snares, and if you escape one of them, you will find yourself held fast by another. She knows well how to suit her words and behaviour to your present humour, to lull conscience asleep, and to spread before your eyes such a mist, as shall prevent you from being able to descry the paths of life. If you ever think of the danger of your course, and feel the necessity of changing it, she will urge you to spend a little time longer in the pleasures of sin. If her solicitations prevail, if you linger within the precincts of guilt, your resolutions are weakened, and your passions gain new strength. What is the awful result? The devil obtains more influence; conscience; forcibly repressed, ceases to reclaim with so loud a voice; God gives you up to the lusts of your own heart, and leaves you to chuse your own delusions. Attend, then, to the wisest of men, who instructs you to keep free of these dangerous temptations. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") ><>><>><> Meyer, F. B. Our Daily Homily - On Pr 5:6, 21 - It is a remarkable expression, “the level path of life”; and there is great comfort in knowing that God is ever before us, leveling our pathway, taking insurmountable obstacles out of the way, so that our feet do not stumble. It may be that you are facing a great mountain range of difficulty. Before you, obstacles, apparently insuperable, rear themselves like a giant wall to heaven. When you cross the Jordan there is always a Jericho which appears to bar all further advance, and your heart fails. But you are bidden to believe that there is a level path right through those mighty barriers; a pass, as it is called, in mountainous districts. The walking there is easy and pleasant if only you will let yourself be led to it. God has made it, but you must take it. How we dread the thought of those steep cliffs! It seems as though we could never climb them; but if we would only look at the Lord instead of at the hills, if we would look above the hills to Jehovah, we should be able to rest in sure faith that He will show us the level path of life. Your path is not level, but full of boulders which have rolled down upon and choked it. But may this not be partly due to your mistakes or sins-to your willfulness and self-dependence? There are sorrows and trials in all lives; but these need not obstruct our progress. The text surely refers to those difficulties which threaten us with their arrest, putting barriers in our way. When Peter reached the iron gate he found it open; when the women reached the sepulchre door they found the stone gone. What an awful indictment against the child of sensual pleasure, “She findeth not the level path of life!” Proverbs 5:7 Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Listen - Pr 4:1; 8:32, 33, 34, 35, 36; 22:17, 18, 19, 20, 21; Hebrews 12:25 Do not depart - Pr 3:21; 4:21 SOLOMON INJECTS A WARNING In this and the following verse Solomon gives the reader a series of solemn warnings, two of which are overt commands - listen, do not depart, keep, do not go near. Bridges - Can we wonder then at the earnestness of parental anxiety, forcing back the children playing on the brink of a precipice. Hear now—O ye children? We mean no austere restraint upon youthful pleasures. Only avoid the tempter’s touch—her word—even her look. (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Now then - Because of the background Solomon has just presented regarding the deceptive snares and torrid temptations in the area of sexual immorality and its certain harvest of fruit which is rotten to the core (Pr 5:3, 4, 5). Instead of listening to the honey coated lips of the adulteress, the wise son will listen to Solomon's warnings. Matthew Henry paraphrases Solomon's words... "Hear me now therefore, O you children! whoever you are that read or hear these lines, take notice of what I say, and mix faith with it, treasure it up, and depart not from the words of my mouth, as those will do that hearken to the words of the strange woman. Do not only receive what I say, for the present merely, but cleave to it, and let it be ready to thee, and of force with thee, when thou art most violently assaulted by the temptation." Depart (05493) (sur) means to turn aside, to desert, to quit, to keep far away, to stop, to take away (literally as Moses turned aside in Ex 3:3, 4). Here sur is used in a figurative sense, to describe turning away from the wise, instructive, discretion producing warnings of Solomon regarding sexual impropriety. Matthew Henry comments.... This caution is introduced with a solemn preface: "Hear me now therefore, O you children! whoever you are that read or hear these lines, take notice of what I say, and mix faith with it, treasure it up, and depart not from the words of my mouth, as those will do that hearken to the words of the strange woman. Do not only receive what I say, for the present merely, but cleave to it, and let it be ready to thee, and of force with thee, when thou art most violently assaulted by the temptation." (2.) The caution itself is very pressing: "Remove thy way far from her; if thy way should happen to lie near her, and thou shouldst have a fair pretence of being led by business within the reach of her charms, yet change thy way, and alter the course of it, rather than expose thyself to danger; come not nigh the door of her house; go on the other side of the street, nay, go through some other street, though it be about." This intimates, [1.] That we ought to have a very great dread and detestation of the sin. We must fear it as we would a place infected with the plague; we must loathe it as the odour of carrion, that we will not come near. Then we are likely to preserve our purity when we conceive a rooted antipathy to all fleshly lusts. [2.] That we ought industriously to avoid every thing that may be an occasion of this sin or a step towards it. Those that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm's way. Such tinder there is in the corrupt nature that it is madness, upon any pretence whatsoever, to come near the sparks. If we thrust ourselves into temptation, we mocked God when we prayed, Lead us not into temptation. [3.] That we ought to be jealous over ourselves with a godly jealousy, and not to be so confident of the strength of our own resolutions as to venture upon the brink of sin, with a promise to ourselves that hitherto we will come and no further. [4.] That whatever has become a snare to us and an occasion of sin, though it be as a right eye and a right hand, we must pluck it out, cut it off, and cast it from us, must part with that which is dearest to us rather than hazard our own souls; this is our Saviour's command, Matthew 5:28, 29, 30. George Lawson - Pr 5:7. If a father saw his son walking on the edge of a precipice, how greatly would he be alarmed! how loud would be his cries! And if the adventurous youth Still kept his dangerous post, he would fly to him, and try to force him from the brink of destruction. No less earnest is this kind instructor to save us from impending ruin. His words are cries; they have life and power in them. He is deaf who will not attend; he is stubborn who will not comply. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:8 Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, Pr 4:15; 6:27,28; Mt 6:13; Ep 5:11 Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], (Amplified Bible - Lockman) Take a moment to watch and listen to the well done 5'26'' video of the rock song "Slow Fade" that deals with the issue adultery. As you read through Solomon's "Men's Manual for A Healthy Marriage" in Proverbs 5-7 you will note that this song picks up a number of his themes... Slow Fade — by Casting Crowns — (Play) Be careful little eyes what you see It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings Be careful little feet where you go For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade Be careful little ears what you hear When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near Be careful little lips what you say For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day Daddies never crumble in a day Families never crumble in a day Oh be careful little eyes what see Oh be careful little eyes what you see For the Father up above is looking down in love Oh be careful little eyes what you see Bridges - Remove thy way far from her. Not only go not into her—but—such is the contagion—come not near the door. (Pr 4:14, 15, 6:27, 28) To thrust ourselves into temptation, is to throw ourselves out of God’s protection. The snare as one approaches becomes more enticing. The voice of wisdom therefore is—"Flee youthful lusts." (2Ti 2:22) The loss of honor (Pr 6:32, 33, Ge 38:23-26), taking the crown from the victim’s head (2Sa 12:14; 13:13, Neh 13:26); years given to the cruel mockers of his misery (Pr 6:26, 30:3, Jdg 16:18-20); the waste of the family wealth; (Pr 6:26, 35, Job 31:12, Hos 7:9, Lk 15:13, 30) servitude in a stranger’s house (Lk 15:15-16); consumption—slowly bringing the body to the grave (1Cor 6:18)—all is the bitter fruit of the neglected warning. Add to this the voice of conscience at the last, telling of slighted privileges, stifled convictions, abused knowledge. And will not this be the sting of thousands instructed in our schools, or the children of godly parents—now despising the reproofs of God, and the voice of these teachers, proclaiming their shame openly; perhaps making Christian assemblies the scenes of almost all evil? (Nu 25:6, Ezek 8:5-16) (Proverbs 5 Exposition) Solomon makes it clear that the best way to avoid the temptation of sexual immorality is to avoid the company of a temptress ("Don't surf that web!" "Don't click that mouse!") (cf. Ge 39:10; 2Ti 2:22-note ; Mt 5:28-29-note). Keep your way far from her - This command (Hiphil imperative = not a suggestion) could not be much clearer beloved! Stay away from the adulteress, as far away as you can! Temptation (James 1:14) is by its nature so powerfully tempting that one must stay as far removed from it as possible. Don't be deceived by thinking that you can knowingly walk into a tempting situation and "handle it" (1Co 10:12) or can then ask God to deliver you. To do so is presumptuous and is in fact testing the Lord. Do not test the Lord! Practically speaking the practical application of this verse may call for some difficult decisions. For example, if you are working in an office where you are continuously tempted, you may have to give prayerful consideration to even changing jobs. I know a man who not only changed jobs but changed cities because he realized it was going to cost him his family, his reputation and his life! Now that is wisdom put into practice! D. G. Kehl rightly says that immorality is never a sudden fall but can be traced to prior thoughts and decisions (some of which we might have deceptively thought were harmless)... We do not fall in a moment; the predisposition to yield to sin has been forming, building, germinating—but not necessarily consciously so. Sin has both a cumulative and a domino effect. Satan plants subtle stimuli, often subliminal ones; he influences an attitude; he wins a "minor" victory—always in preparation for the "big" fall, the iron-bound habit. (D. J. Kehl, "Sneaky Stimuli and How to Resist Them," Christianity Today, Jan. 31, 1975) Comment: One take home point from Kehl's comment is that we need to be very careful as men regarding our thought life. Remember, a "secret thought life" is not secret, for God knows. Furthermore, it is not harmless, because evil actions always proceed from evil thoughts. We may deceptively think, we can look and lust and as long as we don't touch, we are just fine, forgetting all the while that lust corrupts and sin kills. That is the lie of the Devil, the snare of our flesh and the lure of the evil world system. We cannot prevent the thoughts from coming into our mind. However we are not helpless. We need to learn the discipline of taking these thoughts captive before they "inseminate" and sin is brought forth and then death (see 2Co 10:5-note, Jas 1:14, 15-note). As In Martin Luther's said "You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair." Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny Keep (07368) (rahaq) conveys the primary meaning (in the Qal stem) of a person being positioned “far” from someone or something. Here Solomon paints a clear picture charging his son to put some distance between his senses and the sensual signals of a seductive siren! The Greek translation, the Septuagint (LXX), is even more emphatic, with the first word being "far away" or "far off" (makran) which describes something or someone being at a relatively great distance from something or someone! Literally the Septuagint reads something like this - "Far away keep (aorist imperative = a command to not hesitate. This is urgent!) from (apo = marker of dissociation) her" so that this is not a suggestion but a command and has two words (makran = far away and apo = dissociation) that speak of putting (or keeping) distance between a man and the potential adulteress! It reminds one of God's will for us as expressed by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians and specifically the picture of "putting some distance between us and porneia... For this is the will of God, your sanctification (word study); that is, that you abstain (more literally apechomai means to To hold oneself [middle voice conveys this reflexive intent = you initiate this action & participate in the results thereof] away from) from sexual immorality (word study on porneia; English = pornography) (see note 1Th 4:3) Comment: Paul's point amplifies that of Solomon -- A key step on the highway of holiness (cp Is 35:8) is abstinence from any and all sexual impropriety! Not only are young men (cp 2Ti 2:22-note; and old men! -- the expression "dirty old man"!) to stay far from a physical encounter with an adulteress, but also to stay far away from all sensual images of such seductive women (cp Ep 5:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 -notes; 1Th 5:22-note), whether this means not going to PG-13 movies (which in the 21st century have devolved to the base level of now routinely depicting relatively graphic sexual images or suggestive language heavily laden with sexual innuendo), not looking at the covers of the magazines placed near every grocery checkout stand (don't say this is going too far - read Jesus' serious warnings again - Mt 5:28, 29, 30 - see notes), not looking at sensual billboards as you are driving home, not looking at improperly dressed young ladies at church [keep your eyes straight ahead and do not let allow your glance to turn into a gaze, for the gaze will inevitably lead to a lustful thought - don't even go there!], not ogling the Victoria Secret commercials that come on even in prime, family time television (or when the camera pans to the sidelines, don't let your eyes fix on the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, whose outfits are far removed from the acceptable guidelines of Phil 4:8-note, cp Ps 101:3), not staying up late at night and secretly peeking (cp Pr 5:21, 15:3!) at scantily clad adulteresses on the internet (if you are addicted, then [1] confess it to God [1Jn 1:9] and then to a man you consider godly and who would be willing to hold you accountable [remember - Nu 32:23, Pr 28:13] and [2] get Covenant Eyes, which is not a filter, but a "monitor" which tracks and "grades" every site you visit and sends a report to your accountability partner. If you attempt to remove it from your computer, an email is sent immediately to your accountability partner and [3] learn to walk by the Spirit [Gal 5:16-note; Ro 8:13-note; Eph 5:18-note; 2Cor 10:3, 4, 5-note] and as you do you will be empowered to not carry out the desires of your flesh to gratify this addiction.) Let Proverbs 5:21, 22 [notes] motivate you to begin this liberating journey today, for as Jesus said "When the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" [Jn 8:36]. In other words, although the enemy of your soul accuses you and says you can never be free, God's only Son states emphatically and dogmatically that you can be free indeed. Do not go near - In case we missed Solomon's command, he rephrases the warning. Unfortunately, the naive youth did just the opposite (Pr 7:8, 9, 10). Why? Because he did not listen to the truth, but instead turned aside from truth and turned to deadly deception and lies (every deception has an element of a lie). Matthew Henry - Such tinder (Ed: Something very inflammable used for kindling fire from just a spark!) there is in the corrupt nature (Ed: flesh -- the evil disposition - still present even in believers and forever incorrigible!) that it is madness, upon any pretence whatsoever, to come near the sparks. If we thrust ourselves into temptation, we mocked God when we prayed, Lead us not into temptation (Mt 6:13 - see explanation). As Thomas Watson said "A wandering heart needs a watchful eye. (Ed: And a wandering heart will inevitably lead to wandering feet! cp warnings Pr 1:15, 7:7, 8, 9) Reminds me of "I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten (Hebrew verb for glue! Also used to translate "joined" in Ge 2:24) its grip on me." (Ps 101:3) Therefore... Watch (command in Lxx in present tense = only possible as we yield daily,continually to the control of the Holy Spirit!) over your heart with all diligence, (why is vigilance so critical?) for from it flow the springs of life. (Pr 4:23-Proverbs 4:23 Exposition) Compare Solomon's words in Proverbs 2... 10 For wisdom (Pr 5:1, 7:4) will enter your heart and knowledge (Pr 5:2) will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion (Pr 5:2) will guard you, understanding (Pr 7:4) will watch over you (Pr 6:22), (What is the purpose of wisdom, knowledge and discretion? Deliverance from the clutches of sin!) 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, from the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death and her tracks lead to the dead; (Pr 5:5, 23, 6:27, 7:23, 26, 27) 19 None who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life. Do not go near - Don't even go near to the threshold of the house of an adulteress. Or as some might say "Don't even pass near the shadow of her house!" In the next verse Solomon explains why we should be motivated to hear and heed his warnings.
Provérbios 5:1-14
Henry comments that... The arguments which Solomon here uses to enforce this caution are taken from the same topic with those before, the many mischiefs which attend this sin. [1.] It blasts the reputation. "Thou wilt give thy honour unto others (v. 9); thou wilt lose it thyself; thou wilt put into the hand of each of thy neighbours a stone to throw at thee, for they will all, with good reason, cry shame on thee, will despise thee, and trample on thee, as a foolish men." Whoredom is a sin that makes men contemptible and base, and no man of sense or virtue will care to keep company with one that keeps company with harlots. [2.] It wastes the time, gives the years, the years of youth, the flower of men's time, unto the cruel, "that base lust of thine, which with the utmost cruelty wars against the soul, that base harlot which pretends an affection for thee, but really hunts for the precious life." Those years that should be given to the honour of a gracious God are spent in the service of a cruel sin. George Lawson - Pr 5:9–11. A good name is better than precious ointment, but of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it. By it has the honour of thousands been irrecoverably lost. Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean persons part with every thing that renders life worthy of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the pursuit of this sin by the just vengeance of God, by its native consequences, or by the accidents to which it exposes those who practise it. And for what are these years given away? Did men generously part with their lives in the defence of their country, or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss would be amply compensated by honour, and by the pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are they who give their years unto the cruel, who conceal a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love! All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life, and every thing dear to us? These false friends and malicious enemies rob you of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you are deprived. Their real views, however, are directed to your money or estate, and why should men give away the fruits of their own labour and toil? or if they wish to be rid of them, why should strangers be filled with them, rather than friends? Some are so foolish, as to live in the lust of uncleanness, to save the necessary expences of a family. But observation, as well as Scripture, might convince them of their error. The followers of vice are often attacked by poverty, that comes upon them like an armed man; and how distressing is poverty to those who have indulged themselves in lewd courses, contracted insatiable desires after carnal pleasure, deprived themselves of their friends, and disqualified themselves for any business that might retrieve their circumstances, or supply their wants! Poverty is still more distressing when it is attended by weakness and disease, the natural consequences which Providence has annexed to those courses by which men dishonour God and themselves. When the body is tortured, and the spirits dejected by the loathsome distempers which sin brings in its train, their conscience, which was formerly trampled under foot, rises up and regains its power, and inflicts severe vengeance for the injuries it has received. Then, O profligate sinner! thou wilt mourn—(Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:10 And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; Strangers - Pr 6:35; Hosea 7:9; Luke 15:30 Strength - Pr 31:3 Strength (03581)(koach) refers to strength, power, force, ability and conveys the basic meaning of the ability to do something. For example, the strength of Samson (who fell prey to the wiles of a strange woman) was in his long hair (Jdg 16:5). Koach in some contexts can convey the special sense of one's property, in the sense that the results of one abilities and/or the manifestation of one's strength often led to prosperity and riches. Other uses of koach in Proverbs are Pr 14:4, 20:29. In context strength could refer to either one's ability in sense of one's power or could also refer to one's wealth. In a sense, both are adversely affected by sexual immorality. Your hard-earned goods - Solomon's emphasizes the inestimable "cost" of sexual immorality. Blackmail in these situations is not uncommon and can deplete you of your hard earned goods! As has been well said the most expensive thing in the world is sin. Proverbs 5:11 And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; Pr 7:23; Deut 32:29; Jer 5:31; Ro 6:21; Heb 13:4; Rev 21:8; 22:15 When - Nu 5:27; 1Co 5:4,5 THE HIGH PRICE OF INFIDELITY Groan (05098) (naham) refers to the roar of a lion (Pr 28:15), but in this context it describes a deep moan or mournful sound uttered out of pain, sorrow, anguish or grief, for not having heeded the warnings against sexual immorality and now for having to pay the price of the various losses. Next time you are tempted to gaze at a finely formed female with an attitude of lust, take that tempting thought captive (2Cor 10:3, 4, 5-see notes) and (enabled by divinely powerful weapons, including sufficient grace [Titus 2:11, 12 - note] and the Spirit of holiness, (cp Ro 8:13-note, Gal 5:16, 18, 25 - notes) replace that incendiary idea immediately with the thought that it will ultimately lead to deep groaning in light of the heavy cost. Why? Because it a promise that will be reaped "for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13:4-note) 'Gaming, Women and Wine, While they laugh, they make a man pine.' Naham - 5v - Usage: groan(2), growl(1), growls(1), roaring(1). Proverbs 5:11 And you groan (Lxx = metamelomai = feel remorse, regret in future tense = predicts fate of this behavior) at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear Is a wicked ruler over a poor people. Isaiah 5:29 Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it seizes the prey And carries it off with no one to deliver it. 30 And it will growl (Lxx = boao = cry aloud, shout)) over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds. Ezekiel 24:23 'Your turbans will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet. You will not mourn and you will not weep, but you will rot away in your iniquities and you will groan (Lxx = parakaleo - not sure of the sense of this usually positive word in this context) to one another. At your final end - At the end of your life. As you look back over the wasted years and ruined lives strewn across the landscape wrought by sexual immorality, you can only groan with the Septuagint (LXX) conveying the sense of having remorse or regret! Consumed (03615) (kalah) means to complete, accomplish. The Septuagint (LXX) translates this Hebrew word with a rare verb katatribo (kata = down or intensifies meaning of + tribo = rub, wear away, break in pieces) not even found in the NT (Only in Lxx -Deut 8:4; 29:4; Pr 5:11; Da 7:25) and literally means rubbed or pressed down (eg used of clothes that are worn out). In Proverbs 5:11, katatribo gives us the picture of a life which is worn out, consumed, exhausted, spent. It speaks of a life that has been squandered in the dregs of immorality. Little wonder this individual groans and regrets (next verse) William MacDonald is quite graphic (but not inaccurate) observing that "The end of such a life is punctuated with a protracted groan, as the body is racked with gonorrhea, syphilis, blindness, locomotor ataxia, AIDS, and emotional disturbances. (Believer's Bible Commentary) Mary Whitehouse was correct when she concluded that "What a man or woman does with his or her sexual energy will decide not only the quality of their own lives, but the kind of world in which they live." As Harold P. Wells said "sex involves the entire life and personality, and to misuse sex is to abuse oneself as well as one's partner. Proverbs 5:12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! Pr 1:7,22,29,30; 15:5; Psalms 50:17; 73:22; Zech 7:11, 12, 13, 14; Jn 3:19,20 My heart - Pr 1:25; 6:23; 12:1; 13:18; Ge 19:9; Ex 2:13,14; 2Chr 24:20, 21, 22; 25:16; 2Chr 33:10,11; 36:16; Je 44:4; Zech 1:4, 5, 6 Regret and remorse fill this man's memories for not having listened to Solomon's wise counsel in the area of sexual purity/impurity. Young man, young husband, father of four, elder, pastor, old man... imagine yourself for a moment in this man's position and let the Spirit of God burn the negative image into your cerebral cortex so that ever after you would rather die than fall into the pit of such moral decay and despondency! Hated instruction...spurned reproof - Indeed, spiritual hindsight often gives us "20/20" vision. May God grant us mercy and grace to have such clarity of spiritual vision prospectively by reading and heeding His instruction manual, the Bible. See word study on Discipline (instruction) (04148) musar John
Provérbios 5:1-14
Henry has a lengthy note on Pr 1:23: The precept is plain: Turn you at my reproof. We do not make a right use of the reproofs that are given us for that which is evil if we do not turn from it to that which is good; for for this end the reproof was given. Turn, that is, return to your right mind, turn to God, turn to your duty, turn and live. The promises are very encouraging. Those that love simplicity find themselves under a moral impotency to change their own mind and way; they cannot turn by any power of their own. To this God answers, "Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you; set yourselves to do what you can, and the grace of God (Titus 2:11, 12-note) shall set in with you, and work in you both to will and to do (Php 2:12, 13, cp Heb 13:20, 21) that good which, without that grace, you could not do.'' Help thyself, and God will help thee; stretch forth thy withered hand, and Christ will strengthen and heal it. {1.} The author of this grace is the Spirit, and that is promised: I will pour out my Spirit unto you, as oil, as water; you shall have the Spirit in abundance, rivers of living water, Jn 7:37, 38, 39, cp Jn 4:14. {2.} The means of this grace is the Word (Word of grace, Acts 20:32, 24, 14:3, cp Titus 2:11, 12-note, 1Th 2:13-note, 1Pe 2:2-note, 2Ti 3:16,17-note), which, if we take it aright, will turn us; it is therefore promised, "I will make known my words unto you, not only speak them to you, but make them known, give you to understand them.'' (cp Jn 14:21, 23) Note, Special grace is necessary to a sincere conversion. But that grace shall never be denied to any that honestly seek it and submit to it. Sadly Solomon records these words after the gracious offer of Pr 1:23 - Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my counsel, and did not want my reproof 26 I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you. 28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, 29 because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD (cp Job 1:1). 30 "They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof. 31 So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices. 32 For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them. 33 But he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil. (Pr 1:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33-see commentary) George Lawson - Pr 5:9–11. A good name is better than precious ointment, but of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it. By it has the honour of thousands been irrecoverably lost. Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean persons part with every thing that renders life worthy of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the pursuit of this sin by the just vengeance of God, by its native consequences, or by the accidents to which it exposes those who practise it. And for what are these years given away? Did men generously part with their lives in the defence of their country, or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss would be amply compensated by honour, and by the pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are they who give their years unto the cruel, who conceal a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love! All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life, and every thing dear to us? These false friends and malicious enemies rob you of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you are deprived. Their real views, however, are directed to your money or estate, and why should men give away the fruits of their own labour and toil? or if they wish to be rid of them, why should strangers be filled with them, rather than friends? Some are so foolish, as to live in the lust of uncleanness, to save the necessary expences of a family. But observation, as well as Scripture, might convince them of their error. The followers of vice are often attacked by poverty, that comes upon them like an armed man; and how distressing is poverty to those who have indulged themselves in lewd courses, contracted insatiable desires after carnal pleasure, deprived themselves of their friends, and disqualified themselves for any business that might retrieve their circumstances, or supply their wants! Poverty is still more distressing when it is attended by weakness and disease, the natural consequences which Providence has annexed to those courses by which men dishonour God and themselves. When the body is tortured, and the spirits dejected by the loathsome distempers which sin brings in its train, their conscience, which was formerly trampled under foot, rises up and regains its power, and inflicts severe vengeance for the injuries it has received. Then, O profligate sinner! thou wilt mourn— Pr 5:12–14. Religion has received many testimonies in its favour from enemies, whose hearts have at last forced them to curse the day when they were so mad, as to turn a deaf ear to its friendly voice. The word of God read and preached, is God’s appointed means of keeping or reclaiming men from sin, and in a Christian land the votaries of vice are rebels against the light. They are, to their own loss, fatally successful in fighting against that God who opposes their wickedness by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, written by prophets and apostles, and preached by the ministers of God. It is not in vain for ministers, and parents, and tutors, to use means for acquainting young persons with the Scripture, and imprinting it upon their hearts. The confession of profligates, when arrived at the end of their career, makes it evident, that if any thing would have proved effectual to preserve them from ruin, it would have been the instructions and reproofs of teachers. Such means have no doubt been the instruments of preserving many, and reclaiming some. The confession of the wretch tortured by his conscience, is not introduced by the inspired sage as the humble confession of a penitent, who looks for pardon through the merits of Christ. How greatly are they deluded who think that misery can produce true repentance, or that sorrow pressed out of the soul by distress of body and anguish of conscience, are signs of real grace! Persons may cry out of their folly, and warn others, and beg others to pray for them; and yet, like Simon Magus, remain all the while in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Sinners who will not comply with the calls of God, may now make them the object of their scorn; but at the latter end, when conscience shall preach with a voice louder than any minister, sorrow shall be their inevitable portion. Then, in the breasts of desperate sinners, despised admonitions shall burn like raging fire. Then shall multitudes of iniquities, once overlooked, present themselves like so many dismal apparitions to the eyes of the sinner, and make him a terror to himself. The pleasure derived from the present moment is nothing. Our enjoyment is derived from the recollection of the past, or from the prospect of what is to come. Sensualists cannot flatter themselves so grossly, as to fetch any pleasure from that part of life which they have already spent, but their hopes are ever on the wing to seize on anticipated pleasure. It frequently happens, that when their course is run, and hope can no longer be indulged, their attention is forced back on the scenes of life, through which they have already passed. When in this manner they are brought to recollect the numberless sins, to the commission of which their various dispositions have led them, and to forebode the punishments that await them, their souls are convulsed with remorse, and horror takes full possession of them: “Wretched creatures that we are! Our impetuous passions have hurried us into all wickednesses, those only excepted which our powers were too feeble and narrow to add to the rest. Would to God we had been brutes, or could yet have our portion with them, to be turned for ever into earth and rottenness! O that we had been heathens, and had never heard the gospel of Christ, and the law of the Most Holy! Our abominable iniquities are dreadfully aggravated by the opportunities we have had of being present in the assemblies of Zion, and receiving the instructions and reproofs of life. Instead of deriving benefit from the ordinances of God’s worship and the communion of saints, we have exposed ourselves to the reproach of the whole assembly of the pious. By our example we have grieved some, and caused others to stumble. Our hell must be heated seven times more than the hell of heathens!” The words in the 14th verse may be translated, In a moment I am in all evil, &c. ‘I am suddenly punished with all the plagues threatened by the ministers of God, and made a spectacle of misery and horror to the whole congregation.’ It is an aggravation of that misery which is the fruit of a man’s own ways, when publicity is one of its attendant circumstances*. They who will not believe the threatenings of God shall feel them. There are no free-thinkers in hell, and but few on a death-bed. How happy are they who are preserved by the grace of God from laying up treasures of wrath against the last days, and planting thorns to line their death-bed pillows! To avoid uncleanness, let every man have his own wife, and let him love her as himself. This remedy against such a vice Solomon illustrates in a beautiful allegory. (Lawson's Exposition of Proverbs - Spurgeon said "A thoroughly sound and useful commentary. Lawson wrote popularly and vigorously.") Proverbs 5:13 "I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors! Luke 15:18; 1Th 4:8; 5:12,13; Heb 13:7 In context (Pr 5:12, 13), Solomon pictures the victim of his own insatiable cravings for sexual gratification expressing the grief of regret and remorse (cp 2Co 7:10 which contrast godly sorrow that leads to true repentance), even reproaching himself for not have listened to those who warned him to repent from his "sexual insanity". This reminds me of the radical contrast between real repentance and simple remorse - "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2Cor 7:10) Proverbs 5:14 "I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation ." Pr 13:20; Nu 25:1-6; Hosea 4:11, 12, 13, 14; 1Co 10:6, 7, 8; 2Pe 2:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18; Jude 1:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Utter (03605) (kol) means all, every, everything. It depicts the entirety of something, in this case the entirety of one's ruin! Woe! Ruin (07451) (raah) describes evil with varying shades of meaning. Utter ruin - This is another potential consequence of sexual immorality if one does not repent. Ryrie feels that "The adulterer nearly lost his life as punishment for his sin (cf. Deut. 22:22)." In the midst of the assembly - Solomon warns of the possibility that the man guilty of sexual immorality may experience public disgrace. Pastors, elders, church leaders, men of godly reputation are at great risk of sexual immorality. The Puritan Richard Baxter writes... Take heed to yourselves, because the tempter will more ply you with his temptations than other men. If you will be the leaders against the prince of darkness, he will spare you no further than God restraineth him... As wise and learned as you are, take heed to yourselves, lest he outwit you. The devil is a greater scholar than you, and a nimbler disputant... Take heed to yourselves, because there are many eyes upon you, and there will be many to observe your falls. (Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, reprinted, 1974. First published, 1656) Comment: Read the sad saga of Pastor Steven Cole's ministerial friend name "Bob" - click here.