Encouragement, Enticement, Exhortation

(Encouraged reading: Proverbs 7)

v. 1-5 Encouragement

     Solomon encourages his son to keep wisdom close as a treasure, the apple of his eye (the thing at the center), or a relative. He says write it on the “tablet of your heart”. He knows purposing to live this way will keep his son from the seductress.

v. 6-23 Enticement

     The seductress’ cry is familiar; she tempts and entices men to go with her. They go without knowing they go to their death. But consider her character: crafty, loud, rebellious, wanderer, lurker, impudent, unfaithful, enticer, murderer. At heart she is utterly deceptive; she presents herself one way, but in reality, she is the complete opposite. She’s mastered craftiness by practicing it often. She ruins what is good to satisfy her own passions. Death is where she resides.

v. 24-27 Exhortation

     Solomon urges his children to listen and pay attention so that they will not turn aside from what is good and follow in that woman’s steps. The ending is a hard truth; “And all who were slain by her were strong men” (v. 26).

Application:

     This chapter is hard to digest but necessary, for how many men and women do we know who seemed like pillars but willfully chose to indulge in their flesh and gave place to such devastation. It is sad to see any person, let alone a Christian, give into lust and sin because they feel that it is earned or justified; “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

     We must all be aware of our struggles and tendencies and hand them over to God. Sin doesn’t just start with one jump into the deep end, usually it is a gradual progression. There usually are a few temperature tests before we immerse ourselves fully into the water. Remember, the man’s doom began by simply passing the street near the seductress’ corner.

Prayer:

     Lord, give us a sensitivity to areas in our life where we tend to stray, those times we like to straddle the fence, when we believe we have no choice but to give in one more time. Help us to value Your wisdom, for in doing that we will love You, Your ways, and Your thoughts.