The Value of Advice, The Folly of Fools, The Cost of Adultery

(Encouraged reading: Proverbs 6)

v. 1-5, 16-23 The Value of Advice

     Throughout Proverbs we are told of the importance of heeding wise counsel from our parents, friends, and God. Solomon wrote the book as a resource for his own son. He beckons his son to listen and to beware of what he commits to. He teaches the importance of humility and knowing what God hates, such understanding helps us to know what is honorable and what should be avoided.

v. 6-15, 30-31 The Folly of Fools

     Lazy persons, wicked men, and thieves have one motive: self. The lazy man likes to do nothing, the wicked man does whatever perversity he wishes, and the thief steals to satisfy himself. Additionally, we live in a society that promotes self-gratification. But happiness from such living doesn’t last, and cultivating a lifestyle like this won’t satisfy. Poverty and famine come to the sluggard, the wicked will fall into calamity, and the thief will be caught. The world fails to tell the cost of living for yourself.

v. 24-29, 32-35 The Cost of Adultery

     Solomon again cries out for men to avoid the harlot and seductress, he says: “Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” Whether or not anyone on earth knows what you did, you will live with it. Like Hester in The Scarlett Letter, the letter “A” was not merely sown on her dress but seared on her heart. He also beckons women to abstain from adultery warning them that the wrath of their husband will not be quenched. Unfaithfulness and sexual immorality can be a struggle for both men and women.

Application:

     Sin breeds people who only care about themselves; our culture adds to selfishness by promoting such thinking. A secular worldview cultivates a society of fools who lack the desire to listen to wisdom and heed wise counsel. In what ways have we allowed the world’s warped thinking to infiltrate our minds?

Prayer:

     Lord, help us to love what you love and hate what you hate. In a world that tells us to do what we want; may we desire only what You have for us.