Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.  Proverbs 12:22

God does not like lips that lie.  That might be because the ultimate adversary He has is called a liar and the father of lies.  It also might be because God speaks truth without any mixture of error any time He speaks.  God is absolutely opposed to lying, liars, and any form of deception.  He says in this proverb that he sees lying as an abominable act.  The devil believed and held to, and eventually stated a lie when he fell from heaven.  Since that time the adversary of God and our souls has attempted to build his own kingdom, one based upon lies and deceit.  These lies oppose God and all that He is.  That is why God finds ALL lying abominable.  Every lie is a damning thing, for it was the lie that brought our condemnation, and it is a lie that condemns anew every moment of every day.  Embrace a lie and you are embracing the devil and his program to bring you into the judgment of God.

God delights in the faithful.  It is because of God's faithfulness that we are saved.  It is because of how God held to the truth, even when it meant having to condemn His own Son for becoming the sin-bearer for mankind.  Being a faithful one means holding fast to God's truth, which is THE truth.  God delights in those who deal faithfully, because they are embracing His own character.  Think about it for a moment.  The devil lies to us wanting to get us to believe his lies so that we turn from God and His Word.  We trust the devil because he promises us happiness and pleasure.  The problem is that in the end his promises don't include the "fine print" of the judgment that awaits - along with the heartbreak and death that always come with sin.  Godly, wise men deal faithfully because they know God's truth and they carry within them God's character in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore they live for the truth as well as live it out daily. 

Wisdom is living out the truth.  It is being faithful to God.  It is speaking faithful promises.  And ultimately it is sharing the ultimate faithfulness of God shown to us in the gospel.  This is the life in which God delights.  Wisdom is loving that life, living that life, and being an example of His faithfulness.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. Proverbs 12:20

What are you doing as you walk through life? Are you among those who are plotting evil or with the ones who are promoting peace. Today's proverb shows the contrast between these two things.

First we see those who are plotting evil. What is interesting about this is many who would fall into this category would not agree that they are plotting anything. Yet - because they choose to reject God's Word as truth - and instead make up an argument for their own truth - they are indeed plotting the demise of those with whom they speak. On the day of judgment they will learn the awful truth that their deceitful speaking misled many to where they now stand in the same judgment they do.

Our proverb describes the heart condition of those who devise evil. Their hearts are said to be filled with deceit. The word here is mirmah. It means to intentionally mislead someone by either distorting the truth or withholding the truth from them. The fact stands in all of history that God's Word IS truth. That eternal fact will never change. But there are those who do not acknowledge that God's Word is truth. They hold to another "truth" which is nothing more than error. Because they hold fast to their version of truth - they now hold fast to lies. This means that as they spread them - they are misleading others as to what is truth. They are also intentionally withholding from their students the truth of God's Word. This is deceitful - since truth is readily available to anyone who will read the Word of God with an open mind and heart. What is truly fascinating is the word used for the evil that these people devise. The word for "devise" used here means to plow or till the soil. Hosea uses this same metaphor when he speaks of how Israel was "plowing wickedness" and reaping God's justice as a reward for what they had sown (see Hosea 10:13). The so-called truth of the ones who deny Scripture - is nothing more than a falsehood and lie that is deeply tilled into the hearts of those who are their students. This plowing with falsehood and evil will one day reap a harvest of judgment if God does not intervene. They are simply plowing evil into the hearts of men - and that plowing will one day reap the wrath of God.

The godly man or woman is one who is a "counsellor of peace." These are the ones who bring the truth from the Word of God and present it to men. They bring the gospel to those who realize that they are facing a dire future in their sins. To be a counsellor of peace is to be a man or woman who presents Christ to the lost. There is no peace for the wicked - but for those who humble themselves - there is great joy and peace. May God make each one of us a counsellor of peace - and an individual who works alonside the prince of peace so that the ultimate message of God's peace, the gospel, may be understood - received - and the cause of great joy to those who hear it with faith.

Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is only for a moment.   Proverbs 12:19

Here is a proverb that seeks to teach us that it is not only better to speak truth than lies, but it is also far more permanent as well.  Truth will stand forever.  When we speak the truth we are speaking something that is not just true for that moment.  Truth is truth no matter what the time frame or generation.  

Here is something we desperately need to grasp in our current arrogance.  Philosophers of the day hold that there is such a thing as truth for a generation - or for a person.  That is nothing more than falsehood.  Truth stands as truth no matter the time in which it is spoken.  To have truth that is only truth for a time - or a generation - or a nationality - or an individual person is to state that in the end, there is no truth at all.  If truth is changing due to the circumstances of the ages or the whims of the populace - it is not truth but rather is the preference of the moment, season, or century.  

Truth by its very epistemological nature is always truth.  Men do not know this because they reject God - Who alone can speak from Himself eternal truth, which we know in our world as absolute truth.  He can speak such things because He is eternal.  He is all places at all times, and knows all things everywhere at once.  Can we truth any other one to speak with such knowledge and experience?  There is none.

Truthful lips will be established forever.  Although there is not truth that is applicable to only a single generation, people, or individual, there is the ability to speak truth in the midst of a generation - to a specific people - or even to an individual.  When we do this - God will establish our "truthful lips" forever.  Many have spoken and written expounding upon God's truth - and have blessed their generation.  For those who have been preserved in print - they can bless multiple generations.  God will establish their words for they submit to His.  Remember this if you want to speak in a way that will be blessed forever.  Speak according to His Word and He will establish yours.

There is another speaker - one who speaks lies.  That lying tongue will only be for the moment.  I think of all the books written, all the articles penned and typed, all the scripts that were authored, and all the plays, movies, and television shows that were ever produced.  The ones that reject God and a biblical worldview are legion.  In the moment in which they are written, men fawn over their authors - and have even developed sychophantic award shows during which they pat one another on the backs for their achievements.  Too often we bow at the feet of those with an Pulitzer, an Oscar, a Tony, or some other form of self-congratulating award as if they deserve to be heard and heralded.  Yet if their words do not agree with those of God - they will pass as so much more dust to dust.  Their lying words that do not give glory to God will not be remembered past the annals of this earth.  They will fade into oblivion as their authors, who decided that they did not need a Savior or the absolute truth of the gospel, spend eternity in endless flame and horror.  

In every generation the wind of heaven blows and the grass fades.  Every century has watched the flower fall to the ground and the glory of man buried under another civilization.  Yet in the midst of all the years there is one thing that has never changed and will never change in a thousand more generations.  The Word of our God stands forever.  We are to speak according to a Word that will not pass away.  We should state those things that will last forever.  May God deliver us from lying lips - and instead grant to us faithful and truthful lips that delight in speaking His Word.  Such lips as these will last forever - not because of their own worth - but because of the infinite worth of the Word that they speak.

He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.  Proverbs 12:17

Today's proverb has a picture to paint for us about being a person who speaks truth and what is right, or a person who is deceitful and untrustworthy in what they say.  The picture that is painted for us is framed by the Hebrew word used for "speaking" that is mentioned first in this verse.  The word used here is the Hebrew word "puah" which means to breathe.  It refers to how we breathe out.  This is a word used in a poetic way in the Old Testament.  In the Song of Solomon it speaks of the day breathing.  This refers to how the shadows of morning flee at the appearance of the sun.  Here in Proverbs 12:17 it refers to the way that we speak - but not just in a specific situation.  It refers to our lifestyle - or - what kind of things come out of our mouths in every situation in life.  Of course what we see in the rest of the proverb is that we either speak truth or deceit. 

There are those who speak truth and what is right.  "Truth" is the word "emunah" which refers to something true and faithful.  The primary thing being communicated with this word is faithfulness.  Through the rest of the Bible the word speaks of character - God's in Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 33:4, 100:5, and 119:90 - and that of people in 2 Chronicles 19:9, Proverbs 12:22, and 28:20.  When someone is speaking truth - they are being faithful in what they say.  The whole proverb says that they are speaking faithfully - and what they speak is finally defined as "what is right."  What does all this mean in the end?  The faithful man or woman declares what is right.  The word for right is "tsedeq" which is the word that speaks of righteousness - or right by God's standard.  It is an ethical word that referred to God's justice and righteousness as represented by the Law of Moses - and by the reaffirmation of God's Word by the prophets.  Here, though, is how this works out for you and me in the 21st century. 

Situational ethics unfortunately rules the day in our world.  Everything is negotiable.  There is no absolute truth - except what you yourself are comfortable in holding - and even that only applies to yourself (except when you are uncomfortable with your own standards - and then you can change those too).  What is left is a society founded upon shifting sands.  But as the people of God - the people saved by His grace - we will stand out like brightly painted, fully lit up sore thumbs!  We are those who regardless of public opinion - hold faithfully to God's Word as our source of truth and what is right.  We not only believe this in our thinking - we also faithfully speak it out of our mouths.  In the midst of a world where the winds of change and compromise drive the public conscience wherever they blow - we are a biblical breath of fresh air when we speak.  To some we will be a breath of death - but to those who are being saved - it will be a breath of life to life. 

At this point I am going to say some things that will most likely offend people - yet they need to be said.  Too often a statement is made like the one above - and yet people will interpret it according to their "situational ethic" mindset.  Thus what is right once again is mired in personal opinion.  A faithful truth-teller will speak up when it comes to biblical ethics and righteousness.  That means that they will speak up about biblical sexuality.  Biblical sexuality is abstinence before heterosexual marriage - followed by faithfulness to one spouse in that heterosexual marriage until death parts them.  Thus a faithful truth-teller will oppose heterosexual immorality and homosexuality, as well as their off-shoots living together outside of marriage and homosexual marriage.  A faithful truth-teller will state that abortion is wrong - in all cases.  A faithful truth-teller will openly stand for racial harmony - and will view racism as evil and sinful.  A faithful truth-teller will state that we are to oppose greed and selfishness by giving to the poor - but will also say that providing for able bodied people who can work is wrong.  Everywhere God's Word makes an statement of ethical morals - the faithful truth-teller will stand - and will speak it.  And . . . just in case a person decides to speak the truth - but not speak it in love - the faithful truth-teller will remind them that the spirit in which you say something (i.e. not like a jerk - and with grace and mercy - yet saying what is true even if the truth itself is offensive) is as important as the truth itself. 

There is a second kind of wind that blows from the words that people speak.  It is the false witness who speaks deceit.  The false witness is the one who speaks lies and vanity.  The word is used of those who were false witnesses in a trial - who lied on the stand.  It refers to a person who says vain things and lives their life in vain.  There is little or no other purpose to their existance than to live for themselves and love themselves.  Their deciet is an intentional misleading of others by either distorting or withholding the truth from them.  Their deceit is evidenced by the fact that there IS absolute truth - but they will not state it or hold to it.  As offensive as some will take this - the false witness is the one who does not speak according to the ethical and moral standards held by God's Law and the entirety of Scripture.  There IS a right and wrong!  God gives it to us by His divine authority - and has revealed it to us in the Scriptures.  Not holding to this - or trying to twist it in any way - is being a false witness. 

When it comes to your words - what kind of breath flows from you throughout your day?  Are you one who breathes forth deceit.  Please understand that in our culture this person is the norm.  They breathe forth the lies of our immoral and biblically unethical society.  We hear them every day on the news - in our entertainment - everywhere.  You and I are to be a breath of fresh air.  They may not see it as fresh because they have been breathing in the sulfuric lies of the pit for a lifetime.  But to speak lovingly and biblically is to speak fresh, life-giving air to those all around you.  Speak the truth.  Speak faithfully.  Speak life-giving, fresh air to all with whom you come into contact!  Be a faithful truth-teller!

He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.  Proverbs 10:18

One might think on the first reading of this proverb that God is encouraging those who have hatred to let their mouths voice it openly.  But you need to remember that many of the proverbs start with a basic statement - and then that statement is explained with an added comment that further defines it.  That is the way to understand the proverbs.  If we do not read them this way - it is easy to grab a partial proverb and make it say something it was never meant to say.

What we have here is a proverb about hidden hatred later escaping through slander.  The first part of this proverb speaks of one who is concealing their hatred by saying things they do not believe.  An example of this is someone who says nice things or supportive things of someone when they are around that person.  Inwardly they despise this person - but they do not allow their hatred to be expressed when around them.  But do not be deceived by their lying lips - because deep within them they are churning with a hatred that will surface in time.

Their hatred surfaces in what is said in the second part of this proverb.  They begin to spread slander.  They will not speak openly about their hatred of a person, a viewpoint, a decision, etc.  But later they will begin a slander campaign to express their hatred.  Put very plainly - they won't tell someone openly they hate them - but in private and with others they will let their hatred fly by slandering them often. 

The one who does this is a fool.  The Scriptures says that it is better to openly rebuke someone than to secretly slander them.  If there is a biblical issue that needs to be addressed, then address it privately with the person.  If there is a view that needs to be opposed - then oppose it where a debate of ideas can be had.  If there is a decision that is wrong - then openly state that it is wrong.  To allow a hatred to build up in our hearts is not just foolish - it is dangerous.  In time it will surface in slanderous gossip.  We WILL eventually have our hatred come out - and when it does - it will not be pretty. 

You may not like someone who openly confronts you - who rebukes and questions a view you have taken - or who disagrees with you publically.  But one thing is for sure.  You have far more respect for someone who does this, then for someone who speaks open words of support - but follows them up with slanderous gossip when you are no longer around.  Such a man is a fool - and his actions will come back to roost eventually.  Speak the truth in love - and if you disagree with someone and do not feel God wants you to speak out - then love them by interceding for them.  Hatred, gossip, and slander has NEVER helped any situation where it was used.  It has only made for fools and for deep hurt by those who have been injured by it.

Do  not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:31-32

Ours is a society that is enamored with violence.  We glorify it daily in our entertainment mediums - movies, television, magazines, books, and newspapers.  It is interesting that we also try to sit in judgment on cultures like Rome, saying that they were barbaric in their gladiator games and other forms of public violence.  Yet, if we were to look at what we do and how we consume it - there is little difference in our two cultures. 

God says not to envy a man of violence or to choose any of his ways.  The word for violence is very telling in this passage.  It is the word "hamas" in the Hebrew - and it means to do violence or wrong.  The word implies not just violence - but also cruelty, damage, and injustice as well.  We are to stay away from people who are like this - who are violent - and whose violence is manifested in being cruel, unjust, and in doing damage to that which belongs to others.

The reason some might "envy" this violent man is because of the gain that it brings him in the short term.  Think about the people who in history have gained money, influence, and power because of their violence.  Many of the world's most heinous dictators used violence to their advantage.  But Scripture tells us not to choose ANY of the violent man's ways.  This is because everything these men do is tainted by their violence.  This is why I've included verse 32 with verse 31.  There is another reason to reject the ways of the violent man - which is shown to us in verse 32.

The violent are also "devious."  The word devious here is the Hebrew word "luz" which means to be crooked or perverse.  God is telling us here that when a man is a violent man - he will also be a perverse or crooked man as well.  The idea behind this word is that being crooked and perverse is what a person is trusting in - as a way of walking through life.  This word is used in Scripture to describe those who are wicked, perverse, and who reject God.  They reject His ways - things like righteousness and truth - and choose instead to twist the truth to their advantage. 

When someone wants to trust devious and violent ways - they do not have a heart to seek God - or to learn from His Word.  They do not want to walk with Him.  That is why God says that these devious ones are an abomination to Him.  This is because they utterly reject Him and His ways.  We should also note the word, "for" that begins verse 32.  This links what is said here to the previous verse.  The devious are the violent ones - and the violent ones are those who function with a devious and God-rejecting mindset.  They choose violence and deceit because they do not want to trust God with their plans and purposes.  Since they do not have God's power at their disposal, they have to trust their own thinking (which is fatally flawed due to sin) and their own power. 

The last thing said in this verse is that God is "intimate" with the upright.  What a wonderful thought this is for us - that God is intimate with us when we walk in His ways and choose His paths.  The word "intimate" here actually means intimate counsel - and has the idea of being brought into a kind of inner circle where God shares His wisdom with us.  So God is promising us that if we reject the violence and deceit of this present world's ways - that God will bring us into the inner circle with Himself for the purpose of teaching us. 

This particular proverb is one we should consider - especially when we consider the way our current society is so enamoured with violence.  We see it in just about every form of entertainment we consume daily.  When there is not violence in a movie or television show - it is almost completely ignored.  We are inundated with violence - and the tendency is for this violence to more and more graphic in nature.  This is happening at a time when we are watching a corresponding decline in our desire for intimacy with God.  Is this just a coincidence - or - is it exactly what God is trying to get us to see in this proverb?    The more we embrace violence - the more we will embrace deception and a rejection of God and His ways.  The more we embrace violence - the less we will embrace God Himself - and with this we will also place a lesser value on the counsel of His Word.  May God bring to us a return to Him and a corresponding turn from loving violence.  Remember Jesus' name is the prince of peace - and His Word tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  (Matthew 5:9, NASB)

He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined. Proverbs 10:10

At first look this proverb seems to make two statements that do not match one another - but actually both parts of this proverb speak to the same thing - hypocrisy.  One speaks of hypocrisy with the actions - while the other speaks of it with words.

When someone winks the eye - it means that they are sending a sign with their eyes that betrays the words or actions that they are about to say or do.  The wink is not for everyone - but only for those they desire to be in the know about the coming hypocrisy of their statement or their action.  The person to whom their words are said is kept in the dark.  It is almost as if the hypocrite is saying to the person, "Watch what I do to this fool.  You will find that what I am about to do is funny or clever."  When you have a "winker" you basically have someone you cannot trust.  If they lied to this person - they can lie to you.  If they are seeking to deceive this person - they will deceive you.  We are told that the "winker" does what he does to cause trouble.  He winks at you - but he only does so to make you an accessory to the crime.  Now that you are in the know - you too are aware of the hypocrisy - and your job now is to laugh behind the scenes - but to help maintain the hypocrisy by your silence and complicity. 

We read in the second part of this proveb that the "babbling fool will be ruined."  The "winker" is the "babbling fool."  They are one in the same.  The babbling fool deceives with his mouth - the "winker" with his eyes.  But in the end, both of them are fools because they are walking in deception.  They have no good in their desires for the one they try to deceive.  And like all those who babble as fools - the day will come when their duplicity will be exposed.  On that day they will be thrust down - humbled and that with severity. 

When someone winks at you - and does so to cover an malicious action or unkind thoughts and words toward someone who is not initiated into the mess, we should reject their invitation to enter into the hypocrisy.  As an example we have Judas who did not reject the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Saducees.  He chose to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver - and promised to betray Jesus openly.  The sad end of that story is that Judas did sell Jesus out for the price of a slave.  He did so as He maliciously winked - or as was the case in his betrayal - he kissed Jesus on the cheek.  There was no love or fellowship in that welcome - only open betrayal.  That is why we need to be men and women of truth - and reject the call to enter into other's treachery when winked at and encouraged to betray others.

For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain.  Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.  Proverbs 7:26-27

Today we come to the end of our look at overcoming sexual temptation in chapter 7 of Proverbs.  It ends with the father warning his sons one last time of the extreme dangers of the strange woman - the prostitute - the adulteress.  Just a note to dads out there.  This is the third time a warning has been issued to his sons by this father in as short as 18-20 verses.

First he refers to her victims as the mortally wounded.  Many, he says, are the mortally wounded that she has cast down.  The word victim here refers to those who have been mortally wounded in battle.  The world would have us view casual sex as something pleasurable alone - the Word tells us that it is something far more deadly.  It is part of the war to destroy men and women's souls.  When they depart from the Scriptures - they find themselves wounded badly - mortally by it.  It probably should be noted here that this primarily refers to a man committing adultery with this woman.  Although any sexual sin is deadly, the sin of adultery is more damaging in the end.  Most often it ends a marriage - and blows a family apart.  Those who have been through a divorce and a divided family know very well the damage such actions cause in the home.  But this is only one way that sexual immorality is dangerous.  There is also the specter of sexually transmitted diseases.  Consider the multiple stories of men who entered into adulterous affairs - only to find out later that they had not only contracted AIDS themselves, but they had passed their disease on to their innocent wives as well.  In this case death is brought to an entire household.  There are currently over 30 different sexually transmitted diseases that cannot be cured.  Do we really want to swim in the cesspool of the world of ungodly, immoral women and men with the state of our collective societal health in such disarray?

But there are worse things than just the diseases that come from sexual immorality.  There are the victims in the families - wives, children, and parents with broken hearts.  Testimonies that have been destroyed lie fallen and trampled by the effects of actions taken in the moment of unthinking, foolish passion.  The adulterous woman has seen numerous ones "cast down" in this way - and numerous slain because of the problems that have arisen in the end from the disease, the anger - even double murders due to one partner being so distraught that they first kill their spouse - and in remorse for their death - take their own lives.  All of them lie slain due to the horrific effects of sexual sin.

last thing this man says about sexual sin and the place the adulterous woman takes men - is that there is an address where she lives.  We are not talking about the physical address - wherever that is on the earth.  We are speaking of the ultimate address - Death.  Her house is the way to Sheol - the place of the dead.  It is a house that is a descent into chambers of death itself.  The word "chamber" here means a parlor or a room.  It is not a special word - but when it is further described by the father - it takes on a very ominous sense.  The chambers of death. 

I am not usually a fan of some of the modern paraphrases of the Bible - but here both the "Message" and the "Living Bible" are paraphrased in such a way that they almost make goosebumps rise on my arms.  Let me quote what they say about this last verse so you can read them and see a picture in your heads. 

The Message says in verse 27, "She runs a halfway house to hell, fits you out with a shroud and a coffin."  That is pretty expressive isn't it.  She promises pleasure and sexual fulfillment - but actually she is just a pit stop on the way to hell.  You think she is undressing you for a night of passion like no other, but actually she is just getting ready to outfit you with a death shroud and a coffin. 

The Living Bible states verse 27 this way, "If you want to find the road to hell, look for her house."  Can you imagine a road sign that does say "Main Street," or "Fifth Avenue," but rather - "Road to Hell."  Would you ever even want to be near that street - that pathway?  That is what the wise father tries to do for his son.  He seeks to paint such gruesome pictures - he may even tell true stories of the horrors of sexually transmitted diseases - of homes crushed and destroyed - of lives that crumbled - all for the purpose of warning his sons.  These are not just ways of graphically describing something - they are promises from God - warning signs for us along the road to sexual immorality and adultery.  Ignoring them is just as stupid as ignoring a bridge out sign.  May God give us first the wisdom to heed His word for our own lives - and then may He also fill us with the wisdom and the Spirit to warn our sons in a way that engraves the truth about such things deep in their minds - reaching even to the innermost parts of their hearts and spirits.

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth.  Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths.   Proverbs 7:24-25

After giving a graphic description of the way a man falls into the trap of the harlot, the Holy Spirit gives a conclusion.  God begins by having the father call for his sons to listen and pay attention.  Here is a huge problem - and one I understand.  Most people know the thing they should do about temptations to commit adultery or to visit a prostitute.  The problem is not knowing - it is listening when someone is warning them.  Very few of the sins of which I've been guilty were committed because I did not know the morally proper thing to do.  They were committed because I was not listening to the warnings of the Holy Spirit as I was being tempted.  They were committed because I ignored godly counsel that had been given to me. 

The wise father reiterates the truth to his sons again and again.  He doesn't just talk to them or lecture them - he calls them to listen as he speaks.  The word "listen" here does not mean just having the biological functions of the ear working properly.  The word means to listen so as to comprehend, to discern, to give earnest heed, to be diligent in obeying what is said.  The wise, godly father knows about distractions.  That is why he calls his son to listen diligently with a view to discerning obedience that flows from fully comprehending what he has said to his son.  The second phrase he uses here as he speaks is this, "pay attention."  This phase means to listen and pay attention so as to give heed and to obey what is said.  Dads, be careful to gain not just your son's ears - but to aim directly for their heart. 

The first thing that is said to the son is that he does not need to turn aside to her ways in his heart.  There is the first problem when it comes to men who get caught up in sexual immorality and adultery.  Their hearts are the first thing to go.  This manifests itself first in seeing their hearts no longer being given to the Lord.  In the third chapter of Revelation Jesus says to the church that they've lost their first love - that love that draws them to the Lord and has them belong to Him more than anything else.

I've seen this before in young people - old people - anyone who finds themselves drawn away to sexual sin.  They start when they no longer have that passion for Christ.  They turn to someone other than the Lord - looking for satisfaction - for something to fill their emptiness.  They find that the Lord is not enough - and that they will actually find what they need in someone else.  That is how a man allows himself to "turn his heart" to her ways.  When his heart is gone - there is a real serious danger - because at that point he probably won't listen.  It isn't too much to say - he can't listen - because his heart controls what his ears will listen to in life. 

Once he has strayed in his heart from the Lord - and into her ways - then he begins to stray into her paths.  He begins walking without the normal cautions that he would have naturally.  But worse than this is the fact that he is walking without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  He is grieving the Holy Spirit so his warnings are no longer being heeded.  This is a very dangerous place to be.  When he does stray into her paths - there will not be the protection that he normally has.  Thus - it will be that much easier to fall into sin.

Wise fathers want to speak to their sons about these things.  They want to not just fill their ears with lecture after lecture.  The godly father wants to gain access to his son's heart.  He wants to lay the protections and the guard rails there.  That way his sons know that the battle is for their minds first - and for the hearts most.  I am not opposed at all to doing exactly what this father does - and that is tell a cautionary tale to his son - filled with truth - and with the consequences of not guarding their hearts against the wiles of the strange, adulterous, sexually forward woman.  Share even frightening details of what the possibilities are when they sin sexually.  You are not using fear when you do - but you are using wisdom and truth.  These are the allies that are needed to win the war against sexual temptation.

Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:22-23

For the past several days we've been looking at how to overcome sexual temptation through the example of a fool who did not.  Today we come to the sad choice that this man makes to enter into adultery - and the terrifying way that it is described.  Just a point of reference first though to remind us of the context of this passage.  This is a father warning his son of these things - and doing so through a story of a man who did not walk in wisdom when it came to his sexuality.  Dads . . . I know I am talking to you a lot in these posts - but it is only because your role as a father is absolutely critical.  Please talk to your sons - and do so in an honest and straight forward way as this father does.  Don't succomb to passivity in this role - because I can promise you that the world is not being passive in the way it is trying to deceive your sons in to the opposite choices for sexual immorality.

Suddenly seems such a strange word here - because we've watched this man act foolishly for quite a while now.  But suddenly does describe the way men enter into the act of adultery.  There is something intrinsic that resists adultery and sexual immorality in us.  God has drawn a line in our spirits and souls - and it is one that we have to consciously cross to sin in this way.  There is resistance all along the way - but when we push against those inner barriers - they give all at once.  The choice to do this is a kind of all at once moment in our lives.  We push and ignore the barrier - until it breaks . . . all at once.  Then we follow our lusts into far more dangerous territory. 

Note here that he follows her.  Men, that is not the way that this is supposed to work.  God calls us to lead women, not follow them.  But far too often men are passive and allow women to lead them.  Here, we watch a man ignore his vows, ignore the warnings of the Holy Spirit, ignore the intrinsic barriers to this sin - and follow a woman - into a sexual tryst.  Unfortunately too many men have done just this - follow a strange woman sexually into sin.  They are not leading in any way spiritually - they just follow where sin points them.  But what is truly terrifying here is the picture that is painted for us of just where she is leading him.  All along this passage seems to be building to a sex scene of monumental proportions.  The flesh salaciously is waiting for the sordid description of the act itself - yet none will be given here.  Instead we read that what this fool is doing is compared to an ox going to the slaughter.  It is like waking up from a great dream suddenly gone bad.  This is not a pleasure palace - but a poisoned pit!  The is not ecstasy - it is the end!  The ox is going to have his throat slit - be grabbed by the feet or impaled by a hook - and is going to hang thrashing until his death by bleeding out.  What a picture of what a few minutes of forbidden pleasure has in store for us. 

There are more pictures for us to have forever etched into our hearts about sexual sin.  The second is that he is going to the discipline of a fool in fetters.  The world lies to us telling us that when we give ourselves over to our fleshly desires we will be free - free from the fetters of a God who does not want us to experience pleasure.  The truth is that the freedom is in marriage - with our wives.  The bondage is in sexual immorality.  The fool is first fettered - bound hand and foot - and then led to the place where he will be disciplined.  That usually involved both a financial cost - and most likely 39 lashes upon his back with a whip or with rods.  Sooo - how does sexual immorality look now?

The next picture is of a man whose liver is pierced with an arrow.  The Hebrew commentaries on Scripture infer that this is a deer that is being pierced by an arrow.  The pain of that injury is severe - and fatal - but please note something important to see with this wound.  The liver is the organ in our body that promotes purity in our blood.  It literally cleanses our blood each time it passes through the liver.  But when this man enters into the adulterous relationship, he is being pierced throught the one organ that cleanses our life itself.  Remember Scripture says that the life of anything is in the blood.  Here the life of this man is being polluted by his sin.  But this sin does more than just pollute - it pollutes while also doing great damage to our ability to be purified.  Paul makes an amazing statement in 1 Corinthians 6:18 when he says, "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body."

Immorality is a sin against our bodies themselves.  When we join ourselves to a prostitute or an immoral woman - we are damaging our very bodies.  That is true physically through things like sexually transmitted diseases.  But it is also true spiritually.  I work with men - seeking to disciple them so that they will follow Jesus Christ.  THE area I hear most trips men up is THIS AREA.  That is why Paul's counsel in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is this, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."  God wants us to glorify Him with our bodies - and that means fleeing sexual immorality.  When we do not - we are piercing not just our spiritual condition - but we are seriously weaking our ability to be cleansed and fight sin period.

Next is the picture of a bird actually running toward a snare.  What a strange picture.  A bird running to get caught and killed.  But that is what a man entering into sexual sin is doing.  He does not see the snare - nor does he recognize the camouflage.  All he sees is the bait - and he doesn't even recognize it as bait.  His lusts and desires are driving him and all he sees is momentary fulfillment.

The last statement made to us is a warning.  The fool here does not know that this will cost him his life.  Once a man commits physical adultery - there is radical change coming for him in his life.  Don't lose all hope if you've sinned in this way, because adultery is not the unforgiveable sin.  But, it is a sin that costs dearly.  Ask David.  He will tell you that it pretty much cost him the life he once knew.  Everything was different after that.  We need to see this as well.  Once we enter into adultery - and even when we enter into sexual sin - everything is different.  There will be a battle after that - and it will be a difficult one.  That is why the father is going to such lengths to warn his son in this passage.  He is trying to do everything in his power to help his son see that such a path is not just dangerous - it is fatal!  May God give us fathers wisdom to look at our own lives, our own struggles, possibly even our own failures - and warn our sons diligently to beware of sexual sin.  May we use the wisdom God offers to us here - and teach them the dangers of such activity - and hopefully rear a generation of young men who will be less likely to step into sin when facing sexual temptation.