"For my husband is not at home, He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, At the full moon he will come home." Proverbs 7:19-20
Once the adulteress has caught the fool in the trap of his own ungodly sexual desires - she then informs him of his soon-to-be-committed adultery. At this point, the man is so entrapped, that he is no longer considering sin - but the ability to not get caught. She says to him that her husband is not at home - but is gone on a long journey. Evidently her marriage means nothing to her. Long gone are the words of her covenant to God - or any real love for her husband. Instead she is interested in her next sexual escapade or conquest. Her words betray her husband - and also betray that she cares nothing for her own spiritual condition, or that of her sexual prey. Her focus is on neither of them getting caught - in this world. In verse 19 she even knows the approximate time he is coming home. Therefore she can sin unfettered until that time. She even uses her treachery to lure the fool in closer. She is utterly blind to the fact that God sees all this - and they are caught - NOW! Think for a moment of David. He thought no one saw him lusting for Bathsheba on his rooftop. He thought that only a few knew of her coming to his chambers - and none of them actually knew if they committed adultery. Then, when she became pregnant, he thought that no one knew of his treachery of bringing Uriah from the midst of a battle to cover his tracks. When that did not work, he thought only a few knew of his plan to kill Uriah - and try to legitimize his adultery by marrying his widow after murdering him with an enemy army. But the fact was David was caught the moment he sinned in his heart. It was along the way that more people knew - and if you understand the nature of gossip - far more knew than he thought. Covering our sin does not work. David said after his sin that he who covers his sins will not prosper. He spoke of how he suffered when he hid his sin - how the work of the Holy Spirit convicting him and sapping his very strength as he tried to keep things hidden was strong. Sin will try to deceive us of its very existance in our lives. It will tell us that we have NOT sinned. It will tell us that we are FINE. But all along the way are lies. The wise man is the one who knows that trying to hide sin is the most foolish act in which a person can engage. God is omniscient and sovereign - that is absolute fact. This means that there is nothing we can hide from Him - even for a second. It also means that all our attempts to maintain our sin are superceded by His sovereignty. Man may plan his steps - but God ordains his way. While that does not mean that God makes us sin - it does mean that His discipline WILL prevail when we do - no matter what we think we are doing to stop it.
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"Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. Proverbs 7:18
As we continue our look at overcoming sexual temptation, we come to the direct statement of the harlot. We need to look at this statement to see the deception and the encouragement of sin in it. She makes the fool an offer of sex - but the way she states it is having his fill of love until the morning. The word she uses for love here is the one that is usually used in the Hebrew for "lover." But what she offers is not love in the truest sense. She offers a fullness of love - at least until the morning. She offers fullness of love - at least until her husband gets home - or she finds someone else to be her sexual dupe. But all the fool hears is that he has a lover for the evening. That is the problem with sexual temptation - it offers an immediate pleasure - but says nothing of the long-term cost. Sexual tempation (and actually any temptation for that matter) always focuses on immediate gratification. Our flesh wants immediate gratification - and calls out for it every day we live. But immediate gratification may leave a wake of incredible destruction. Therefore, the more we allow oursevles to be deceived into thinking there are no consequences for our actions - the more likely we are going to fall for the lies being fed to us. The adulteress says that a night of wonderful love-making awaits us. But let's be perfectly honest about this. That promise is for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drinking our fill of love until morning is a euphamism for little more than 30 minutes of our time. The destruction had in that brief period of time - lasts far longer - and I would submit the pain involved is far worse than the intensity of the pleasure promised. I've walked with people through divorce proceedings that last months. I've walked with men who made this fatal mistake - and even years later they were still paying a price when their wives struggled with trusting them when they were late from work. But sin never talks to us in these terms - sin only speaks of the "now" moment of pleasure. Wisdom considers the moments after - the days after - the months and years after. Delighting oursevles with caresses is another call to live for our flesh, and the adulteress uses it craftily. The word "delight" here is interesting. It means to rejoice in something - finding pleasure in it - and delighting in pleasure by expressing that pleasure above all other things. What is interesting about this word is that the Bible uses it of the pleasure that is found in the sexual relationship in marriage. God actually blesses this delight in pleasure - but He does so with the boundaries of marriage fully in place. We read in multiple places in the Bible that God fully desires for us to experience the joy of married sexual love. God did not give us sexual organs, desires, and the ability to feel pleasure only to forbid it. But He knows that when we do so outside the bounds of a committed marriage relationship, it will turn destructive. Just delighting ourselves with caresses can lead to the idea of multiple sexual partners - which we know leads to sexually transmitted diseases. It leads to a shallow love based on physical attraction and physical pleasure alone. In its more perverted forms - this leads to homosexualtiy - and in its worst forms to things like incest and rape. Living for the physical pleasure of anything alone will lead to a complete abandonment of wisdom. Sins like gluttony, drunkenness, and drug abuse are all ways that we start with a desire for the physical pleasure of something alone. They all end in a bondage to sin that is very difficult to break. The call to sexual temptation is a call to live for our flesh - and for a rejoicing in pleasure alone. It does not think at all beyond the moment - and misses altogether the bondage that awaits in the future. The fool does not think ahead - he only thinks of now. He wants his pleasure now and is deaf to any consequences that await him. The way to defeat sexual temptation is to use something other than your physical organs to make your decisions. It is to use God's Word as wisdom guiding your mind as you encounter various things - various people in life. That way you do not wind up a slave to your senses. Biblically Romans 6 reminds us that in life we are going to be either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. Sin will destroy us. The wise man submits himself to God - to His Word - and to a life that promises pleasure and blessing beyond the next 30 minutes. "I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt. I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. Proverbs 7:16-18
Yesterday we took a first look at overcoming sexual immorality by understanding the way that the enemy will attack us in this area. We saw that selfishness and ego are two weak points where we can be attacked effectively if we are not careful. Today, we will continue to look at overcoming sexual immorality in our lives. The adulterous woman continues speaking to the fool whom she is enticing with promises of a night he will never forget. Having found "HIM" she then continues to entice him with what she has prepared for their night of passion. Brothers, we need to know that the longer we allow this woman to talk to us - the more likely we are to be caught in her web. This is something that seems strange to those who are looking from the outside in on this temptation. We might find ourselves wanting to scream and yell at this man - warning him of what is about to happen. The problem is that he is all but deaf to those warnings. Having ignored the warnings of the Holy Spirit earlier - he is a sitting duck for this kind of stuff. She speaks of how she has covered her couch with special linens - then speaks of how she has also sprinkled her bed with fragrant enticing smells and things that will heighten their sexual pleasure. Let me say men, that if we have not turned and run by this point - we are most likely caught. This man is listening with his sex drive by now - and when he has come to that point - he is deaf to anything else. The enticements are too much for him. He will most likely follow at this point. She is making here case first appealing to his ego - and now to his senses of sight and smell. Note though that at no time is his spirit being addressed. This is enticement that is apart from the working of the Holy Spirit. It is based solely in his flesh and his earthly appetites. That is why he needs to be so careful NOT to let things get to this point. What could this man have done to avoid this scenario - to not have gotten down the road this far? First, we need to cultivate a good relationship with our wives. Men, if you are not talking with your wife - you are making yourself vulnerable. If you see that you are NOT talking to her - or the conversation has dulled or gone silent - take great alarm over it! Your ability to talk to your wife about anything and everything is a safeguard to you! It will prevent you from falling into the second trap - talking too much with another woman. Second, you do NOT need to cultivate a relationship with other women. If you have an encounter conversationally with another woman that you would even hesitate to share with your wife, you should be warned - you are headed for dangerous territory. Too many men put themselves in vulnerable positions with another woman because they talk with them - and don't share that conversation with their wives. And - if the talk ever takes an uncomfortable turn - one that is too intimate - RUN! You should run to your wife and reveal that immediately - and ask her advice on what to do. Then you should follow it. Many adulterous affairs would have been nipped in the bud if the husband had only avoided any kind of talk that even remotely made him uncomfortable with another woman. The third thing relates to the second very closely. In the office and at work - keep your relationships and conversations with women on a professional level only. Do NOT go outside these boundaries. It may be uncomfortable to say it - but say it anyway. Your relationship with this woman at work needs to remain professional. Refer her to someone else than you for such conversations and such advice. Opening up such areas can only lead to problems and conflict. She works for you - or you for her - and this does not include a shoulder to cry on when her relationships are having problems. Do not be rude - but make it clear that you are uncomfortable talking about such things. You can even refer her to your wife if she is comfortable with that role - but YOU do not need to go there. The only way to avoid having another woman talk to you this way (sexually)is to make sure that the only woman who feels comfortable doing so is your wife. This man would have been wise to do these things - but since he did not - he is in the lair of the wicked one - and about to be caught in a horrible trap. The time to know of such traps is long before you step into them. Now, let me address one last trap we tend to step into too often. It is the trap of having these things done via the media. What I refer to is movies and television. Most of us would never think of looking into another person's bedroom - and their sex life. That would involve being a peeping-tom. But the fact is that we are ushered into the bedrooms of dozens of couples on a regular basis through film and television. Voyeurism takes place via these mediums every day. We watch a television program or see a movie where these kind of things are played out right before our eyes. We see that sexy woman or hunky guy say all the perfect things - do all the perfect things - and enter into a night of ecstasy (or at least implied ecstasy). We watch romantic movies where the actors are coached into saying the perfect thing in the perfect situation. Then we slouch into our couches wondering why the spark is gone in our own relationship. We are being coached as well by the wicked one. Coached into thinking that our wife or husband is not enough. They don't talk to me or treat me like that. They don't look like that. They don't work out the perfect scenario like that. And before we know it we've allowed our audio-visual voyeurism to make us discontent with our spouse. Then we spend our thoughts dreaming of that perfect situation - and of course - it involves someone who kind-of looks like that person we saw on TV or in the movie. Maybe it is that person with whom we are fantasizing having a romantic episode. Whatever the situation, we're caught - the trap has sprung - and we are much more susceptible now. Careful saints - the temptations and the wiles of the evil one are very subtle. He attacks in a myriad of ways - and his goal is to get to our minds and hearts. There he can plant an idea - a concept - a way of thinking that is opposed to the Scriptures. When he has done that - he has set up a beachhead from which to attack further into our lives. That is why we need to remember what the Scriptures teach concerning our marriages - concerning our wives - and concerning our sexuality. These are matters where to give an inch may mean later finding that the enemy has moved inward into our thinking and reasoning a mile. Reserve ALL such talk and thinking for your wife and your wife alone. That is wisdom. "Therefore I have come out to meet you, To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you." Proverbs 7:15
Here are the enticements of the adulterous woman. These are the words that she uses to bring a man into her trap - which is her bedroom. Most men do not view a bedroom as a trap. Unfortunately, men tend to view the bedroom as a place of pleasure - and do not see that the difference between pleasure and pain - between a paradise and a pathway to hell is the status of the woman with whom they are having their pleasure at the moment. Guys, I want to be brutally honest with you for the next couple of days. We are going to follow this text for that length of time. This is an area where we are being decimated in the church today. We must open our eyes and begin to discern between the bedroom as a trap and as a treasure. The difference is in one term alone. Are we there with our wives as a holy place - where the Scriptures describe it as the "marriage bed" which it goes on to say is holy - or - are we being duped into thinking that God will in any way bless the bedroom beyond the relationship of marriage. Too often we are the dupes rather than the discerning. We listen to the siren song of the adulteress and do not heed the warning siren of the Holy Spirit to which we are deaf when we succumb to lust - or worse - encourage it in our lives. Please read today's passage and commentary with great discernment - because we, as a gender, must begin to walk in discernment as we walk through this world. Verse 15 reveals to us the secret weapon of the adulteress. It is the ego of a man - and how easily it can be manipulated. Look at what the adulteress says to this foolish man. After making him think that she is right with God (see Prov 7:14 for her religious comments) - she then aims straight for his ego. "Therefore I have come out to meet YOU. To seek YOUR presence earnestly, and I have found YOU." (emphasis mine) Oh, how foolish men love to be made much of by others - especially by a beautiful woman. This reveals to us a secret sin in this man's heart - that of being thought of romantically or sexually by a woman (even if it is a woman other than his wife). And at this point she has set her talons into his flesh. She has begun to hook him with this talk that strokes his deceived ego. Guys this is where we need to be brutally honest with one another. Biblically, God tells us that our desire is to be for our wives. Proverbs 5:17 says that we should be exhilarated with her love - focusing on her sexually. If we are not careful this present world and its sexual insanity will infect us. It is all around us each and every day. The world system is crazed with talk and with innuendo about sex. That is why we need to be so careful what enters our eyes and what enters our minds. Please don't mistake my passion here for either the thought that this is easy - or the idea that I've completely mastered this battle. Unfortunately due to choices I've made in my past, this is a battle that I fight daily. But men, it is worth fighting. Our only other choice is to make ourselves a much easier target for the world - either in physical adultery - or in the mental version of the same sin. This adulteress/prostitute comes to us telling us that it is all about us. I wanted you - I sought you - I've found you. Anything that ministers to the selfish, self-centered part of us is something we should run from in life. That is especially the case when it comes to our sexuality. There is only one relationship God will bless in this way - and that is the one that we have with our wives. Remember, men, this lie is only for a moment - because, as we will learn later in this chapter of Proverbs, there is a devastating payment that will come when the sexual encounter is over. Men . . . don't buy the lie that the wicked one puts before you through the lips of the adulteress. It is just that - a lie. She will say that it is all about you - but the truth is it is only about setting the trap. Behind all this lies the wicked one, who is longing to see you, your marriage, your family, your testimony, and your relationship with God destroyed. If you cannot remember anything else - remember the cost to David for his adultery with Bathsheba. It was a one night tryst - but the cost kept being paid for the rest of his life - and on through his family for generations to come. No matter what a woman says to you in this matter, do not believe her. Hold fast to the Word of God. Run! Flee youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. That is the biblical counsel that Paul gave to young Timothy. It should be the counsel we follow when a strange woman comes and tries to gain entrance to our lives through flattery and an appeal to our selfishness. It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness. Proverbs 16:12
God's Word has a great deal to say about the role and actions of those who are kings, presidents, and prime ministers of nations. Whereas the current crowd, who don't know the constitution or the words of our founders, say that there is a wall of separation between church and state - our constitution speaks of no such wall. But even if it did - the ultimate document by which we know true wisdom is not the United States Constitution - but the Word of God, the Bible. So let us take a few moments to see what the Scriptures have to say to us about the role of kings and presidents - and whether character (both private and public) matters. We read here that it is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts. That should pretty much seal the issue for us on the character of those who lead us. The idea here is that of an individual act that is contrary to the justice and righteousness of God and His Word. Anything outside of what He says - is wrong - and wicked. That may not fit the post-modern mindset that everything is OK as long as it is OK with you - but then again the Word of God is not from the post-modern view - it is from the Ancient of Days. We are not our own moral free agents. God calls all of us to a standard in His Word - and that standard is not lowered for those in politics. If anything, it is raised because those who lead us are more in the spotlight of the nation. When they commit wickedness it not only affects them, it affects the entire nation as it weakens our moral backbone. It is a horrific thing when leaders cast aside not just biblical morals - but all moral restraint - as they live as if they are above the Laws of God. This will eventually lead them to live as if they are above the laws of the land as well. Their actions will lead to ruin for the nation. Eventually we will experience "trickle-down" morals as the example set by leaders is followed by the people they lead. We read here that a throne is established on righteousness. A throne is weakened when its moral authority is weakened. If a man cannot be trusted on lesser issues - how can he be trusted on the major ones? Thus we learn that sin and wickedness cost us not just in family matters - not just on economic ones - but they weaken the very foundation upon which our republic rests. Our forefathers told us in their very own written documents that our nation is based on the 10 commandments. Washington told us that you cannot separate good political leadership from godly, moral principles. Every nation and every people establish a basic public morality. That basic knowledge and agreement as to the public morality is one of the chief pillars upon which a stable society rests. When that morality crumbles and immorality begins to be accepted - and even trumpeted as the new morality of the day - the foundations of that nation or people will begin to crumble. It should be no shock to us that the basic structures of our society are being destroyed all around us. In recent years we've watched as moral crisis after moral crisis has shaken the pillars of our society. Immorality rocked our trust in the government as we watched the Watergate scandal erupt and a president resign. We watched as another president had an affair with an intern in his office, committing adultery against his wife. Then we watched in horror as all was swept under the rug in the guise of private license and the lie that "everyone does it." Our economic structures collapsed under the weight of companies and banks that engaged in ponsi-schemes to make themselves rich at the expense of those who trusted them with their money. Our children's financial futures are daily being mortgaged on the backs of politicians who are spending their future wealth in a bid to be re-elected again and again. The new morality is basically the same old immorality God warned against throughout both the Old and New Testaments. But - before we lay all this at the feet of politicians, we need to remember the barrage of moral failures and scandals that have rocked the church at the same time. We need to realize that the church sold her birthright for a bowl of red soup. We decided that bigger budgets, buildings, and growth figures were the new signs of godliness. Forget that the fruit of the Spirit still remains to be the 9-fold fruit we read of in Galatians 5:22-23. The new fruit is power and the ability to name and claim whatever you want in the name of Jesus. How did we get here? It began as we decided that we no longer needed to be godly men who followed a biblical moral code and way of living. As we fell asleep and were not shocked that those who were leading us completely lacked honesty and integrity - these very sins began eating away at the very foundation pillars of our republic. The only way back is to see such things restored. We need men of God to return to the kind of leadership in our homes, in our churches, and eventually in our government. It is only then that we will once again be horrified at the abomination of leaders who commit wickedness - and return to a way of doing politics that laughs to scorn those who would dare to lead without strong moral principles upon which they walk daily and make their decisions. One may read this and think that the one writing it is living in a daydream. Maybe the days of our nation being one nation under God are over? The thought of a true, godly leader who honors God and any sort of biblical morality is a distant memory. But the truth is that we are the ones who got ourselves into this mess. We did not abandon ourselves to Christ - preach the gospel - and radically affect our nation by the salvation of those who were coming to Christ. We did not live as the salt that preserves a society and the light that illumines it to its sin and departure from God. The answer, dear saints, does not ultimately rest with what happens this November in an election - it has and always will rest with what we choose to do daily in our lives . Are we seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness - or - are we simply adjusting ourselves to the current moral and spiritual malaise that culture offers each morning as we awaken to a new day? It is one thing to know that wickedness in our leaders is an abomination - it is quite another to become content with only cursing the present darkness rather than shining a light that can transform it. Oh that we would daily respond to our true King, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has never committed wickedness and Whose throne is established on justice and righteousness. For the Christian who daily seeks His kingdom and righteousness - the fall elections do not ultimately determine his or her king - for God has said long ago, "But I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." (Psalm 2:6) That king is Jesus Christ - follow Him! He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. Proverbs 10:9
Those who walk in integrity in their ways do not have to look over their sholders as they live their lives. That is becasue a walk of integrity doesn't have anything to hide. That is the lesson that we can learn from today's proverb. The one who walks in integrity is very secure. The word integrity means to walk in a completeness. It has the idea of a clear conscience - or doing what you do with no hidden motives. Abimelech stated that it was with a clear conscience that he took Sarah as a wife. The problem in that relationship arose because of Abraham's lie that she was his sister. Abraham would have argued that this was a half truth - but since it landed his wife in a foreign king's harem - it was nothing more than a cowardly lie. But Abimelech was an honest man in this situation - and God warned him so he would not sin. That is the protection offered to us by walking in integrity. It guards us and protects us from willful rebellion against God. We are told that integrity is not only a way to walk secure - but the psalmist says in Psalm 25:21 that it is a way to be protected as well. Truth is always an ally to whoever walks in it. That is the peace that integrity provides. The man who walks in perversity has no such promise. This man perverts his ways. Note the emphasis here on personal responsibility. He perverts his own ways - it is due to his own choice to do so. There is no way to blame everyone else for his own choices to pervert his ways. The word pervert means to twist or to make uneven. It refers to a moral and ethical choice to pervert and twist what is right - and once again what is right is what is laid out in Scripture. The sentence for such actions is that they will not remain secret. He will be found out. We can try to hide our sin - but the problem with this is that we will be found out in the end. For many they are found out before they die - which honestly is the more merciful choice. That is because when this is the case the man has a chance to repent and turn from his sin - finding mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Some use a passage like this to make it seem that God wants to humiliate them. The fact is that God knows our sin the moment we commit it - and honestly - even before with his knowledge of all things past, present, and future. But God would prefer that we be found out by the convicting work of His Holy Spirit. When we respond to that conviction, we can come to Him and find grace and forgiveness. We choose to reveal our sin ourselves. It is only the man who consistently tries to hide his sin that faces being found out in the more embarassing ways. The Psalmist tells us that the man who hides his transgressions will not prosper - but the one who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion. So, if you read this proverb and were convicted - but the devil and your own flesh is seeking to convince you to continue to hide your sin - don't! Turn to the Lord and confess and forsake it! That is the wise thing to do. Expose it yourself to the Lord - and if it is a persistant, besetting sin, turn to a brother or sister who can help hold you accountable as you deal with it over time. You don't have to face complete humiliation before men. Admit your sins to the Lord - and follow James' advice to confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed! That is the way to turn from walking in perversity to a life of integrity once again. Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin"? Proverbs 20:9
Wisdom manifests itself by realizing that man is sinful. That premise is rejected in most of today's society - especially among the elites who rule over the educational establishment and the world of counseling and psychiatry. The fact that they reject that man is by nature a sinner and is selfish and self-centered - dooms much of their efforts to educate and to help people deal with problems in their lives. Now that is a very bold statement - but also very true. One of the problems with modern Christianity is that we no longer feel the need in our postmodern society to have our worldview based upon the clear teaching of the Scriptures. One of the places that this is seen the clearest is in the area of the sinfulness of man and the ramifications of it in government, in education, in counseling, and in how we deal with people in our world. The proverb here asks the simple question, "Who can say, 'I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?'" There are several assertions that are made here. First is that of the ability to cleanse ourselves from our sin. "I have cleansed my heart." This is the belief that by our own works we can change our own hearts. Unless we begin with the sinful, selfish natural tendencies of mankind, we will think that by our education and by our laws and codes we can change a man's heart. Such an assertion is the height of foolishness and pride. We cannot cleanse our own hearts from our sinfulness. But an educational system based upon humanistic assertions will think that we can change our hearts by being better educated. But honestly, that only produces smarter sinners. The issues of the human heart will only be solved by the gospel of Jesus Christ whereby a heart can be redeemed and men can be regenerated. The second question is whether a man can say he is pure from his sin. Religions around the globe seek to do this through a myriad of different plans. Some want to try to mortify their own evil desires - while others try to abolish the concept of evil and sin altogether. Purifying ourselves assumes impurity though - and thus religious efforts to do this may involve confession and absolution of some kind. Roman Catholicism tries to answer this question through their system of confession and penance, which involves first admitting your sin to a confessor/priest. After your confession they grant forgiveness. The final step is that the priest commands penance in the form of some kind of repeated religious activity, like saying a religious phrase such as the Hail Mary or Rosary. Some times there is also the request to do a good work of some kind, which with the confession earns forgiveness. In the end, whether it is through this system - or through a Hindu or Islamic system of obtaining forgiveness - it all boils down to a works mentality. We can earn our forgiveness through doing something for God. Biblical Christianity paints a much different picture of the process of forgiveness. The Law was give to restrict sin - but more importantly to show us how impossible it is to obey it - because we are rebellious sinners. The very fact that we cannot be made righteous or pure by the Law - sends us running into the arms of Christ. We learn that it is only through what He did in his death, burial, and resurrection that we can be made pure in God's sight. He paid the price for our sin - and now offers to us His own righteousness - so that we can stand before God. Therefore the answer to these two questions here in Proverbs is given by the gospel. First of all - none of us can say that we have cleansed our own hearts. The only cleansing that will matter is the one given when we receive it by faith. That cleansing comes when we look to Jesus Christ - and admit that only He can purify our hearts and change them to be godly. The second question is answered as well by the gospel. No one can say, "I am pure from my sin," without that purity coming as a gift from God as He makes us righteous with the righteousness and purity of His Son. Wisdom rejects a man-centered, works-centered salvation. Only a fool would think that man can solve his own problems with God - without a direct intervention by God Himself. Any education or counseling or governmental system that is based upon that wrong assertion will fail and be crushed under the weight of man's sinfulness. Without checks and balances designed to expose and correct the selfish and self-centered tendencies of the human heart, sin will run rampant in a society that hides its eyes and pretends that sin does not exist. In such a world sin will be redefined again and again to cover-up the real problem - which is a wicked and sinful heart in men. In answer to the question posed by the writer of Proverbs, "No one can say that he has cleansed his own heart, or say that he is pure from his sin." That only happens by the grace and mercy of God as He works in us by the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Jesus said Himself, "No one comes to the Father, except through Me." So she seizes him and kisses him And with a brazen face she says to him:
Proverbs 7:13 Here we have the continued description of the immoral, adulterous woman. It is a description that warns us of the actions of a woman that should cause us to pause if a woman we meet acts in this way. Some, after reading today's post will probably disagree with me, saying that I am taking this too far. But the fact is that today immorality is running rampant in the church today. We might be wiser to consider steering clear of the kind of behavior that is mentioned here. The immoral woman is very forward in how she approaches men. This woman seizes this guy and kisses him. In today's society woman are encouraged to be more forward with men. They are told that to sit idlely by and wait for a man to make the move is from the Victorian era - and it does not work any longer. Those who say such things are those who also explain away the Scriptures. The Word of God states that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. In regard to the relationship between a man and a woman before they are married, when we ingore this statement, we do so to our own peril. What usually happens is that touch leads to more. When the barrier of kissing is breached, it will lead to more. The next barrier is that of making out - which often also has sexual petting that goes with it. One that barrier is breached it is only the mercy of God that keeps a couple from engaging in sexual intercourse. That is why it is so important that unmarried young ladies (or any age for that matter) refrain from becoming bold in their approach to physical contact with a man. When they do this - the man, who is stimulated much easier than her - will push the relationship beyond where she takes it. Note that Solomon states that it is with a brazen face that this woman speaks to the man whom she has seized and kissed. The word "brazen" here means that it is a face filled with pride and indicates that she has seriously stepped beyond where any godly woman would go. Her arrogance is at a very high level. When you realize that she is about to propose sexual intercourse with this young man next - you see that she is truly a godless, immoral woman. Her "forward-ness" is a warning that she is going to push this encounter all the way to sexual intercourse if she can. It indicates to the man that she is a harlot, an adulterer, an immoral woman. The warning given to the young man is serious - keep your way FAR from her. If she gets this close - you are in grave danger. Today the film and television industry just about salutes such women. They think it is great that women are grabbing life by the horns and pushing the envelope sexually. But such a thing is not to be saluted - it is reason for grieving. When the women of a society begin acting like this - the society itself is moving toward destruction. The women are a society are meant to be ones who hold it back from destruction. They are called the fairer sex. This means that they are more spiritually astute - and tend to keep the society back from actions that would harm it. But when they reach this level of degregation, things are moving fast toward a total breakdown of societal stability. I offer a word of encouragement to parents and to young women who desire God's best for themselves and for their future families. Teach your daughters how to be chaste, godly, reserved women. Help them embrace their femininity. Teach them to wait on God for their husbands - and to reserve their purity and virginity for God and His glory - and the man God brings to them to be their husband. This will require rejecting the forwardness of our society - and the push that feminism has made to make women just like men. You will find with this choice that your daughters will be far more humble. They will learn trust and reliance upon the Lord as they wait for God to bring them their husbands. Oh, and it will do one other thing. It will begin to bring our sexually crazed society back to godliness - at least as they see these young ladies. What is amazing is as they see this - they will both mock and wonder. They mock because doing so alleviates their own trashed consciences. But they will wonder because deep down within themselves they will know that this is right. There will even be a tinge of regret that they did not make the same decision. May God give us grace to train up our daughters to be such women of holiness . . . and . . . may we also teach our sons to value such ladies - and become the kind of men who can become their husbands. A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, 13 Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; 14 Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. 15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. Proverbs 6:12-15
There are certain things that identify for us a wicked person. Proverbs takes four verses and describes for us in an expanded way what a wicked person looks like - and what his future entails. Let's take a look at this today in a a little longer version of our look at Proverbs. First of all a wicked person is described in two ways. First he is called a "worthless person." The word used here is very descriptive for it is the Hebrew word "beliyaal" which is one of the terms that is used to describe the devil. His minions are described in Scripture as the sons of Belial. The word means a worthlessness which has its major emphasis on the moral aspect of life. Thus the word came to mean a wicked person. The word is used to describe the hard-hearted in Deuteronomy 15:9 and 1 Samuel 30:22. These are also those who promote rebellion against the authority of God. The wicked therefore are those who hold a moral standard that is worthless for it encourages them and others to rebel against God's authority and choose to be hard-hearted toward the Lord and toward His commandments. The wicked is also described as being - well - wicked. He is referred to as a wicked man. The word for wicked (awen) means someone who is troublesome, who causes sorrow by his bent toward evil and mischief. He seeks after nothingness and loves falsehood. Strongly embedded in this word is the reality that this man or woman commits iniquity and intentionally misses God's mark of godliness. Once it has been established what kind of person is being spoken of here - Solomon begins putting forth a list of things the worthless and wicked man does. He is not called wicked due to some prejudice - but simply because of the choices that this man makes. Because of the large number of descriptions of his actions, I will number them as we define them. 1. He walks with a perverse mouth - He has a mouth that is filled with perversion and deceitfulness. He has a mouth that speaks without integrity or truth, but rather embraces immorality and deception. 2. Winks with his eyes - This refers to a winking or blinking of the eyes which was always done with a mocking, malicious, or deceitful intent. Proverbs 10:10 says that this is done to devise trouble, while Proverbs 16:30 tells us that a man does this to devise perverse things - and is usually done in combination with a mouth that is speaking of evil and seeking to bring evil to pass. These are signals to others so that they will either join in an evil plan - or that they will know that they are not to interrupt as this wicked man is using his perverse mouth to bring scorn on the godly or upon godly, holy things. 3. Signals with his feet - This literally means he scrapes with his feet. In the Middle East this was a sign that was given from one to another - and it was used among the seamy more criminal aspects of society. This is clearly a sign used by the wicked so that others will join with them in some evil plot. 4. Points with his fingers - Again a reference to a sign used for no good. These are all the kind of things that are used by someone who is planning trouble. The idea here is that this wicked, worthless man is up to something. These things are done for some wicked purpose. 5. He continually devises evil - This guy is always thinking of some scheme or some way to do his evil - or walk in some kind of evil plan of his own making. Note also that this is done with "perversity in his heart." This guy is always in to perverting situations, perverting people, or as I've seen in some - speaking of something perverse at all times. 6. Spreads strife - He is sending out strife - causing serious problems for people in how they relate to one another. Wherever he goes - there seems to be relational problems that follow after him. Paul warns us to stay away from a factious man - a man who spreads strife like this. The mark of the sons of God is that we are peacemakers - not peace-destroyers. I feel the need to offer a note at this point. Twice in this passage it is said that the wicked are perverse. There is a tendency among Christians, and it is a trap I've fallen into as well, to be tiptoeing around the edges of perversity in their speech. It is unfortunately gaining more acceptance for a believer to have a more perverse mouth. This is true even in pulpits. This is not a good thing - but something that we need to gain control of individually in our lives. Our society is getting more and more coarse in how they speak. We in the church honestly do not need to follow suit by staying a few steps behind them (so that we are not as bad as they are in how we speak). We should be those who shun perversity in our lifestyles, in our actions, and in our speaking. A wise principle to follow in this is to seek to imitate God's speech - so that holiness is our goal rather than just being better than the world around us. What happens to the worthless/wicked man? Well, it might surprise you to see that God does not promise that the moment he does these things he will be judged. There may be a period of time where he may even prosper. We learn from Psalm 73 that at times the godly may struggle because this is so. But just like we learned from this Psalm, we will learn here in Proverbs that trouble and calamity is coming. What happens to the wicked man is that calamity comes suddenly upon him. He may continue in his rebellion for years thinking that everything is fine. He may even come to the false conclusion that God does not see his evil - or is unable to stop him in it. Nothing is further from the truth. What is happening is that this man is storing up wrath for himself - that will be revealed one day when his calamity comes. When it does come - it will be devastating and will be in keeping with the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. We learn here that in an instant this wicked/worthless man is going to be broken. Jesus spoke of how men can either fall on the Rock and be broken before God - or - one day that Rock will fall upon them. On that fateful day they will not be just broken, they will be crushed. Here we read that this instant breaking will be one from which this worthless/wicked man cannot be healed. He will face destruction that will bring terror to him. Saints of God, know this for certain. The wicked will continue to act wickedly, the godless will continue to be godless, and the judgment of God will continue to build until its breaking point. The reason I say this is because God said this after revealing Himself in one of the most terrifying books in the Bible. Revelation 22 closes the book with a terrifying warning. After men have read about the judgment of God - after they have read of a day where earth and heaven will flee from God in all of His glory as He is revealed in His mighty, terrifying judgments, God has something important to say. After all of this - John knows by the Spirit of God most will continue in their wickedness. They will not heed the words of warning given in this Revelation of Jesus Christ. So he says these words which he hears from the angel of the Lord, "And he said to me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.'" Revelation 22:10-12, NASB The worthless/wicked man will continue in his perversity. He will continue to speak his perverse words, make his perverse plans, create strife with his perverse ways. But there will be a moment - an instant when the judgment of God and the punishment due for his words, plans, and actions will come suddenly. So let us, unlike those to whom Revelation 22:10-12 is addressed. Let us take heed - and order our ways so that the reward we receive is the one given for those who are good and faithful servants of the Lord who shun perversity, perverse words, perverse plans, and a perverse lifestyle. Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; Proverbs 5:9
What kind of problems come with a choice for sexual immorality and relationships with immoral men and women? This question will be answered today by our proverb of the day. This entire chapter deals primarily with the immoral person. It actually is the words of a father as he warns his son to stay away from immoral women - especially the adulteress. In verse 9 of this section the father begins to tell the son why he should stay far away from the adulteress. Here he addresses some of the things that will happen if he were to stray into her paths and be caught by her wiles. He first mentions that if he does this he will give his vigor to others. The word vigor means grandeur - and it speaks of a man's honor, glory, and majesty. A man may be a person of honor - but when he is giving himself to a sexually immoral relationship - and this is truest when he is doing it with a married woman - he loses all that honor. Too often I've watched over the years as a man pursues an adulterous relationship with a woman - and in the process he loses any standing in the community. He may have had it prior to the relationship - but not people look at him and shake their heads. Think about the shame and disgrace that came upon President Bill Clinton when his sexual scandal came out in our society. It was as if many in our nation lost all respect for Him. He gave his vigor - his glory and honor - to another. He had decided to spend the value of his name on a young woman solely for the purpose of sex. He sold himself far too cheaply - and in the eyes of many - he will never regain that glory or honor. The second warning that is offered to the son about sexual immorality is that his years will be turned over to the "cruel one." The word used here is "akzari" and it refers to something or someone who is cruel and deadly. It actually refers in its root to the venom of cobras. In Job 41:10 this same word is used to describe the fierce nature of Leviathan. We should not lose sight that all of these terms are also used to describe the person or the work of the devil as well. Thus it is not too far of a stretch to grasp that when we give ourselves over the to harlot or to the adulteress, we are giving ourselves to the work and power of the devil. He is behind these things and loves it when someone steps into his trap. Disgrace and a cruel task master . . . that is what waits in store for the young man (or any man for that matter) who makes the disastrous mistake of giving himself over to the adulteress or the harlot. Her service is terribly costly and devastating. The wise father takes the time and uses these images to teach his son what awaits him if he gives in to his sexual urges. He does so not just to scare his son (although that is certainly not an unwise thing to do) but to warn him of the reality of what awaits him on the other side of giving himself over to sexual immorality. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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