Adultery and Death

Proverbs 2:16-19

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,

17 who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.

Unashamedly admit I had the opportunity to see the movie It's Complicated with my wife recently. For a romantic comedy about people in their late 50's I was impressed. One of my favorite parts of the movie was how real and painful they showed divorce to be. It impacts husbands, wives, and children for life. In these verses we are warned against the temptation of adultery. The companion of our youth, our spouse, is who we have made a commitment to. Although adultery is not on my radar much, when I am confronted with it's reality, and it's finality, it's scary. Thank God for watching out for us.

Evangelize or Avoid

Proverbs 2:11-15

11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,

12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

One of the first warnings given in Proverbs was to beware of those who are destructive and self destructive. Here we are assured that a part of wisdom is the ability to discern how to walk correctly. Verses like this are challenging when we look at the Great Commission that calls us to go out into the world. It is discretion that helps us to comfort the lost, but avoid being corrupted by those who reject the truth.

Desirable Discernment

Proverbs 2:9-10

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;

10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

After hearing a lot about the wisdom that comes with submission to God, it's nice to hear what that wisdom will look like; an understanding of what is good and what is fair. Even better, once we are given a taste of it, wisdom itself will be it will become alluring.

Stored and Protected

Proverbs 2:6-8

6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

This gives a clear distinction between human knowledge and Godly wisdom. Information can be helpful, but wisdom comes from the mouth of God. In the past this has meant through his prophets (like Solomon here) and now it means from his word, the Bible. Though this wisdom cannot be seen, it can be stored up much like a tangible good. Most comfortingly, we are given an assurance that believers will be protected. It is not by our own strength that we will survive (1 Samuel 2:9).

Gift and Task

Proverbs 2:1-5

1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

This message turns personal, from a father to son. Whether it was directly written by Solomon or simply compiled by him, it's clear these words were originally meant for those learning directly from the author. We are offered wisdom, but we must listen attentively. It is both a gift and a task. Understanding, combined here as both heart and head knowledge, should be sought after for the treasure that it is. We must first be convinced of it's value before we will seek. Only then can we gain a proper fear of God, to understand God, to better understand our role in his world.

God is Good, God is Grace

Proverbs 1:32-33

32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

In my last post I left a reminder of God's judgement. However justice cannot be understood unless we also hear grace. Whoever listens and responds to the call of Jesus Christ will rest in his security.