Wisdom Avoid Paths to Death

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Proverbs 7:24-27:
24 And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

The closing is just like the opening, the closing of this story suggests the best way to avoid giving into temptation is to avoid the places where you are tempted. Even the strong fall victim to temptation. This is why Jesus had to die. Avoid temptation, embrace Jesus, avoid the abyss.

Sin's Sales Pitch

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Proverbs 7:10-23:
10 And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him,
14 "I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home."

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast
23 till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Yesterday we saw how unwise actions can lead to immoral actions. Here is that progression. Walking leads to meeting which now leads to adultery. At first the sales pitch seems appealing, but like an farm animal to the slaughter house, this young man does not know what he is getting himself into. This will cost him his life. Whether that verse means he loses his mortal lifestyle (marriage, family, social status) or his eternal life (separation from God), the penalties are real.

Unwise Actions Lead to Immoral Actions

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Proverbs 7:6-9:
6 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.

This is how an unwise, though not immoral, action can lead to a road of destruction. Here we see a young man walking by a street corner near the house of a well known temptress and at night no less. If you look for trouble you will find it. It is much harder, and more honorable, to avoid it.

Wisdom as a Old Friend

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Proverbs 7:1-5:
1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call insight your intimate friend,
5to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.

Once again we are reminded that wisdom helps us to live well. It also suggested that God's commandments are not something distant and unfamiliar, but are instead like a close relative or old friend. This is in stark contrast to the deception of sin which is embodied here as a smooth-talking woman.

Long-Term Consequences of Adultery

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Proverbs 6:27-35:
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

The previous verses said there are dire consequences to extra-marital sex and here they are described in detail. Even someone who steal for hunger, which is understandable, is still subject to the law. That said, the punishment for a want (compared to a need) will be even worse. Adultery hurts all parties involved. The man, the woman, and their spouses. This one time act will have lasting effects that have little hope of being redeemed. This helps to explain the special emphasis in Proverbs, and throughout the Bible, for the sin of sexual relations outside of marriage.

Wisdom and Folly Begin in the Heart

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Proverbs 6:24-26:
24 to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.

We are commanded to bind God's teachings in our heart, because that's where we first stray from them. Temptation is never what it advertises itself to be. The price of a prostitute is small in comparison to the long term pain that comes from adultery.