Proverbs 5, 7 and 9. ‘Men have forgotten God’

The writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn made a deep study of the Russian Revolution and subsequently what is going wrong in the West. When he gave his Templeton Prize address he said that the tragedy of the modern world was,

‘You have forgotten God’.

In a subsequent interview with Bernard Levin, published in the Times, he explained that he now considered that the goal of man is ‘not happiness but spiritual growth’.  He had learned this from Jesus as he had become a Christian.

Solomon also understood that this is man’s greatest problem.

This is the same conclusion that Alexander Solzhenitsyn came to, ‘You have forgotten God’.

Solomon understood that this is man’s greatest problem.  Near the beginning of the book of Proverbs he said,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7

A little later he explains that everyone has made a decision on this matter,

“Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.” Proverbs 1:29

Proverbs

The first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs were written by king Solomon for his son, possibly Rehoboam, whom he saw was at risk of listening to his peers instead of thinking issues through clearly.  Indeed when Rehoboam became king and was confronted by Jeroboam who was asking for a liberalisation of society he first asked the elders of the country for their advice and they advised that he agreed with Jeroboam’s suggestions.  However he rejected this advice and turned to ‘the young men he had grown up with’ and they suggested hardening the rule.  Rehoboam foolishly followed this advice with the result that Jeroboam led the ten tribes of Israel away from Judah and Rehoboam with disastrous consequences (2 Chronicles 10).  Had Solomon seen this characteristic of being foolish in his son and was this why he wrote these Proverbs?

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” Proverbs 1:8

Solomon begins by warning his son about the allurement of immoral wealth concluding,

“Such is the end of those who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.” Proverbs 1:19

The root problem is the rejection of ‘wisdom’ which Solomon has defined as a refusal ‘to fear the Lord’ Security is found when we live as God teaches,

“ . . . whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 2:33

This is not suggesting that following God will automatically result in health and wealth in this world, such teaching is devilish, but it does reassure God’s people that eternal security is theirs if they remain living under the authority of God and his Son.

Sexual immorality

Solomon keeps referring to the need for people to be sexually responsible.  The temptation to sexual immorality has always been a major temptation for God’s people.  Solomon describes this in terms his son will understand but it could also be written, in a different way, for his daughter.  Sexual attraction can so easily seduce people away from living God’s way.

Proverbs 5

Solomon gives three warnings to his son about sexual temptation, the first being in chapter five.

1“My son, pay attention to my wisdom, turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it. Proverbs 5:1-6

This woman appears so attractive but the end result will be bitterness and spiritual death.  There is no purpose in her way of life except to please herself and seek pleasure.

7 Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honour to others and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. Proverbs 5:6-10

There are other practical effects of following this way of life, a loss of reputation, a loss of money and much toil.

Some may try to reply that this just refers to adultery and not sexual promiscuity.  The next part of wisdom advises keeping all sexual relations with just person, the wife of your youth.  Sexual relationships are a wonderful gift of God but, like petrol, can have devastating effects when used in the wrong way.  It can be both addictive and cause havoc.

Sexual promiscuity is very addictive.

15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? Proverbs 5:15-20

Research has found that having multiple sexual partners prior to marriage can lead to less happy marriages, and an increase in the likelihood of divorce.  Those who marry as virgins have the lowest divorce rates.  Solomon’s question to his son is so wise, ‘Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?’

Proverbs 6

A major goal of education is to teach children self-control and self-discipline and this need has never changed.  This is a parents prime responsibility.  We must instil godly values in those we are responsible for.

20 My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

21 Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.

22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. Proverbs 6:20-22

The second warning on this subject reiterates this concern that Solomon has.  The question must be asked, ‘Why does he place so much emphasis on sexual continence?’  It keeps putting in picture language the warning of the seventh commandment, ‘You shall not commit adultery’ (Exodus 20:14).

23 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,

24 keeping you from your neighbour’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.

25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life. Proverbs 6:23-26

It is surely out of love that we are given this warning.  Sexual promiscuity is dangerous.  If cigarettes have to have a warning label on every packet, so should people be warned about the dangers as well as the joys of relationships.

27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?

28 Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. Proverbs 6:27-29

Proverbs 7

Solomon again returns to to warn his son against being stupid.  He sees his son as being young and lacking sense.  He is dangerously open to the influence of other people.

1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.

2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings 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 to insight, “You are my relative.”

5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words. Proverbs 7:1-5

The antidote to these dangers is wise teaching and it is apparent that the lessons have to keep being repeated.  The father recognises how alluring promiscuous sex is.  He pictures himself looking on at a group of foolish young men hanging together in the street

6 At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice.

7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.

8 He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house 9 at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Proverbs 7:6-9

This young man is naive and easily led.  His is with his friends out on the street at night.  He has allowed himself, against his father’s wisdom, to be with the wrong people, in the wrong place and the wrong time of day.  These are a very dangerous combination.  Just as a pride of lions pick out the weakest member of a herd of wildebeest or antelope, so Satan pounces on those who are spiritually weak.  This woman is experienced and shrewd.  She is stalking this young man.

10 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

11 (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home;

12 now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.) Proverbs 7:10-12

When she talks to the young man she is so reassuring, as all successful “cons” are.  She camouflages her malicious intentions with a veneer of religiosity.

13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:

14 “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. Proverbs 7:13-14

She has made her vows and offered her sacrifices so what I am offering you is allowable.  She then makes her appeal very personal.  Prominent in the next verse is the word ‘you’, the seductress will always want to make her prey feel special.

15 So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! Proverbs 7:15

This evening will be great fun and nobody will know.  The implication is that her husband will be away for a very long time.  He has gone on a long journey and took much money with him.  This affair will just be private, between ourselves.

16 I have covered my bed with coloured linens from Egypt.

17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

19 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.

20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.” Proverbs 7:16-20

So this foolish man is lead away.  The consequence is dire, his life, or at least his spiritual life is imperilled.

21 With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.

22 All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose

23 till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:21-23

Many people have had their lives destroyed by such seduction.  It is not only men who succumb to these temptations.  Notice that the text now moves to address all men, using the plural.  He urges all people to follow the path of wisdom and not fall for these temptations.  To refuse to be godly is the path to death.  The films make such scenes so attractive, but those bedrooms are really slaughter houses.

24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.

25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.

26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.

27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death. Proverbs 7:24-27

In these scenes there are two voices, the voice of the father and the seductive voice of the temptress. The writer is asking his readers to make a decision about which voice they will follow, who will you sleep with.   

Proverbs 9

The message of chapter nine reminds the readers that behind such decisions is a spiritual battle.  Ultimately all people have to decide who they are living for.  The answer has eternal consequences.  There are again two voices speaking.  The first is Lady Wisdom who lives in a large beautiful home with seven pillars – the seven pillars of wisdom.  It is most likely that “her house” and “seven pillars” both refer to a home that is in proper order, with the use of “seven” emphasizing its completeness and all-sufficiency.  The following verses continue to describe other aspects of wisdom personified as a woman. She prepares a meal and invites people to attend to gain wisdom:

“Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight” Proverbs 9:6

Wisdom has much to offer, and she invites everyone to come share her satisfying feast.  She sends out the widest invitation.   She calls to those who have acted without sense to enter her home and feast with her.

Throughout the Bible these two voices keep re-appearing.  In Genesis there was the voice of god that was contradicted by the voice of Satan.  ‘You won’t die if you eat this fruit!’  At the end of the bible there is the voice of the Lamb and the voice of the devil.  Here there is the voice of Lady wisdom and the madame Folly.  This time the folly is not just sexual but embraces all forms of stupidity and greed.  Folly’s voice is loud and persistent.

13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house.”

To those who have no sense she says,

17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. Proverbs 9:13-18

It is striking that Madame folly only offers people prison food, bread and water, in contrast to the feast of Lady Wisdom.  What makes Folly so attractive?  Surely it is because it is ‘forbidden stolen water.’  Secret meetings or societies always have an appeal and, just like Adam and Eve, we repeatedly fall for the lies.  The reality is that Folly leads to spiritual death.

Today there remain these two competing voices.  People need to be warned.  Those following Lady Wisdom will respond to the calling and appreciate the teaching.  When I was working as a Consultant Surgeon it was sometimes necessary to correct a junior’s actions.  The wise student accepts the advice but those who argue and try to justify their wrong actions usually have a difficult future.  Solomon had also recognised this:

“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to hios learning.” Proverbs 9:9

"Beans in My Ears" was a hit song created and sung in 1994 by the protest singer, Len Chandler. A ban was imposed on it being broadcast because of the number of listener complaints and doctor reports about children putting objects in their ears in the three weeks following the song's release.  One of Grimm’s fairy tales tells of a mother who was going out to shop and warned her children not to put any beans up their noses or peas in their ears.  You can imagine what she found when she returned.  It is amazing how people will do what they know to be wrong just for the thrill of it.  That is the appeal of folly, she resonates with our sinful selves.  The true mother is Lady Wisdom who calls everyone to come to her house, to leave Madame Folly’s house and its sin and repent and start a new life.  Wisdom warns us to stop being attracted by the ornaments and trinkets of life and come to real and abundant life.

The message that Solomon wants all people to understand is profound.  He repeats his underlying message, the one he introduces his book with, so we can all know what he is really saying,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  For through me your days will be many . . .” Proverbs 9:10

There are many other counterfeit gods: fame, wealth, good reputation, popularity, power and even health or family but all these are only temporary, they will not satisfy for long.  When we see others having a very good time and being very successful it is so easy to hanker after what they have, it all seems so exciting.  We need to beware making these the priority of life, seek wisdom instead, long to be in tune with God, making his priorities yours.

Jesus often separated people into these two groups but used different names.  People are either sheep or goats, wheat or tares, light or darkness.  There are no other categories.  He told the story of two builders.  One built his house of the rock, on what Jesus taught but the other built the house of his life on shifting sand.   Outwardly both houses looked similar, they may have attended the same church but when problems came, the floods and storms of life, only the house built on the rock stood firm.  No-one can avoid these storms in life, we will all die at some stage, and at God’s final judgment, it will become apparent to all what our lives are really built on.

James

James, the writer of a letter in the New Testament, was a half-brother of Jesus.  He includes a verse on wisdom in his letter,

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8

This is written to church members, it is in the plural.  Act decisively and submit yourselves to God before it is too late.  Allow yourself to be governed by God from now on.  There is a battle going on, resist the devil and he will flee from us.  Repentance is not a once only thing.  We need to keep reminding ourselves who is now in charge.

The devil gave a half truth to Adam and Eve, that they would die if they disobeyed God. When they decided to eat of ‘the tree of knowledge of good and evil’, that is to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong, they did not immediately die physically but they were expelled from the presence of God.  All people are now in this state of rejection by God unless we repent and come back to God’s only Son and ask him both to forgive us and empower us to live the life he wants for us.

The nineteenth century ex slave trader John Newton who became a Christian, understood this message very well.  He wrote the hymn, ‘Glorious things of thee are spoken’ which finishes with the lines,

“Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,

All his boasted pomp and show;

Solid joys and lasting treasure

None but Zion’s members know.”

The world’s allurements are only temporary but their consequence can be eternal.  The good news is that there is another path, it may be narrow, but Jesus, God’s Son, says that it leads to life.  He says,

“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13

BVP