Proverbs 5:1-4 (ESV)
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
The Book of Proverbs is packed-full of wonderful “wisdom” yet it’s often overlooked because of its age.
Yet these words ring true for us despite this as human nature does not change.
In the past few years several people I know have strayed from their wives, choosing instead to partner with a forbidden woman.
No doubt they have the view that the grass is somehow greener on the other side.
But they are turning their backs on a commitment they made. A lifelong commitment.
This passage suggests that it’s the woman tempting and sweet-talking the man, not unlike the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
Yet the man is as much to blame for his lack of “discipline” (v.12).
Hence his need to “incline [his] ear”.
Kim+
prayer : “lead [me] not into temptation, but deliver [me] from evil” (Matthew 6:13)
action : heed the words above and be “attentive to [God’s] wisdom”
