Author: Disciples Church

Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6
Practical Warnings

6:1   My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
    have given your pledge for a stranger,
2   if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
    caught in the words of your mouth,
3   then do this, my son, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
    go, hasten,¹ and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4   Give your eyes no sleep
    and your eyelids no slumber;
5   save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,²
    like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6   Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7   Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8   she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
9   How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10   A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11   and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

12   A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
13   winks with his eyes, signals³ with his feet,
    points with his finger,
14   with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
15   therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16   There are six things that the LORD hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
17   haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
18   a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
19   a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.
Warnings Against Adultery

20   My son, keep your father’s commandment,
    and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21   Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
22   When you walk, they⁴ will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23   For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24   to preserve you from the evil woman,⁵
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.⁶
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,⁷
    but a married woman⁸ hunts down a precious life.
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.
Footnotes
[1] 6:3 Or humble yourself

[2] 6:5 Hebrew lacks of the hunter

[3] 6:13 Hebrew scrapes

[4] 6:22 Hebrew it; three times in this verse

[5] 6:24 Revocalization (compare Septuagint) yields from the wife of a neighbor

[6] 6:24 Hebrew the foreign woman

[7] 6:26 Or (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate) for a prostitute leaves a man with nothing but a loaf of bread

[8] 6:26 Hebrew a man’s wife
(ESV)

Saturday Study Scripture

Saturday Study

Post author By Disciples Church
Post date April 22, 2017

Saturday Study

Proverbs 5 (4-22-17)

I can’t begin to tell you how instrumental this 5^th proverb has been in my 17 years of pastoral ministry. One of the very real temptations of our flesh is lust for the things God created instead of honor for these things. Our selfish flesh wants to consume and have what it selfishly wants, many times with no regard for what or who it hurts or betrays. We are flooded with imagery and constant temptation to adulterate our eyes or body. God’s word tells us to “FLEE from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) for its consequences are greater than any other to the body God has given us. Whether you are a man or a woman, everyone is susceptible to the lust of the eyes and/or sexual immorality with our bodies. We must arm ourselves with right thinking and daily godly practices that keep us from these temptations. This week’s proverb goes straight to the heart of this fight. I pray you are not just hearers, but doers after reading today’s study. Do whatever is needed to make war with any sin you are caught up in or susceptible to. The name of Jesus, the purity of our minds and souls, the protection of our marriages and families is all on the line.

The Warning

Proverbs 5:1-2 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.

Here, Solomon is driving home the need to be attentive to the counsel he is about to give. Lean in, son! Don’t miss this. You will surely need this.

The topic is brought forth in verse 3. “For the lips of a forbidden woman”. What I have come to see in practical life is that the “lips of a forbidden woman” here can be any sexual temptation that is outside of God’s will for your life. It could be any person who is not your spouse (this applies to single people too). If they are not your spouse, then you have no business engaging the temptation before you. It also can be any image or scene in a movie, or picture, or person walking by. It can surely be pornography. I have sat with many men and women over the years in pastoral counsel to look to this proverb as a great help in their need to wage war on addiction to porn. So, as you read the rest of this counsel consider that “the lips of a forbidden woman” can be any of these sexual immoral things you may struggle with.
Solomon goes on to clarify how seductive sexually immoral things are. They “drip honey” & “her speech is smoother than oil”.

In that culture, honey was the sweetest thing you could enjoy so it was very desirable. One who is smooth in speech is also very seductive and enticing. He is saying be alert and aware how entrapping her presentation is.

The Consequences

In verse 4 & 5, we are given insight into the reality of what she actually brings, “but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;”.

This is no casual consequence. The division that a two-edged sword brings is very real. The road she takes you to is death and suffering. This is the con of all cons. You think you are getting pleasure and comfort, but you are really getting bitterness, breakdown in life, and consequences that lead to death and great suffering.

In verses 7 & 8 he says listen up again.

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house”. LISTEN TO ME… do not depart from this counsel or it will wreck your life. Stay far away from such temptation. Do not allow it near. Do not wander into places where this kind of temptation resides. This gets very practical for us.

What conversations are you having or relationships are you flirting with that are set in a foundation of innocent intentions but are really on the door step of great blunder? He says stay away. To practice this in life and ministry I have found that we should not engage the opposite sex in any unaccountable space. I don’t care how long you have known them or how much they love the Lord. One on one time together, phone calls, text or email messages can all have the greatest intentions and might practically be helpful, but are often the doorway to greater intimacy to be formed. It is worth it to take steps to keep these kinds of interactions in accountable space where others can see and keep accountability really happening.

Another application of this is where is sexual immorality accessible? Do you have cable in your home, internet access on your computer or phone where sexual temptation is present and a click away? In order to stay far away, as the counsel is given, it can be wise to remove such access. Block certain channels on your cable (let someone else set the code), have accountability software on your computer or phone whereby a trusted person can see what you are seeing. XXX Church and Covenant Eyes are both great resources for such software. I have many brothers who simply don’t have a personal computer or smart phone simply for the fact that they don’t want the temptress on their door step at all times. Now, you might be telling yourself, that would greatly affect my life to not have such access. I get it. But I would also ask, how much your life would be affected if you don’t take the steps to prevent sexual immorality from manifesting itself in your life and marriage? That is the point of Solomon’s next words.

In verses 9-11, he says, “lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed”. He is saying here, that the consequence of the fall out that comes with this kind of sinful engagement will steal your life away. To give your honor and respect to others opens the door for them to:

-“take your strength” – this is what addiction does to your life. You lose your ability to say no. You become weak and at the mercy of the master you have succumb to.

-“ your labors go to the house of a foreigner”- this is the sad reality of marriages that fall apart and families that are destroyed as a result of addiction or adultery. All you have worked for in life is stripped away.

Regret

In verse 12 & 13, the reality of the fallout is finally understood. The problem is that it is too late. The destruction has happened and the consequences have taken their toll. The listener is remorseful as he says, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.”

This is the gift of good counsel ahead of time. Hopefully, you don’t have to be the one who says, “WHY DIDN’T I LISTEN? WHY DID I MAKE EXCUSES AND DO WHAT I WANTED?” This is the gift of this proverb. Hopefully, you take it seriously! Even if you are already engaging in forbidden things. STOP. REPENT NOW. Before you delve in deeper. Humble yourself to ask for accountability from a brother who is close to you and can walk with you. Don’t wait until it’s too late and be the one saying, “Why didn’t I listen to godly counsel when I could?”

In verses 18-20, Solomon turns to bring encouragement to enjoy the provisions God has given in marriage. Marriage is worth investing in. Even if you have come to a dry place in your marriage, it is worth whatever it takes to reboot your intimacy and enjoy what God has given as good and right.

The Holy Lord of glory is our audience in all things

Finally, in verse 21, Solomon reminds us to never forget that God is always with us and everything we do is before his eyes.

“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.” Let us look to honor Him above all else in these things when alone or just in our own thoughts. God is with us and we are to honor him in even the most private moments of this life. He is worthy of our praise and fight for righteous living.

I am praying for you as you fight this fight. It must be fought. Sin must be overcome. Bring what is in the dark into the light. Get the accountably that is needed to overcome these things. God is able to restore and heal and sanctify. Trust in him. Listen to his word and let us glorify him with the days he entrust to us under the sun.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Scripture

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:21-23

21   For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
    and he ponders¹ all his paths.
22   The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23   He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Footnotes
[1] 5:21 Or makes level
(ESV)

Scripture

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:15-20

15   Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
16   Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?
17   Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
18   Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
  Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated¹ always in her love.
20   Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?²
Footnotes
[1] 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20

[2] 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
(ESV)

Scripture

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:7-14

7   And now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8   Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
9   lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
10   lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11   and at the end of your life you groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
12   and you say, “How I hated discipline,
    and my heart despised reproof!
13   I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
14   I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”
(ESV)