PROVERBS 5

Pitfalls of Immorality

1 My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding;

2 That you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge.

3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech;

4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol.

6 She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.

7 Now then, my 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 Or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one;

10 And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

11 And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;

12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!

13 I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

14 I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well.

16 Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?

17 Let them be yours alone and not for strangers with you.

18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19 As a loving hind and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress and embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths.

22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.

Reflection

Today’s chapter looks at temptation and marriage. Even if you aren’t married, this chapter still has valuable teachings. Everything we do has consequences, whether they are good or bad. If we have wisdom and knowledge that comes from our Heavenly Father, we have the ability to make wise choices. In verse 11 we see that those who give into temptation regret the choices they make, and later on we see that the sins we walk into will trap us and in the end, ruin us. However, we have a good Father who gives us what we need to make the right choices.

Reflect

Look at the first three verses of the chapter. What makes sin (in this case, the woman), so tempting? Now look back at verses 4-6. Why is it so important to listen to wisdom?

Engage

We all face temptations in different ways. We all mess up and give in to sin on occasion too. But God tells us that His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) and that through the blood Jesus shed on the cross, we have redemption and forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7). Have you accepted His grace?

An Extra Mile