Proverbs 7

Read Proverbs 7:1 – 5. In this chapter, we can’t be sure whether the father or mother is warning the son. Whoever is issuing the warning reminds him that the best protection against temptation is to know the commands of wisdom so well that it is almost as if those commands are physically bound to him. Most Christians would probably say that we follow God commands, yet we struggle to pull those commands from our memories. Without clear retention, we revert to what seems right to us. What steps could you begin to take daily to more effectively retain God’s commands?

Read Proverbs 7:6 – 20. The adulterous woman seduces the young man with no sense. She uses clever words, which offer things very appealing to him, things that appeal to us in our own temptations. She offers him a meal made of the rich, quality foods that are normally offered as sacrifices (v 14 – 15). In the Old Testament, fellowship offerings, once offered, were to be eaten as a means of drawing closer to God in community and celebration. The tempter says, “I offer a spiritual experience to you, which doesn’t require your own sacrifice or admissions of guilt.” She offers him sexual pleasures, a perfumed bed, and the promise of ‘love’ that lasts until morning (v. 16 – 18). The tempter says, “You can have sensual pleasure without commitment or responsibility. Stay only until dawn.” She promises him that her husband will be gone for a long time, giving him the illusion of being safe from suffering any consequences of his actions (v. 19 – 20). Our own culture constantly tempts us with spirituality without repentance, intimacy without commitment, and pleasure without consequences. Are you being tempted by offers in one of those areas? If you are, what can you do to avoid them?

Read Proverbs 7:21 – 27. The young man is snared in the trap. He walks into it, “little know it will cost him his life.” One of the great dangers of not knowing God’s wisdom is that we can’t easily recognize foolishness. Satan is a master at counterfeiting good things that God offers. Without experience in godly wisdom, we have great difficulty discerning what seems right based on the world’s values. For example, the Bible clearly discourages sex outside of a marriage relationship. Yet, many adults, Christians included, sincerely believe that living and sleeping together before marriage is the best way to determine compatibility, despite biblical and secular evidence demonstrating the opposite to be true. Without a clear understanding of God’s wisdom on this issue, most of us would choose what “makes sense” to us and to the rest of the world. What biblical wisdom do you find yourself most reluctant to accept? Why do you think you resist it?

Take a moment to think about your internal compass. Which sources, the Bible, experts, successful people, your peers, do you find most credible when moral questions arise? Why? Ask God to help you begin to learn and recognize the credibility of His wisdom.