Proclamation:
“My son, keep my words and store up my
commands within you. Keep my commands
and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 7:1-2 (NIV)
Explanation:
This proverb, like all of the proverbs,
was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God. This seventh proverb encourages the men to
adhere to the doctrines and principals of wisdom as presented in God’s Holy
Word and taught to them by Solomon in order to avoid falling into the trap of
the adulterous woman. (Proverbs 7:1-5) Solomon
mentions this in his second proverb (Proverb 2:16-19) and he focuses on sins of
the flesh in the fifth and sixth proverb.
In this proverb Solomon tells the story of a young man that he witnessed
get ensnared by such a woman. (Proverbs 7:6-23)
Then he warns them of the price they would pay for not heeding his
warning. (Proverbs 7:24-27)
Application:
Unfortunately for us, temptations relating
to sins of the flesh are prevalent in our society. Many men and women, saved and unsaved, yield
to these temptations of the flesh and participate in illicit and adulterous
affairs. You will note that the woman in this story is a “religious” woman.
(Proverbs 7:14) Also, many ladies have
been “turned out” and led astray by a smooth talking man. This warning applies to both men and
women. Additionally, there are many more
people who think about it but never get physically involved. Thinking about it is also a sin (Matthew 5:28)
for as a man thinks so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)
Everything in the Bible is important, but maybe we should pay much more
attention to warnings like this which are repeated several times. This is an area of weakness and we need to
pray for His help and strength. If we
spent more time reading and meditating on His Holy Word, we would spend less
time yielding to temptation and falling into sin.
