1 My
son, attend unto my Wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
This verse restates what we learned in the first five verses
of chapter two. In fact this verse
basically sums up those first five verses very well.
The opening statement in this chapter should be something we
converse with ourselves on an hour-by-hour basis. By attending to Wisdom, we would care for Wisdom
as if it were a precious orchid and guard it as if it were a magnificent stone
on display in a museum. The trouble is,
often we carry out our day with little regard for the key ingredient that God
has offered. This verse contains an enormous wealth of what Wisdom is all about
and what is necessary to own and maintain true Wisdom. If you have bought a large electronic item
lately like a TV or stereo you have been offered the extended warranty. It cost extra and requires maintenance. Guess what, Wisdom is the same. It requires maintenance and attending. Then there is the thought of listening, but
not your “run of the mill” listening. We are talking some serious listening
here. If you notice it says “bow thine
ear” which if you picture in your mind what it implies, you would see yourself
with your hand cupping your ear in such a way as to catch every single
word. Then you ask yourself why, and of
course it is to have understanding. It
says so right there, what more do you need to know about how to have the
greatest tool in list of armor provided us through our salvation?
2 That
thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
Have you recently said something you wish you had not
said? If not, you may need to consider
how you may have deceived yourself into thinking so highly of yourself. (Rom.
1:18; “professing
themselves to be wise they became fools.”) What we need to see here is how what is said
has a direct correlation to our degree of knowing and having Wisdom. Consider this: “regard discretion.” Having a regard for something is more than
knowing discretion is out there. Regard
in Webster’s says, “Having a Protective Interest.” So if we are to have a protective interest in
discretion, which would indicate we need to learn what is involved.
Discretion has been tossed into the wind in our current
society as indicated by any number of examples.
The point is this, if you execute discretion you would consider what you
say before saying it to make sure it lines up with your thoughts and
purpose. If we exercise discretion in
our actions we will always consider the impact or outcome of those actions and
thus exemplify the kind of character we want to be in possession of.
3 For
the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother
than oil:
The derivative of the word “lips” has the sense of sweeping
away or left barren. It is interesting
when you look at it that way. The
temporary sweetness takes hold of you and leaves you barren. This is actually stated in the philosophical
sense where her lips rain praise, which one without the confidence of Wisdom
might succumb.
It would be a challenge to even the mightiest of men to
withstand the onslaught of the praise of a strange woman. If you think about it, we all like to hear
how good we are. Proverbs even says not
to praise yourself but to let someone else do that. The trick is to know what the purpose is
behind the praise. This also serves as a
warning to the wives in that if you don’t praise your husband when someone else
does, that part of a man will come alive and be attentive by nature.
4 But
her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Contrasting the initial deceptive appearance with the actual
result, bitterness is never something we seek.
The word “sharp” means very keen.
In other words, her intentions may seem kind but by principle the
keenness of the end will lay you open.
Wormwood is the most bitter plant on the planet and has been around for
centuries. The plant is bitter, every
bit of the plant is bitter, there is no part that does not contain
bitterness. The flower is bitter the
stalk is bitter the leaves are bitter and the roots are bitter as well. In similitude, when this relationship has run
its course, the promise is this; there will be nothing but bitterness. Now for the bad part.
The use of “two-edged sword” is very significant here. In Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Not only are the results of this relationship
bitter, it will be revealed. Luke 2:35 “Yea,
a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thought of many hearts
may be revealed.” The figurative use
of the sword here is in that it will be used to lay open from every direction
(two-edged) and there will be no secrets left.
5 Her
feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Again, part of the result is death. It may seem innocent and harmless but
carrying the soul down this path leads to death. The reason I say part of the result is that
an additional but ultimate result is hell, the final death.
Many men have cut through the waters of life like a shark
and ended up like a flounder, laying on their side wondering how he got there.
6 Lest
thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst
not know them.
Pondering in your mind what it would be like to be with this
person forever is futile because “her ways” are not stable, not now and never
will be. She is what she is and her
intentions and desires are only for the present and they are corrupt at that.
This is a vivid description of her actions found in Proverbs
7:10 – 19 “And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and
cunning of heart.11She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not
remain at home; 12She is now in the streets, now in the squares, And
lurks by every corner. 13So she seizes him and kisses him and with a
brazen face she says to him: 14"I was due to offer peace
offerings; today I have paid my vows. 15"Therefore I have come
out to meet you, to seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. 16"I
have spread my couch with coverings, with colored linens of Egypt. 17"I
have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18"Come,
let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with
caresses. 19"For my husband is not at home, He has gone on a
long journey;” (NASB)
7 Hear
me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Go back and read verse one.
Do you ever get the impression that Proverbs sort of says over and over
and over, “hey listen up” or “pay attention” or “get back in here…right
NOW?” There is a lesson all by itself in
that very fact. We will often waiver or
compromise. We have to be reminded what we are supposed to be doing or not
doing. We are referred to as
children. My children, when they got to
be old enough to be left at home alone while I was away would do some of the
most outrageous things imaginable. When
I would return and address the situation(s), they would say, “well Dad, you
never said NOT to do that.” The point is
the LORD knows us and knows He has to tell us, like children, every single
detail of how to behave. The LORD lays down a good principle in raising us as
the children we tend to be through Wisdom.
Wisdom gives the mindset, the actions and the results of those actions
in many circumstances. In most cases, if
we thought matters through in light of Wisdom, we would already know the
outcome. The principles have been put in
place and are eternal. If we thought
just a few seconds longer about half the things we do our life would be eighty
percent freer of calamity.
8 Remove
thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
Read this like a warning label. Wisdom says to keep yourself “far from
her”. Consider this; you must convince
yourself you are not invincible on your own to resist. Put your combat boots on and march your rump
as far away from any situation that may be compromising as you can. This includes the corrosion of what you allow
into your daily life. It is serious what
you allow in your mind and if you are not careful those things become thoughts
and once they become thoughts you are guilty.
Mt 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart.” Remember Pr 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence…”
9 Lest
thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years
unto the cruel:
If you are seen hanging around where those that do these
things hang out, guess what is going to be thought of you? We scale the tallest mountains seeking honor
and with one slip can end up in the rubbish of the fallen. Additionally, don’t think for a minute,
taking a fall leaves you without lasting handicaps.
10 Lest
strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours
be in the house of a stranger;
While you are busy trying to get back up it will seem like
CNN is there, live, covering the entire scene.
Consider even worse, because of your being self deceived, you become
oblivious to onlookers and those taking advantage of you while you are in this
state of mind. Being around them that
are known to be wicked presents them with an opportunity to snatch all you
have. That is what they do and they are
good at it. Go back and read the verse
again. Now, if our labors are in the
house of a stranger, does that sound like a slave?
11 And
thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
There is a separation of flesh and body here. The word
“flesh” refers to the flesh of ones own body and the word “body” refers to a
figurative body and is often translated as blood relative or kin. In some cases while we are busy murdering
ourselves those closest to us are consumed as well.
12 And
say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
Although both David and Bathsheba are spared death for this
crime, their first child dies after only 7 days. Furthermore, the Bible claims
that the subsequent string of intrigues, murders and infighting including civil
war that plagues David's later life is part of a curse imposed as additional
punishment.[1]
13 And
have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that
instructed me!
“I should have known” is what is said to himself. I heard it but I did not live by it and not
only that but I should have listened closer to what was being said.
14 I
was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
This is an interesting verse as it concludes the delusion of
the one taken by the harlot and how he speaks to himself. The NASB says it like this: “ I was almost in
utter ruin…” It is like waking up from a horrible dream. The bad thing though is it was real.
15 Drink
waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
In other words, keep this activity at home and don’t let
others into your life that will water down your relationship with your own
wife.
16 Let
thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
This verse is in question form actually. The NASB says it this way: “Should your
springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?” Water is the vital sustenance of life as is
loyalty the strength of a marriage.
Basically this verse poses a rhetorical type question in that it has an
obvious answer. The use of “fountains”
or “streams”, in the case of the NASB, is a metaphor for sexual intimacy as is
“rivers of waters”. So then you could
pose the question this way; “Should your sexual intimacy be dispersed abroad,
or put forth in the streets?” Of course
not!
17 Let
them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
The intimacy of a marriage is fashioned by the LORD and
culminates in the physical.
Understanding that the intimacy of a marriage is not solely hinged on
the physical is imperative. There must
always be special things between a couple that are not shared anywhere or with
anyone and especially not with strangers.
Through the years I have known guys who boast of their escapades and
later seen them clamoring for reality.
18 Let
thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Picture it this way; going to the fountain is where we get
refreshed. The fountain at home is the
intimacy or closeness we can only find at home with our mate. After being out in the world working and
struggling to earn a living or bargaining for necessities, arriving at home
should bring warmth to the soul. I once
heard a man describing his home. He was
a tall man and very successful in his business ventures. He looked at his wife and said we have made
our home our own little heaven on earth.
It is a place where the world is not allowed to enter.
19 Let
her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all
times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
The word “hind” refers to a doe and the word “roe” is a
female mountain goat. The doe is always
responsive to the male and is the focus of the male in the animal kingdom. When another buck comes around there is no
delay in running him off. A “loving
hind” shows her attention and appreciation when she is protected and cared for
by her mate. The use of “pleasant roe”
is a picture of sure-footedness or gracefulness. She is consistent with her attentiveness to
him and their nest every step of the way.
The instruction to us men is to allow her to be this way.
There is nothing figurative about the use of the word
“breast” and the word “satisfy” means to be intoxicated. A man is supposed to be consumed by the bosom
of his mate and not the bosom of a stranger.
Wives, your man is not ill or being vulgar in his efforts to caress
you. He is normal and acting the way the
LORD made him. Look what Paul said in 1
Corinthians 7:3-5 “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife,
and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not
belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's
body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5Do not
deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may
devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not
tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (NIV) The word “ravished” means a form of
drunkenness or intoxication with her love.
The point is this; because the world has corrupted physical
intimacy by flaunting its flagrant abuses.
Christians often see it as impure and only physical or giving in to the
flesh. Yet the LORD created a
supernatural bonding through physical intimacy.
20 And
why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom
of a stranger?
This verse simply poses the obvious question in light of
what Wisdom has told us to be the principles and facts of how things really
work. Taking into consideration the
instruction of Wisdom, look at it in a list form:
Wisdom's
Warning of her
1.
her lips are deceiving (vs. 3a)
2.
her words are smoother than oil (vs. 3b)
3.
her end is bitter (wormwood) (vs. 4a)
4.
her end is revealing (two-edged sword) (vs. 4b)
5.
her feet go down to death (vs. 5a)
6.
her steps take hold on hell (vs. 5b)
7.
her path is moveable (unstable) (vs. 6)
Wisdom's
Warning of Results
1.
give away your honor (vs. 9a)
2.
give away years of your life (vs. 9b)
3.
give away your wealth (vs. 10a)
4.
give away your efforts (vs. 10b)
5.
give away your health (vs. 11a)
6.
give away your family (vs. 11b)
7.
give away your reality (vs. 12)
21 For
the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth
all his goings.
I would like to look at this in two perspectives. First, all that is done is before the LORD
and he knows our “goings” or path.
Wisdom is clear on this. The
point we need desperately to see here is that the LORD sees the path we are on
and He sees the heart that motivates us down those paths. We may inventory our lives from time to time
and see our existence as less than fully blessed. If that is the case then certainly we should
be motivated to make the corrections necessary to get back on the right
path. Pray for forgiveness and set your
thoughts on Wisdom and give Her your attention.
Secondly, if “the ways of man are before the eyes of the
LORD,” then it is true that the LORD ponders the goodness of our hearts as
well. Sometimes I feel we dwell too much
on how bad we are and not enough on what is in our heart. Some of us have more difficulty fighting the
flesh than others but by no means does that make us any better or worse than
someone else. Take the hammer of Wisdom
into your marriage and shatter the glass of separation. Reveal yourself to your mate. Be the unique person you are and accept the
uniqueness of your mate. Make your heart
hers and her heart yours and when the LORD ponders that, get ready for the
supernatural!
22 His
own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
The word “iniquities” here is a very strong word in that it
means; perversity, depravity, guilt or punishment of iniquity. You can see how one who has fallen into this
sentencing would be thrashing around trying to make sense of what is going
on. His efforts are only quenched by
more of his futile pleasure. His reality
is not real. The binding hold of her
words and attentions further his demise.
It is amazing how far a man will go for even a sliver of attention and
in his deception, feel as though he is on top of the world. The phrase “holden
with the cords of his sins”, the word “holden” means
to grasp, lay hold of, hold fast. The
word “cords” has the sense of a binding pledge.
You see, in order for a man who in the beginning of his sin may know
better than to become involved, somehow begins to become wrapped up in the
commitment of his sin. This is more
easily understood if you look at Wisdom’s Warnings of her.
Did you notice the beginning of this verse how it says his
iniquities shall take the wicked himself? He has become a wicked one. Now in light of that fact, the wicked will
see to it that they feed on him.
23 He
shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go
astray.
This is like saying farewell. Or maybe you would rather follow Galatians
6:1-10 and come along side this one and bring him or her back into the family.