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Chad Werkhoven

Proverbs 5 - O be careful little feet where you go...

Life is a constant struggle between Wisdom and Temptation. Find out what's at stake.


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Proverbs 5 Summary


As the wise father instructs his young son in wisdom, we've already seen that wisdom is personified throughout the book of Proverbs as a woman. But Lady Wisdom is not the only woman the son will encounter in life, and in chapter 5, the wise father teaches his son about Wisdom's nemesis, a seductive temptress.


Although she sounds so good - her lips drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, she's a trap that leads to certain death (v3-6).


In v7-14, the father warns of how much the Temptress can take away: honor, years of life, a lifetime of wages. Those who fall into this trap often are only left with the regrets of spurning the discipline that was offered when they were young.


Although the father uses the analogy of marriage and adultery to demonstrate the relationship between wisdom and temptation, the instruction in v15-20 to drink from one's own well and to rejoice in the wife of your youth apply to every situation in life. Find contentment in what you've been given, for the tenth commandment (do not covet) is often the gateway to the first nine.


Finally the father reminds his son that God sees every step we take, and that folly will only lead to estrangement and death



Dig Deeper


Notice how the father switches from addressing his son (singular) to his sons (plural) in v7. This switch helps confirm what is fairly obvious: that the instruction given in these opening chapters to Proverbs are not just for the sons of Solomon, but for all of God's children.


AAA Prayer:

  • ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our wise Father, whose eyes are always upon us (v21)

  • ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask for contentment with what God has given to you: in your relationships, career, and belongings so that you do not succumb to temptation.

  • ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

 

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