Wisdom Against Adultery
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 98 viewsAdultery will ruin your life if you do not heed your Father's teaching.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Please open your Bibles to as we pick up where we left off in our studies in proverbs.
This past week, news broke out that a prominent minister and expositor was removed from his church because of sexually immorality. I received a text from Pastor Mark and that just made my whole day sour. The church issued a statement that this minister would be removed as senior pastor because he fail to live up to the standards of 1 Timothy and . The official statement reads:
“We grieve the shame this brings to the Gospel and the sorrow it brings to God’s people.”
This news came like a sledge hammer because this man’s ministry was highly respected and revered. The man was a conference speaker, an author, a professor, a pastor who planted churches, and a man who was very influential in our circles.
I found out about the news on Monday and was shocked the whole day. I was disillusioned and saddened. It was sobering news.
I kept thinking to myself, how could this happen? The man had everything. How can a man be so gifted, yet so far away from God?
And through this act of immorality, he lost everything. His name was taken off websites. He was removed from his church. And I have no idea what is going on his family life right now.
And the news of the adultery spread like wildfire in an online world. Through this act of folly, the man has literally lost everything.
And I was sharing my grief with another friend, he told me that another person we know is undergoing the stages of church discipline because of an adulterous relationship.
Sex matters. And in matters to God. And sexual sin is no private matter, but it brings great damage upon the individual, the spouse, the children involved, the church, and drags the name of Christ under the mud.
Recap
Last week, we learned that foolish debt and laziness and wickedness will lead you to poverty and death. This week, we see the devastating consequences of adultery and how that will lead you to death.
Proverbs gives us wisdom. And that wisdom is for everyday life.
This is why the passage we are studying this morning matters. Solomon tells his son to remember his teaching so that we would not buy into the deception and lie of sexual immorality through an adulterous relationship. He tells his son again for a third and fourth time:
Adultery will ruin your life if you do heed my instruction.
And we too, if we don’t heed today’s warning, could ruin our lives if we do not listen to what God says to us today.
The seventh commandment tells us “You shall not commit adultery” (). Proverbs shows us how that practically looks like in everyday life. Proverbs fleshes out what we must avoid and how we must avoid the sin of adultery.
The broader application is that we must avoid and flee all forms of sexual immorality as God’s people.
Main Proposition: So in , we get a sober warning to heed to the Father’s teaching, so that we would not ruin our lives through immorality. If we are going to have wisdom to avoid adultery, we must see the
Devastating Consequences of Adultery (vv. 19-35)
The Strategic Seduction of Adultery (vv. 1-27)
Scripture Reading: Let us read .
I. The Consequences of Adultery (6:19-35)
I. The Consequences of Adultery (6:19-35)
There are six consequences we see in this text. But notice the Father is teaching his son again and obeying the instruction from to diligently teach his son.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Heed Your Father’s Teaching (vv. 20-23)
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
Keep mom and dad’s instruction/law. Treasure these things by binding them on your heart. These commandments are to be worn like a necklace so that they may stay close to you.
Some of us have our phones with us all the time and we can’t live without it; or an apple watch and it tells us the time of day and tasks we need to do.
Well in the same way, you need to have the Word of God near you in your daily walk. You need to have access to the word of God at any moment of the day, whether you walk, or whether you lied down, or when you wake up.
The commandments from the parents are likened to the Word of God which is a lamp and light like the hymn we sung. The commandments are for our good and our correction so that they may show us how to live. And specifically, these commandments and instructions will keep you from the evil woman or the adulteress...
Parents—Some may think its taboo to talk about such a talk like this to their children, but we must talk to our children at the appropriate time regarding God’s design for sex and the context for sex. If we will not teach them and have conversations about these topics, the world and the media will teach them.
Again, people married earlier in that culture. And that is why this teaching was so relevant.
When you pay heed you will avoid the forbidden woman (v. 24)
to preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Proverbs call her also the “strange” or “alien” woman.
It is not her nationality that makes her ‘foreign,’ but the fact that she resides outside your covenant of marriage.
Proverbs 2:
Any sexual activity outside the covenant union between one man and one woman is sin in the eyes of God.
What are the consequences of not paying heed to the teaching?
A. Poverty (vv. 25-26)
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
Proverbs 2
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (1) Admonition (6:25)
The point of the lecture is brief and to the point. Don’t let her capture you with her eyes so that you are tempted to lust after her beauty
Don’t let your heart be captured by the wrong woman. This is the OT version of what Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Don’t lust after her, but like Job:
“I have made a covenant with my eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
The message of this proverb is simply: Immorality is costly! It may cost you all you have materially, and it may cost you everything your life is and has become. It can steal not only your material wealth, but also your integrity, fellowship with God, reputation, family, relationships, friends, and respect.
Commentators debate on this translation whether the price of the prostitute is a loaf of bread, or engaging in adultery will lead you to have nothing and then you will be reduced to a loaf of bread. The point is you will lose everything if you engage in this sin.
Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary 6:26
Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary 6:26
The message of this proverb is simply: Immorality is costly! It may cost you all you have materially, and it may cost you everything your life is and has become. It can steal not only your material wealth, but also your integrity, fellowship with God, reputation, family, relationships, friends, and respect.
But not only will adultery lead to poverty, it will lead to great pain.
B. Pain (v.v. 27-28)
Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
This past weekend, a friend who is an nurse in the ER, posted a picture on instagram. It was a picture of a mangled hand because someone was drunk and playing with an explosive firework which may be illegal. He lost his hand because that is what happens when you play with explosives. That is why they are called illegal.
Same thing here. The obvious answer is no! Don’t play with fire and don’t play with hot coals! Scorched is that which burns an leaves a permanent scar.
Immoral sex is not something you play with or else you will be burned or you will be scorched!
Sex in the covenant of marriage can be a good thing, like a fire on a hot stove warming up food.
But sex outside of marriage can be a bad thing, like a forest or wildfire that scorches brush and then destroys homes and even lives.
Adultery will lead to poverty, pain, but thirdly…it will lead to punishment...
C. Punishment (vv. 29-31)
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (1) Admonition (6:25)
The point of the lecture is brief and to the point. Don’t let her capture you with her eyes so that you are tempted to lust after her beauty
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
Even though stealing is wrong, the point is people understands why a thief stole. It is not justifying the sin, but it is understanding that he stole that he can eat. Even the thief will pay a high price.
D. Death (v. 32)
If you watch Les Miserables, Jean Valjean goes to prison for stealing a loaf of bread because he was hungry, yet he is a slave and punished for his crimes.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Argument 1: Adultery’s Severe, Inevitable, Unending Penalty (6:26–33)
“Seven times” is a figure for full compensation (cf. Gen. 4:15; Lev. 26:28; cf. Matt. 18:21–22), covering all the compensations demanded by the law; it probably does not reflect a more severe punishment than does the Book of the Covenant.
But the adulterer will pay a higher price. He will pay more than sevenfold. He will lose his life and reputation.
Poverty, Pain, Punishment, Destruction...
D. Destruction (v. 32)
He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
Proverbs 6:
As I mentioned about the pastor who committed adultery, he lost everything after he stepped down. Most pastors I know found about the news on social media.
His name was removed from the schools he taught, his books will probably be no longer read,his past messages were removed online from some of the conferences he preached, he will no longer be asked to preach because he is unqualified to be a minister and preacher of God’s Word.
We must pray for the repentance of the this man. The grief and the pain the family and the church that they must be experiencing.
This struck a holy fear within me. God forbid that it would be me and I would lose everything.
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Adultery was a capital offense in the OT.
“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
E. Dishonor (v. 33)
He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
When you hear of Bill Clinton, I’m sure you probably think of that scandal because the reproach is with him.
We can even think about our former president, Bill Clinton, who engaged in sexual relations with his intern Monica Lewinsky, which lead to the President’s impeachment.
As I mentioned about the pastor who committed adultery, he lost everything after he stepped down. The whole Christian world knew because of social media.
The former president denied it, but with more evidence, confirmed that he had an inappropriate relationship with her.
His name was removed from the schools he taught, his books will probably be no longer read,his past messages were removed online from some of the conferences he preached, he will no longer be asked to preach because he is unqualified to be a minister and preacher of God’s Word.
We must pray for the repentance of the this man. The grief and the pain the family and the church that they must be experiencing.
This struck a holy fear within me. God forbid that it would be me and I would lose everything.
When you hear of Bill Clinton, I’m sure you probably think of that scandal because the reproach is with him.
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Or we think about the American Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart in the 80s who was engaged in sexual immorality with a prostitution. Because of the man’s influence and ministry, he brought shame upon the name of Christ and the church.
Even David, although we know him as the godliest king of Israel, we remember David as the one who committed adultery two thousand years later.
Adultery can be forgiven, but there is a reproach and a stain that can last a life time. God can and will forgive through Christ, but there are consequences a person may have to live for the rest of his or her life.
Poverty, Pain, Punishment, Destruction, Dishonor, and Danger...
He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
F. Danger (vv. 34-35)
For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
Proverbs
The reality is that the husband may not forgive the man and in fact may want to harm the man. He will seek to take vengeance on the fool. He will pay no pity or show no compassion.
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
Proverbs 27:
Christian—Adultery is a foolish decision and it is a bad deal. The return on a moment or night of pleasure is a lifetime of pain and disaster. Fools don’t see that this sin will deliver sevenfold and bring death if this instruction is not heeded. Fools don’t see the long term devastating consequences of adultery. This is why we must heed to Solomon’s teaching, which is really our heavenly Father’s teaching.
Wisdom helps you see the long term effects on your choices and actions. Wisdom helps you avoid the path of death and stay on the path of life.
Even Solomon did not heed his own advice and would prepare the way for the eventual split and exile of the Kingdom.
Married People--
“The best offense against committing adultery is a strong offense” Tremper Longman
Marriage takes work. Make sure you are actively working to strengthen your marriage. Make sure you are prioritizing one another before your children, your work, or your hobbies.
Make sure you are having frequent marital intimacy as we study in . Make sure you are going on dates and being open with communication. Give time and effort to your marriage.
If your marriage needs work, it is not shameful to get counseling or get help for your marriage. Some marriages need wisdom and counseling. Talk to your leaders. Ask a trusted and respected friend to give counsel or even help mediate.
It is sobering to realize that it can happen to anyone of us because we still have a sinful nature we must combat everyday of our lives.
Make sure your heart is warm and close to the Lord. The person who commits adultery has grown far and cold from the Lord and therefore engaged in idolatry by practicing sexual immorality.
Single—Sexual sin is not a light or private matter. Wait. Practice self-control now by avoiding porn and immoral sex so that you can protect your future marriage. Faithfulness now will help you practice faithfulness in marriage.
Church—We must continue to be committed to a local church. We gather regularly for accountability and to continually be exposed to the Word so we can treasure these things. We gather so we can keep each other accountable and not grow hard to the Lord and do something stupid. Ask brothers and sisters hard questions.
Guilty—If we have been guilty of this sin, we need to confess it before its too late.
Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
that I may answer him who reproaches me.
The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.
As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and never satisfied are the eyes of man.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.
Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
When the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.
There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
You may need to confess to your spouse. And it will take time to heal immorality through repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
Divorce—Jesus left two grounds for divorce: abandonment and immorality. If a person has engaged in immorality with someone else, there may be a legitimate grounds for divorce. Although the innocent party may use that right, he or she doesn’t have to use it and make the marriage work again through time, forgiveness.
God can heal broken marriages. Because we see that is what God does with His own people.
Jesus experienced the poverty, the pain of crucifixion, the pain and punishment we deserved so that we can be forgiven, restored, and have our guilt taken away. If you are guilty or have fallen, confess your sins and look to Christ who is always willing to forgive repentant sinners.
The book of Hosea points to God’s covenant love even though his people were covenant breakers and spiritual adulterers. The gospel can be put on powerful display when there is forgiveness and the covenant remains.
Jesus experienced the poverty, the pain of crucifixion, the pain and punishment we deserved so that we can be forgiven, restored, and have our guilt taken away. If you are guilty or have fallen, confess your sins and look to Christ who is always willing to forgive repentant sinners.
It may take counsel from pastors to get more wisdom on this issue.
You see the devastating consequences of adultery? It is not worth it! It is a bad deal! it will ruin your life!
Transition: This is the devastating and destructive consequences of adultery, but secondly, let’s look at the seduction of adultery. If we are going to avoid it or outsmart it, we need the strategy and seduction of the adulteress...
II. The Seduction of Adultery (7:1-27)
II. The Seduction of Adultery (7:1-27)
Sin is not only dangerously deceptive, but it is seductive. If sin was not deceiving, or seductive, we would not entertain it. Sin’s nature is to promise happiness and pleasure but only deliver death. Sin gives momentary pleasure, but delivers a lifetime of pain and sorrow.
Warnings from the Father Again...
My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 2:1-
Keep and obey my words. Treasure my commandments with you. The commandments are for life.
May these commands be ever before you, as the apple of the eye, bind them on your fingers and write them on the tablets on your heart.
Christian: God’s word not only must be heard, but it must be treasured. Do you treasure what God says to you? If you do not delight in God’s Word, when sin and temptation knock on your door, a stoic relationship with the Word of God will not keep you from sin. You need to love it and meditate on it and store deep within so you may not sin against God.
When you hear God’s word preached every Sunday to you? Are you storing up the wisdom of God’s Word? Are you treasuring it? Or you looking for the time to pass so then you can get to potluck and socialize with your friends?
Brother/Sister, God’s Word is for your life! Its for your peace! It’s for your security! It’s for your safety!
Love Her and Prize Wisdom! You must have an intimate relationship with her.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
Sister () can also be translated bride, which Solomon calls his bride in Song of Solomon. Instead of being intimate with sin, be intimate with wisdom. Love her her, prize her, pursue her, treasure her, and be delight in her.
Do you say you have an intimate and personal relationship with wisdom? With the word of God? Does God’s Word inform you?
I can answer that question by how much you love reading your Bible. Or how much you love coming to church to hear the Word or being with God’s people.
Why do you need to prize wisdom?
to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
Again, it will keep you from the forbidden woman and from the adulteress with her sweet words that will end up stinging you and leaving you dead if you buy into her lie.
Simple Ones, Receive Wisdom (vv. 6-7)
For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
Proverbs 6:
For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
A simple person, a petî—related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be open”—this person is keeping his options open, uncommitted, still “exploring life,” we might say.—Ray Orlund
A simple person lacks discernment. A simper person does not think about his actions. The simple is inexperienced and gullible. Proverbs is to help the simple person think and reflect so he doesn’t do something stupid.
How does the adulterer seduces? In a broader application,how does sin seduce?
A. Sin will lead you to the wrong places (v. 8)
For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
Proverbs 6:
Proverbs 7:
It seems like a horror movie unfolding. He goes to her house, whether intentionally or he stumbled across it. The point is he shouldn’t be there.
Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
Why are you there in the first place? You shouldn’t be there?
B. Sin will lead you to the the dark places (v. 9)
Darkness in scripture is used of blindness and ignorance to the things of God. People generally like to sin when no one is watching. When people get drunk, they tend to get drunk at night. When people commit immorality, they tend to do that in the night. When people engage in prostitution, they do that at night.
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
It’s the wrong place at the wrong time, you see what is about to take place?
C. Sin will lead you to the wrong people (vv. 10-13)
Proverbs 7:
And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
The woman comes out dressed immodestly.
Wily of heart means guarded or cunning of heart. You do not know her true motives. She is dressed immodestly and she is loud meaning she shows no moral restraint.
She is wayward or rebellious. Normal people are sleeping in their homes at night, yet this woman is out looking for trouble and looking for some stupid man to devour.
The woman does not respect the authority within the home or within the church. She is a woman out of control and has no accountability.
She is aggressive. She seizes and kisses him. She is not reserved in our sexuality.
The fool doesn’t see the trap he is going into. He ignores her character, he ignores her immodesty, and he ignores her advance.
Christian Single Men—Physical attraction is not all there is. If you are looking for a spouse, ask yourself, is she a woman of character? Is she modest? Does she respect authority? Does she guard her words? Ask brothers and sisters for input. Sisters, you should protect your Christian brothers from the wrong women and brothers you should protect your sisters by following the wrong guys.
Now we see her seductive words in the next verses.
D. Sin will lead you to do the wrong actions (vv. 14-20)
A simple person, a petî—related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be open”—this person is keeping his options open, uncommitted, still “exploring life,” we might say.—Ray Orlund
“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Seduction: The Unchaste Wife’s Smooth Speech (7:14–20)
Fertility rites in Canaanite religion followed communion sacrifices (Exod. 32:1–6; Num. 25:1–2). The invitation to have sex with her was also an invitation to participate in fertility religion.
She is a religious hypocrite. She has a form of godliness, but denying its power. All is well with God. An worshipper could offer a sacrifice and take home the left over meat for a religious meal.
She took the name of God upon our helps, but she did not have him in her heart.
She is seductive. Not only does she seduce with her words, but she manipulates with erotic and sensual smells and items.
I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
Proverbs 6:
I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Seduction: The Unchaste Wife’s Smooth Speech (7:14–20)
She now stimulates him with aphrodisiac smells; all three names for perfumes in this verse are also found in Song 4:14 as odiferous images of sexual love.
Imported bed and spices from outside. There was a bed, it smelled well, and she is seducing this fool into the trap.
“I got the executive suite for us. I have wine and fruits and we can make love all night”.
She is sexually immoral. Let us enjoy pleasure all night. Again, pleasure is not wrong with your spouse, but a forbidden woman brings judgment on the man.
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Seduction: The Unchaste Wife’s Smooth Speech (7:14–20)
The temptress promises sexual love without erotic restraint, but she refuses to make the fundamental commitment of self to him that is required of true love. Her sort of eroticism leads to complications, even death, and so it must be rejected.
She is rationalizes her sinful behavior.
For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
Proverbs 7:
My husband is not here. No one will find out. No one will know. He has gone far away. She is trying to reassure him that no one will find out and there will be no consequences by engaging in sin with more.
The fool will ignore reason and conscience. Sin makes you ignore all reason and conscience doesn’t it?
My husband is not here. No one will find out. No one will know.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Christian women—Men can overpower women through force, but women can overpower men through seduction. Please don’t dress immodestly. Your body is a temple and you are a daughter in God’s sight. You are a daughter of a king, so live nobly and virtuously and modestly. God values beauty in the heart.
If you don’t know what is immodest, ask your dad. Ask a sister in the church.
Christian—You can be engaging in sin. No one knows it. Your family doesn’t know it. You church doesn’t know it. But let me tell you something, sin will always come to the light because God ultimately knows. Therefore you must confess your sins now before it is too late.
“I got the executive suite for us. I have wine and fruits and we can make love all night”.
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
The fool does not understand that the temporary momentary pleasure will lead him to death and the consequences will far exceed the pleasure of the night.
She seduces with words (v. 21)
With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
God’s Word keeps us from sin. Satan will make us sin if we buy into his seductive words. Satan used words to get Adam and Eve to sin. And God uses words to keep us from sin.
Make sure you are listening to God’s Word over your own word or Satan’
E. Sin will lead you to death (vv. 22-23)
All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast
till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
Three illustrations:
Proverb
Ox enters the slaughterhouse.
The slaughter of an ox would be slitting the neck, and the large veins are severed, and the bleeding leads to immediate death.
The stag is caught.
The stag is an animal trapped and cannot get out of it.
The bird is captured and cannot fly out of it.
The point is that these animals are led to the slaughter house and the man will also be soon be dead.
Bruce Waltke says,
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (3) Fall: The Gullible’s Submission (7:21–23)
Stupid animals see no connection between traps and death, and morally stupid people see no connection between their sin and death (cf. 1:17–18; Hos. 7:11).
Brothers and sisters, let us not take sin lightly. If we take sin lightly, we view God lightly. If we pay serious heed to sin, we will pay serious heed to God.
The Father’s Concluding Point
And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs
Proverbs 7:
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Motivation: The Unchaste Wife is Deadly (7:26–27)
Slain (halālîm), literally “to be hollowed out, pierced” (cf. the stag in 7:23), is here a technical military term for “pierced” in battle—though it can be used for anyone murdered or executed—and a metonymy for the slain corpses that are stripped and then buried.
The Picture Here is a field of slain men.
The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 (2) Seduction: The Unchaste Wife’s Smooth Speech (7:14–20)
Fertility rites in Canaanite religion followed communion sacrifices (Exod. 32:1–6; Num. 25:1–2). The invitation to have sex with her was also an invitation to participate in fertility religion.
Jesus experienced the poverty, the pain of crucifixion, the pain and punishment we deserved so that we can be forgiven, restored, and have our guilt taken away. If you are guilty or have fallen, confess your sins and look to Christ who is always willing to forgive repentant sinners.
Christian Single Men—Physical attraction is not all there is. If you are looking for a spouse, ask yourself, is she a woman of character? Is she modest? Does she respect authority? Does she guard her words? Ask brothers and sisters for input. Sisters, you should protect your Christian brothers from the wrong women and brothers you should protect your sisters by following the wrong guys.
Christian—If sin seduces and puts a person at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people doing the wrong things, the obvious way to avoid death is to be at the right place with the right people doing the right things.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Love things of the Lord. When you get converted, you get a new heart and new desires. Sin looks stupid to you and you want to be around the things God loves. Love His Word. Love His People. Walk in the LIght. Love the Church.
Straying Member—Don’t wander away from the Word. Don’t wander away from God’s people and get yourself involved with people you shouldn’t be involved with.
The wayward woman does not submit to authority in her own home or in her community (the church)
A simple person lacks discernment. A simper person does not think about his actions. The simple is inexeperienced and gullible.
It breaks my heart over the years to see people leave the church because they were seduced by sin, the wrong people, or a wrong relationship. Don’t let your love for the Lord grow cold.
“I got the executive suite for us. I have wine and fruits and we can make love all night”.
Married People—Take heed to your own soul and kill lust at the heart. Confess your sins and make sure you are open with your wife about your temptations and struggles and be devoted to prayer.
The fool does not understand that the temporary momentary pleasure will lead him to death and the consequences will far exceed the pleasure of the night.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You see how seductive sin is? It is alluring? It promises pleasure, but it lead you to the wrong places at the wrong time with the wrong people with the wrong behavior and down the wrong path.
I’m not an adulterer
You may say we that this can’t happen to me. Even though you may not have committed physical adultery, the Bible says that we have committed spiritual adultery.
All of us have forsaken God for the pleasures of sin.
Adam and Eve forsook God because the fruit was pleasing to the eye and thought that their own wisdom would bring them life when it brought them death.
And we too, have been guilty of neglecting God’s Word, therefore embracing the seduction of sin over the wisdom of the Father.
But Praise God that in his mercy, there was a Son who was obedient completely. Praise God that the obedient Son was not David, or Solomon, but it was Jesus our Messiah.
Jesus Christ never engaged in sexual sin or any sin because he obeyed the Father’s instructions and teaching.
Yet because of our sin, Jesus would experience, poverty, pain, punishment, dishonor, disaster, and death so that we could be forgiven, cleansed, and renewed.
Jesus came not for the healthy, but for the sick.
All of us are sick with sin and only Jesus can heal us and make us wise so that we can live blessed lives here. Praise God for the obedient son and that through his death and resurrection, he can make us new again if we repent, turn away from our sins, and trust in Him alone.
Jesus experienced the death so that He can give us life.
Jesus experienced pain and punishment we all deserve so that we can have freedom from sin and guilt and life a new life that lives to his glory and keeps His Word.
Summary:
Adultery brings devastating consequences: poverty, pain, punishment, dishonor, destruction, danger.
Adultery has a seductive strategy that will lead you to be at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people doing the wrong things that will lead you to the wrong path which is the place of the dead.
Jesus experienced the consequences of our sins so that he may give us the free gift of eternal life and lead us to the right place, the right time, the right people, and do the right things so that we may truly have life.
Conclusion
Ortlund Jr., Raymond C. . Proverbs: Wisdom That Works (Kindle Locations 2108-2110). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
Pray for me. Pray I would never fall into this reproach and disqualify myself and ruin my life, my family life, and more importantly drag the name of Christ in the mud.
Pray for one another. Let us confess our sins and pray for another. Let us be sober-minded and make sure we are walking with God with a clean conscience and a pure heart.
Let us pray for those who have fallen that they may be restored to the joy of their salvation and find the grace and peace that is only found in Jesus.
God says no to sex outside of marriage, but he says yes to sex within marriage.
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Jesus took on the ultimate consequence of adultery.
Jesus experienced the poverty, the pain of crucifixion, the pain and punishment we deserved so that we can be forgiven, restored, and have our guilt taken away. If you are guilty or have fallen, confess your sins and look to Christ who is always willing to forgive repentant sinners.
Jimmy Swaggart, the famous American Televangelist in the 1980s, had to step down because he was found to be engaging with a prostitute.