Avoid Immorality by Treasuring God’s Word

Proverbs 7:1-27 

1 My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.

3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister,"
And call understanding your nearest kin,

5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the youths,
A young man devoid of understanding,

8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.

10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 She was loud and rebellious,
Her feet would not stay at home.

12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an impudent face she said to him:

14 "I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.

16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day."

21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.

22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.

24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;

26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell,
Descending to the chambers of death.

These strong words of warning follow the last chapter on the wisdom that avoids adultery, giving the reminder to treasure God’s word to avoid the immoral seducer offering the passing pleasures of sin to those without understanding.  The first five verses speak of valuing God’s commands in the scriptures so we can keep them and live without the consequences of suffering and judgment.  We are to see His word as God sees, looking at them literally through the pupil of His eye as it were.  He sees all we do, and we must see things as He does as the scriptures show us, and not through the cataracts of our fallen man’s sin which blur right and wrong.  We are not to do what is seen as right in our own eyes when we can look through God’s eyes for a clear view of right to do and wrong to avoid.  We can tie His word to our fingers for what we touch and feel, and inscribe them on our hearts as the tablets which Moses brought from the mountain written by God’s own finger (Exodus 32:15-16, Deuteronomy 9:10, 2 Corinthians 3:3).  This is God’s work in our regeneration as well, for He has written on our hearts by the finger of His Spirit in us (Jeremiah 31:33); we need only read what is already inscribed there, and put into our feet and hands what comes out of our hearts (Matthew 15:18).  Wisdom and understanding are our nearest of kin, siblings to give godly advice to avoid the immoral woman (or man) who would lead us into adultery and other sexual immorality which often lures the unwise with flattering words to move the ego of feelings over the reasoning of the mind and spirit.  The example here is of a young man being enticed in the dark by sexual pleasure from a harlot who speaks of her husband being away on a trip, who uses this excuse to make it seem safe to disobey God (who is never in the dark).  The cunning seducer waits for those who give into these desires with craftiness and cunning, with boisterous words to convince it is good.  She allures with makeup and perfume to blind good sense and appeal to fleshly desires, promising long nights of pleasure to entrap the gullible and those not following God’s word.  Like an animal going to be slaughtered, the victim runs to that bed of seduction to be ensnared and face the deadly consequences.  The warning from God proverbially through Solomon is to listen and heed God’s words of right and wrong, and to choose life by His design and command, not our own wayward desires.  He wants us to avoid immorality and be holy as He is, as well as to keep us from suffering the consequences of sexual sin.  It is for our true good, never to keep what we imagine is good from us.  As it is written here, “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths.”  Which path will we choose?  Do we truly love God enough to follow His word?  May this understanding to avoid immorality by treasuring God’s word lead to wisdom along our path set before us.