1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
Get ready Solomon is going to say some really important stuff.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
Be careful of people who are adulterous. They are smooth, but bitter. Not sure what gall tastes like, but it probably doesn’t taste very good.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
Adultery leads to death. All sin does, but adultery apparently is a huge one. Perhaps because many people are influenced by the consequences.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
Adultery does not think about the future.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
Listen!
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
If you stay away from adultery you will keep your honor, dignity, wealth, and enrich yourself.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”
If you stay away from adultery you will be happy, disciplined, love correction, obey teachers, listen to instructors, and peace with God’s people.
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
I’ve heard cistern/fountain as a metaphor for your spouse. Your spouse should satisfy you. Your relationship with your spouse belongs to you alone.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
Why gamble your life?
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
God knows everything.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
Evil deeds, sin, and lack of discipline will lead to death.
I struggle with lust. It helps a little bit that my raging hormones have subsided now that I am in my thirties. That’s why I encourage early godly marriages. To protect our children from this entangling sin.
Actionable item: Spend time with godly people who love their spouses.
