Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 7
Gold Nugget
Verse 1-2: “My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.”
Commentary
Proverb chapter 7 deals with a rebellious person. The young man in this passage is willingly and defiantly taking the road to destruction. The woman that is luring him into sin is wearing the clothes of a harlot. She’s loud and rebellious and has no control over her flesh. She is married and does not deny it to the young man she is promising a night of passion. He willingly overlooks what is right to satisfy his own desires. Who can rescue this person? He knew what he was doing was wrong, but as verse 23 states, he didn’t know it would cost him his life.
“He didn’t know the price it would cost.” That is the biggest trap for any sin. If a young man is full of desire for a beautiful woman that is ready and willing to met him at a hotel and have a passion-filled night until morning; he would be there early waiting for her arrival. Even if he was married, often times he will risk his marriage for a moment of pleasure. He would risk his job and his reputation. Take the same scenario with the exception that she promised him all of those passionate pleasures, but acknowledges to him that she is HIV positive. Even the foolish man will not trade a night of passion for his life. As the bible teaches, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it” (Ephesians 5:29a). Again verse 23 says “He did not know it would cost his life”.
Trying to get people to understand that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a) is of most importance to all of us. Often left abandoned after “accepting” Jesus, this wage of death is true in areas other than the destruction of the soul. Affairs can bring death to a relationship, violence can bring death to a relationship, and laziness can bring death to our jobs, and so on. We need to know that willful sin will cost more than we want to pay. It is best for us to avoid sin because of our desire to please God and our desire to avoid hurting Him, but self preservation is an accepted form of discipline. The scriptures are okay with teaching us to avoid sin because of the hurt it will cause us. The trap is the enemy’s lies that convince us that no harm will befall us. Remember this, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)
Prayer
Lord, I don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking my sin will go unchecked. I don’t want to be deceived into thinking that my willful disobedience will not cost me too much. Assure me that defiance to your teachings and precepts will cost me more than I want to pay. Amen
If you are reading this devotional in an e-mail and would like to post a comment, click on this link http://proverbfortoday.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment