Proverbs 2:16-22
Today we see another example of how wisdom offers deliverance: So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words… (v. 16) This example illustrates both forms of protection that I mentioned yesterday. First, with wisdom one can recognize and choose to avoid seduction in the first place. Then, having avoided the seduction, one avoids committing adultery. So wisdom protects both ways, against being the victim and against being the culprit.
But this example does not just illustrate wisdom’s protection; it is a clear indication of the wise path. Listen to how strongly Solomon warns against sexual sin, painting a dark picture of its consequences:
For her house sinks down to death,
Proverbs 2:18-19
and her paths to the departed;
none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
The wise choice, then, is to steer clear and avoid that trap. Wisdom offers a better path, with better consequences:
So you will walk in the way of the good
Proverbs 2:20-22
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
Wisdom points toward goodness, righteousness, and integrity, all of which are rewarded, while wickedness and treachery are condemned. But we must be careful in our interpretation here. As we saw in our study of Job, this life does not always work out so tidily. Some things work out only in eternity, and in that context, wisdom — resulting in righteousness — remains the best course of action.
When Proverbs talks about the adulteress, I think of a different overcoming sin in my life. One of my major problems is food, sweets in particular. It seems I’m always feeling hungry. I’m a regular at Freedom Road because of that “addiction”. And I’m guessing that the advice to the young man about the temptress would be relevant to most any addiction. If your addiction is gambling, don’t go to the river or to the online website. If your addiction is sweets, don’t buy M&Ms! And if you have them in the house already, don’t start with just one or two! As John says, “The wise choice, then, is to steer clear and avoid that trap. Wisdom offers a better path…”