Proverbs 6:23-26
Ruined By Lust
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;
1. The commandment mentioned here is not the commandments of Moses, but rather the commandments of Solomon given to his son. It is his fatherly advice given in this book. (see 7:1-2)
2. The advice Solomon is giving his son here is likened to a lamp and a light.
a. This is a common figure in the poetic books.
b. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105
c. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Ps. 119:130
d. The advice Solomon gives his son is now recorded in Scripture for us. It is not only Solomon’s advice, but God’s Word!
3. The wisdom Solomon gives his son… and the wisdom we receive from God’s Word illuminates our way.
a. Illumination keeps us from stumbling… from falling…
b. We are viewed as pilgrims on our journey through life… and there are many potholes and pitfalls to avoid. In the darkness, we will fall in. But if our way is illuminated, we can avoid them!
c. If we follow God’s wisdom, we don’t have to fall into those pitfalls.
d. If we think we can handle life on our own, we WILL fall… and fall hard!
e. Ps. 18:28-30 – God will “light our candle”… if we let Him. He will illuminate our way so that we can leap over a wall… He will give strength… guidance… enablement… victory… BUT—we must walk in the light of that candle!
f. Ps. 43:3-4 – God’s light leads us out of darkness and unto the place of holiness and purity.
And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
1. God’s wisdom and Word not only give light… positively shining on the way we should go. It also gives REPROOFS… warnings… rebukes when we take a wrong turn!
2. When Divine wisdom speaks through His Word and we follow those warnings, we will walk in the way safely and will not stumble. (Prov. 3:21-23; 4:12)
3. Solomon has driven home this point several times. “Son, please be safe! Be careful! Follow my advice… take heed to my reproofs and warnings!”
1. Now he gets real specific. “Son, if you follow my advice, you will be kept from the evil woman!”
a. Kept = guarded; protected from; preserve from;
b. The wisdom Solomon gives his son is for the PROTECTION of his son!
c. If his son takes heed, he will be protected from the evil woman…
d. Note that this fatherly advice… recorded as divinely inspired Scripture… will keep on protecting that son when dad is not around… (vs.22)
2. The evil woman is a seductress… a harlot… an adulteress…
a. She is called a whorish woman and an adulteress in vs. 26
b. Solomon’s point is that this kind of woman is one of the pitfalls in life that divine wisdom will enable us to avoid… IF we take heed.
c. Wisdom will provide protection from all kinds of trouble… here’s an important one—the evil woman… the harlot…
3. Every young man (and young woman—there are evil men out there too!) needs to hear this advice from their father.
a. Young people need to be TAUGHT the danger of such behavior…
b. We can’t expect them to know all this unless they are told. That’s the father’s job.
c. Solomon spends a good portion of several chapters dealing with this issue with his son. We should follow his pattern.
HOW THE SEDUCTRESS SEDUCES:
She uses her tongue: From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
1. Remember back in vs. 12-19 how Solomon had been speaking about the way people use the members of their body to sin… body language…?
a. vs. 13 – winking with the eye and speaking with the feet; teaching with fingers
b. vs. 17 – a proud look; lying tongue
c. Now, Solomon speaks about the harlot—how she uses her body to entice.
d. Vs. 24 – Her tongue: she flatters the foolish young man with her tongue.
• Cf. 2:16 – she flatters with her words
• 5:3 & 7:5 – her mouth is smoother than oil… her words are so sweet…
• 7:21-22 – she flatters with her lips and “forces” him! He goes like an ox to the slaughter… defeated by her tricks.
» Forced = to drive; impel; move; chase;
» With her words, she caused him to yield.
e. She can be the CAUSE of the fall… but the man who falls is not a poor innocent victim of circumstances.
• Solomon has already told us what to do—stay away!
• Remember Joseph—he didn’t give Potiphar’s wife TIME to talk him into anything! He ran!
• Nobody can FORCE us to sin.
• The adulteress is the bait that entices a man to bite the hook… but she cannot force it.
• Solomon is warning his son NOT TO LISTEN to such a woman! Her words can draw you in… don’t listen! We’ve already been warned.
• The young man does not have to fall. If he follows his father’s commandments, he will not yield.
• If you KNOW that she uses her tongue to entice—then don’t listen—and you will be protected from her evil ways.
1. The harlot will show enough of her body to cause the young man to lust.
2. This is human nature: exposed flesh causes lust. Therefore, godly women will dress modestly.
3. This is the ungodly woman—the harlot. She exposes herself enough to draw the young man in… entice… lure… tempt…
4. She is trying to entice him into committing adultery. But that begins with adultery in the heart…
5. Solomon warns his son not to lust after her beauty in his heart… in his mind…
• This is just what Jesus warned against in Matt. 5:28 – lusting in the heart = committing adultery in the heart.
• The next step is actually committing adultery!
6. How can a young man NOT lust after her beauty? Don’t look!
7. Where is this evil woman to be found?
a. In Solomon’s day, she was probably found only in certain sections of the ancient city of Jerusalem. You would have to go out of your way to see her.
b. Nowadays, she is everywhere.
• She is in your livingroom if you watch the regular programming on TV!
• She is in the movie theatre!
• She is at the beach.
• She is on the Internet! Pornographic web sites are among the most profitable.
• She is on the billboards as you drive down the highway.
• She is in the magazine racks at the barbershop.
• And if you don’t keep your mind and heart pure, she will be in your bedroom next!
1. Again, Solomon mentions how she uses her body parts to entice… here her eyes.
2. She flirts with eyes… she doesn’t have to speak… you get the message. She speaks with her eyes. (Cf. 6:13)
3. She uses her tongue to entice you… she exposes enough flesh to entice you… she flirts with her eyes to invite you in…
4. A young man who is not taught what to expect out there will be taken in by this woman… he won’t be prepared… it will seem so innocent at first… and then he won’t know what hit him… until its over.
5. Remember the image Solomon uses: like a dumb animal going to the slaughter…
1. Once a young man gets caught up in this lifestyle, it will ruin him. He will be reduced to a piece of bread!
2. Life in the fast lane can lead to alcohol and drug abuse… divorce… broken homes… and literally to poverty!
3. Consider the warning in 5:8-10 – lest strangers are filled with thy wealth.
4. Prov. 29:3 – he that keeps company with harlots spends his substance… on riotous living… like the prodigal son.
5. That lifestyle can lead to poverty.
And the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
1. This is the true goal of the adulteress—to hunt for another victim!
a. Remember Solomon’s description of the young man going in unto the harlot—a dumb animal going to the slaughter.
b. She is actually a hunter… hunting for lives to ruin… precious young lives to be brought down the wrong path… for her pleasure… for her financial profit… and for the ruin of the young man and his family!
c. She hunts for another victim… and reduces him to poverty… dishonor and shame.
d. She is like a hunter, hunting for a dumb animal, to kill, slay, to save the skin for herself, and eat the flesh… and throw the rest away.
e. The young man who believes her words of flattery is a fool indeed!
2. Now Solomon was talking to his son… and certainly our sons need to hear this. But so do our daughters!
a. Young people are by their very nature inexperienced… and easy prey.
b. They need to be taught at home. They need to be warned.
c. And note that Solomon says these parental commands and words of instruction will KEEP the young person from evil! (vs. 24a)