Proverbs 5:1-6
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
Sin is usually attractive. It entices us with promises of pleasure. Verse 3 warns us that "the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil". The initial appeal only mentions the pleasures, and ignores the consequences. But there are consequences to consider, for "in the end she is bitter as wormwood" (verse 4). This is where it helps to pause and consider our choices. The adulteress "does not ponder the path of life" (verse 6), and thus always chooses short-term pleasures that ultimately lead to death (verse 5). We need to stop and consider the consequences, to see beyond the initial marketing appeal, so that we can choose wisely and live.
Lord, help me to consider the consequences.
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
Sin is usually attractive. It entices us with promises of pleasure. Verse 3 warns us that "the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil". The initial appeal only mentions the pleasures, and ignores the consequences. But there are consequences to consider, for "in the end she is bitter as wormwood" (verse 4). This is where it helps to pause and consider our choices. The adulteress "does not ponder the path of life" (verse 6), and thus always chooses short-term pleasures that ultimately lead to death (verse 5). We need to stop and consider the consequences, to see beyond the initial marketing appeal, so that we can choose wisely and live.
Lord, help me to consider the consequences.