The Forbidden Woman

For Friday, August 18, 2006
Proverbs 2:16-19

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

This is the first mention of the "forbidden woman." It is significant that she is described here as one who has forsaken and forgotten. This is not a woman raised outside the faith, but rather one raised as a covenant child, had confessed faith in the Lord, and married in the faith. What a tragic story. What led her astray? We are not told, but she is all the more dangerous for she has tasted the way of life and rejected it. She is all the more set against the righteous life, desirous to lead the righteous astray, and knowledgeable on how to do it with her smooth words. And those who fall into her trap are likely to end up like her, unable to regain the paths of life.

Whether or not the "forbidden woman" who is tempting you has the same history, she does have the same consequences. Therefore avail yourself of God-given wisdom and discretion and stay away! You are not given wisdom to win her over; you are given wisdom to protect yourself. Christian men and women are standing on the edge of adultery, rationalizing that they can keep from falling off. You can't! If you are standing on the edge now, avail yourself of discretion now and back off. Do what you must. Get help from others. Seek the prayer of others.

Proverbs will say this again. Sexual temptation is not a game; it is not a minor temptation; it is a primary weapon of Satan to entrap God's people and render them useless for the kingdom, even to shame God's kingdom. "Her house sinks down to death." Back off now.

Evil Men

For Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Proverbs 2:12-15

12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

Yes, there are men "out there" who want to harm you and take advantage of you. They enjoy doing evil. They take pleasure in planning mischief; they are excited by the wicked deed; they look back with fond memory over their escapades. Perversion is fun. While we are fuming "How could they..." they are congratulating one another and themselves over mischief well done.

This pleasure motivates them to use their skill and ingenuity to plot and carry out their mischief. The same individuals who drop out of school with failing grades will show a high level of creativity and complex thinking to do evil. The more motivated criminal mind will grow in knowledge for the purpose of stealing, destroying, and murdering. Con men make a living out of devising ways to part you from your money.

And as a predator who looks for the weak to pounce upon, so these wicked men look for the person who appears naive and unwilling to use discretion and wisdom for protection. The best way to protect yourself is not to live in the fear of man, but in the fear of the Lord (2:5). By such an approach to life, you will then find the wisdom of the Lord which he will give to you; and that wisdom will protect you. Your mind will become sharper; you will become more observant, more discerning. Discretion will lead you away from much danger, and understanding will deliver you when danger is upon you.

Living in the fear of the Lord is not to live naively, "trusting" the Lord to take care of you regardless of you walking about blindly and without thought. Trusting the Lord is to avail yourself of the wisdom he reveals through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus' words, "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

The Blessings of Wisdom

For Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Proverbs 2:9-15

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,

For from being a burden, wisdom and its companions make great guests in your heart. Knowledge is pleasant to your soul. It enriches your life; it helps you to rise above the petty grievances and jealousies that make others miserable. It frees you from the anxiety that those who do not know God and his goodness cannot have. Discretion and understanding protect you from the evil purposes of the wicked. They keep you from steppping into danger that others blindly walk into. And the deliver you when you are in danger.

Again and again the proverbs show the fundamental fallacy of the foolish and wicked who forsake wisdom because they want to enjoy life. They look upon the wise and the righteous as choosing being good over having pleasure. But the wise and the righteous are able to have both, while the foolish and wicked lose whatever fleeting pleasure they grab after.

The good (righteous) path is the good (pleasurable) life, for it avoids the pitfalls of the wicked and finds deeper, lasting pleasure that the wicked cannot begin to know.

The Source of Wisdom

For Monday, August 14, 2006
Proverbs 2:5-8

5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.

If you truly seek wisdom, you will end before the presence of God. That is where the path to wisdom leads you, for the Lord is the source of wisdom. If you are truly seeking wisdom, it is because God is leading you to do so and leading you along the path to himself. All the more then, pray to him for wisdom; pray to him to lead you along the path of wisdom.

Once you come to God, know that he will then give to you from his storehouse of wisdom. He will furthermore protect you and watch over you. For just as wisdom is connected to a desire to live rightly, so it is connected with a desire to glorify God. Wisdom is not reduced to a body of information to know or even principles to adhere to. Wisdom is all about glorifying God. The desire to glorify God is the essence of wisdom; it is the magnet that draws forth more wisdom, because God gives wisdom to those who strive to glorify him. To "understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" is to desire and know how to glorify God, who then "gives wisdom" and "knowledge and understanding."