SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 5:3-6

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)

 Temptation: It’s Seduction: Prov 5:3-6

3) For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:
4) But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5) Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6) Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon now helps us to understand the deceptive nature of the various temptations that we face in life.

EXPOSITION:

Solomon uses the alluring nature of a seductress as a picture of the seductive aspects of temptation …

3) For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:
The message of a seductress is inviting, appealing to the basic desires that are contained within us…
1. it is like sweet honey … appealing to the taste buds and promising to satisfy any feelings of hunger.
2. it is smooth like oil….  makes its proposal look only beneficial; it hides the harm, pain and sorrow that will result from partaking of it’s offerings.

“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:  And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”   (Revelation 17:3-5)

4) But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
In spite of its inviting presentation, submitting to her desires results in great loss.  Much like submitting to the seductress, partaking of the fleshly temptations of this world results in great harm and spiritual defeat.  Solomon now gives to us 5 major results that we must face if we follow the temptation’s path…
1.  the end result is poisonous discontentment and irritation.  This is in opposition to her promised contentment and fulfillment.
2.  the end result is painful and dangerous, like a two edged sword that causes great harm, discomfort and even death  This is in opposition to her great promises of pleasure and joy.

“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”  (Revelation 8:11)

“[The words] of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war [was] in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet [were] they drawn swords.”   (Psalms 55:21)

5) Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
3.  Following her path leads to separation from the Lord and eternal spiritual death.  For the unsaved, as they follow her path they must face the divine judgment of God and eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire.
For the saved, it works loss of communion with Christ and hindrance to victorious Christian living.   These lie in opposition to her promise to meet all of our spiritual needs and fulfill any voids we may have in our life.
4.  Following her footsteps can lead to physical death.  For both lost and saved, their physical lives on earth can be shortened as a result of the sins that they commit.  This flies in direct conflict with her promise to enhance our life on earth.

“Let death seize upon them, [and] let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them.”   (Psalms 55:15)

6) Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life,…
5.  The main goal of these temptations is to lead others from the path of life.   Temptations come upon the lost to keep them from following the path of life.  They come upon the saved to destroy their testimony and keep them from sharing the path of life with others.  This flies in direct opposition to her promises of spiritual prosperity.

“I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” (Psalms 119:59)

her ways are moveable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

The temptations that we face come upon us will take many varied forms.  The paths that are offered to us through sinful temptations are very moveable, constantly changing and aiming at whatever weakness we may be experiencing at any given time.  They are so various, we cannot begin to recognize all of them, nor can we be prepared to face all of them in their many differing forms.
Because of this, we need to always recognize our need for the Lord’s grace, strength, and wisdom to overcome the temptations that we may face.

“Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”  (1 John 2:15-17)

SUMMARY:

Although the message of temptation is very deceitful, we must always look beyond the enticement and see the true end results of following the path of temptation.  These results, just like the methods of temptation, are many and varied but all lead to harm, pain, failure in God’s service and death.  It is because of these that we need to rely of the gracious intervention of Christ to enable His people to avoid the paths of temptation and open the sin blinded eyes of the lost to lead them from the path of death upon which they are already traveling.

By God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value that they deserve.

May the Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.

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