20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake
not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and
tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou
sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of
instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from
the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her
beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26 For
by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the
adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27 Can a man take fire in his
bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and
his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife;
whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a
thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be
found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his
house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh
understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and
dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For
jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of
vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content,
though thou givest many gifts. (Prov
6:20-35)
If we consider that every word of Scripture is addressed to us personally, we
might know that the opening term, My son, can relate to
every son and daughter who reads these words – and we are all sons and
daughters of God if we have sought mercy in the eyes of the Lord. We all have a
father and mother of this world; but we also have a Father in Heaven.
I have heard it argued that there are two Tables of the Law (Commandments)
which are written by the finger of God on facing Tables. This is true, of
course, but the argument insist that the first four Commandments deal with
man's duty and obligation to God; and the last six relate to man's duty and
obligation to others in the world. While I agree with the latter proposition, I
do not agree with the former. In actuality, I believe the first five
commandments deal with man's duty to God. That Fifth great Commandment that
promises the obedient "…that thy days may be long upon the land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Ex 20:12 ) is written to
cover both our Heavenly Fathers and Commandments, and our earthly father's and
mother's commandments. Let us remember that the Christian is a stranger and a
pilgrim in this wilderness called the world. We seek our true home in God. He
has promised not just longness of days to those who love and obey the Lord our
Savior, but an eternal bliss in the Presence of that Lord and Savior.
Thus we have the exhortation of Solomon to the darling of his heart: 20 My
son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
The words are not limited only to the son of Solomon, but to the son and
daughter of every man. Which commandments are we to keep? We are to keep the
counsel and instruction of our Godly fathers; but also those of our Father in
Heaven. If we have Godly fathers, their teaching will nurture us in Godly faith
and living to obey our Father in Heaven, and the Father of OUR father in the
flesh. Please observe that both the MOTHER and Father in the flesh stand in the
place of God to us in our formative years. We are to obey BOTH father and
mother as we obey God - the Father of us all. So the Fifth Commandment is
a transition Commandment between our obligations to God and our dealings with
our fellow man. It is part of the first, as well as the second, Table of the
Law – in my humble opinion.
21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy
neck. Notice that we cannot bind the commandments of our Father
and the laws of our mother just once upon our heart – but we must CONTINUALLY
bind them there. The loose cords of human weakness become slack so that we must
continually tighten and bind those laws and commandments to our hearts. I love
the precise language of Scripture, don't you? They give no wiggle room for the
sinner. Now, unless we are the forgetful souls that run off and forget our
heads, whatever is tied about our necks will always be with us and before our
eyes. If we do not love the Commandments of God, that rope with which we
tie those laws and commandments about our necks will soon become the rope that
hangs us from the pillars of disobedience.
The linguistic and divine beauty of these Proverbs must reverberate in the deep
chambers of our hearts. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee;
when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk
with thee. With the righteous laws and commandments of our
mother and father, and of God the Father, tied about our necks, they will lead
us into lush pastures of comfort and joy. With those laws and Commandments
bound (continually) upon our hearts, they will keep us in peace and solace even
in the hours of our sound sleep. What of the speaking of wisdom and love we
hear in our hearts in our waking moments? They speak to us even as we read
these words of Proverbs. "….when thou awakest, it shall talk with
thee" What a wonder that God's Words, stored in our hearts,
talk with us!
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and
reproofs of instruction are the way of life. When you are wondering
in the dark, what a benefit is a source of light to which you may make use. You
need the light on your path, not to show you the wrong way, but the right and
safe way to go. The Commandments of God are a brilliant Sun Lamp to our path. A
path must be followed step-by-step. The laws of God tell us precisely which
steps, and how many, we should take on that Lighted Path. Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalms 119:105) Power is
required to generate light, but darkness exists in the absence of any
generating power. God is our Power Source. Like the Sun, His Light is
self-generating. When God chastens us, He is showing us the right way of
living.
There is a prostitution of the flesh, and another of the soul. We may go
whoring after beauty of flesh, or the cunning deceit of false gods. Both are
whoredoms. 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery
of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in
thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
The Commandments of God divide righteous behavior from wicked, the right way
from the wrong way. Obedience to God will keep us from adulterous encounters as
well as idolatrous inclinations. The flattering tongue of a strange man or
woman is not unlike that flattering tongue of religions that tell us we can be
our own gods. The eyelids of an alluring woman are not unlike those of the
deceitful serpent that beguiled Eve at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
She paused before the tree, was transfixed by his gaze, and deceived by his
words.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of
bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Pursuing
ungodly unions will bring a man to want of bread. The adulteress, or adulterer,
will search out every grain of wealth and take it from the foolish man who
follows her. So will the idolatrous religion that places such premium on man
and little upon God.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? Can a
man or woman harbor guilt of adultery and unfaithfulness to their mate, or to
God, and not be burned by the senseless passions engendered in the bosom? The
logic of walking on hot coals and burning the flesh from the sole of the foot
is the same as that of the depravity of adultery – only one occurs quickly, the
other gradually. The result is the same – a crippled spirit and body.
Dishonesty of purpose and action is not changed because of the nature of that
being stolen. 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife;
whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. When a man and
a woman are bound together in Holy Matrimony, they each become ONE flesh. The
Oneness cannot be divided or shared beyond the bonds of marriage. Such sharing
would be stealing. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to
satisfy his soul when he is hungry; It is for this reason
that Solomon pleads: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me
neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I
be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain. (Prov
30:8-9)
Need I remind the faithful readers of this devotion that sin brings with it
grievous consequences? I think not. The last five verse of this chapter
bear this out: 31 But if he be found, he shall restore
sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But
whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it
destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and
his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage
of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He
will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest
many gifts. Why wrestle with the dragon of adultery and sexual
impurities when the benefits of purity in body and heart are so abundant?
