THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&handling) for each page to:
Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
We have a great friend in Gary Godard. He has set up an archive page. To view ALL the prior devotions by Scripture, just clik
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for
the books of Genesis through 2Kings are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for
COMMENTARY ON (BOOK NAME) to the address above.
PROVERBS
CHAPTER 5
1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 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.
Yesterday was "Father's Day." Every father would like for his son to be wise and have discretion.
Discretion is the usefulness of wisdom in making prudent decisions. Discretion will also give the "lips" knowledge. When a person determines within his life to make proper decisions according to wisdom and morality, he will also SHOW that in a "good convesation."
"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." (James 3:13)
The "strange woman" spoken of here is any woman who is not the man's WIFE (see verse 18).
Sex is a very beautiful gift of God. But it is only given to married couples. Any participation of sexual activity outside of marriage is also outside God's will; and that means it is SIN. The "end" of sin is "DEATH:" both physical death and separation from God.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
Through Solomon, God calls to all mankind and says to take heed to His Word and not participate in sexual sins (verses 8-9).
Notice verses 10-11. Sex outside of marriage is DANGEROUS. It is hazardous to the health.
Today, there are over 27 kinds of STD's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Most of those STD's are viruses and can NOT be cured! They are HAZARDOUS to the health!
You have no doubt heard of syphillus, gonorhea, and HIV (or aids). But most people don't know about HPV, or the Human Papilloma Virus. That virus is responsible for over 90% of all cervical cancer today! And statistics show that it is the FASTEST SPREADING STD in the world. Over 5.5Million people will be infected with HPV this year!
Another fact that is very disconcerting: ONE out of every FOUR people have an STD of some kind! And contrary to what some people might say, prevention aids (such as condoms) DO NOT prevent the spread of most STD's!
I teach a class at the local Junior High School that is called "The Governor's Program On Abstinence." The children giggle and laugh at some of the physical and medical truths that are presented here. But ANY sex outside of marriage is potentially DANGEROUS to one's health!
God has said "DON'T!" (see verses 12-13) Let's pay attention to God's Word. It has ALWAYS proven true, and has NEVER been proven false!
14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
Even Christians are susceptible to the magnetism of sexual sins. Over the last 20 years, the newspapers have been showing that.
It is possible for a person to be "in the congregation" and not "in the Lord." If we are not "on guard," and truly paying attention to God's direction in our lives, we can easily be drawn aside by such sins.
That is why it is important for Christians to study the Bible daily and pray daily. We should keep our attention focused upon the will of God in our lives - especially where this tremendously magnetic sin of sex is concerned.
The admonition of the Lord here is to let sexual activity find fulfillment in marriage ONLY (see verses 18-19). A man and a woman who are married must determine within themselves to let all their sensual attention be focused upon each other.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
The Hebrew word translated "ravished" here is a word which literally means intoxicated.
This is a great problem in American society today. If you will notice, almost every sales pitch of today's commercialism has a sensual slant. This constant bombarding of the mind of the magnetism of sex sometimes causes people to be intoxicated with the idea. When a person is intoxicated, he/she doesn't reason correctly.
We must remember that God SEES and KNOWS everything we do. God's desire is that we will be REPENTANT from sin, and intoxicated with His Holy Spirit's guidance.
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18)
Let me conclude this chapter with a couple of statements.
Sexual sin is DANGEROUS to the health. It is both physically dangerous and spiritually dangerous. Sensual sins detract a person from LISTENING to God's Word.
PLEASE CONTINUE IN BIBLE STUDY WITH US TOMORROW.