Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
    turn your ear to my words of insight,
that you may maintain discretion
    and your lips may preserve knowledge.
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
    sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.
She gives no thought to the way of life;
    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
    do not turn aside from what I say.
Keep to a path far from her,
    do not go near the door of her house,
lest you lose your honor to others
    and your dignity to one who is cruel,
lest strangers feast on your wealth
    and your toil enrich the house of another.
At the end of your life you will groan,
    when your flesh and body are spent.
You will say, “How I hated discipline!
    How my heart spurned correction!
I would not obey my teachers
    or turn my ear to my instructors.
And I was soon in serious trouble
    in the assembly of God’s people.”
Drink water from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    your streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be yours alone,
    never to be shared with strangers.
May your fountain be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
    and he examines all your paths.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.
For lack of discipline they will die,
    led astray by their own great folly.

• Proverbs 5:1-23

“Proverbs 5:11 “The wise man saw the young and simple straying into the house of the strange woman. The house seemed so completely different from what he knew it to be, that he desired to shed a light upon it, that the young man might not sin in the dark, but might understand the nature of his deeds. The wise man looked around, and he saw but one lamp suitable to his purpose; it was named, ‘At the last,’ so, snatching this, he held it up in the midst of the strange woman’s den of infamy, and everything was changed from what it had been before—the truth had come to light, and the deceptive had vanished. The young man dreamed of pleasure—he hoped to find delight; but when the lamp of, ‘At the last,’ began to shine, he saw rottenness in his bones, filthiness in his flesh, pains and griefs and sorrows, as the necessary consequence of sin, and, wisely guided, wisely taught, the simple-minded started back and listened to the admonitions of the teacher.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes (Proverbs 4:25)

We are again reminded that the first nine chapters of Proverbs are fatherly encouragement to pursue wisdom.

Proverbs 5 relates wisdom to the avoidance of the adulterous woman.  This could be extended to the prostitute and pornography.  The act of chasing after such things damages the person far beyond the act of one sin of adultery.  There is darkness there that can envelope the unwary.

The adulterous woman has a husband.  That can become a problem.  What does the adulterous woman want out of the relationship?  And if she wants the unwary man, could she do the same thing to him?  Are their children or pregnancies involved?  It gets very messy.  With the prostitute, there is the pimp instead of the irate husband.  The pregnancy may be considered a hazard of the job, and you know she wants the money.  And she might wish to be a kept woman that involves a lot more cash.

As for pornography, I have heard pastors discuss the lure in that area.  It is easy to obtain, and a lot is free, with advertisements.  But the result is not free.  If the user of porn uses it enough, the production of certain enzymes can make watching porn habit forming.  And what is worse is that regular sexual activity becomes secondary to the addiction of those enzymes, to the point where the male cannot perform without the porn once sufficiently addicted.  Or, at least that is what the panel of pastors reported, some have porn addiction therapy available with their churches.

I once heard a married man talk of looking at a waitress in a restaurant.  His wife caught his gaze, and she was offended.  The man responded, “Just because you are on a diet does not mean that you cannot look at the menu.”  Even such a statement means that the gaze had already become something more.  It is a cute quip, but it harmed their relationship.  It demeaned the waitress.  And it planted a seed of darkness within the man’s soul.

So, Solomon then asks why become intoxicated with someone else’s wife?  Why not be intoxicated with your own and be satisfied with a union that is pleasing to God, blessed by God, and free from the darkness that looms beyond a mere roll in the hay.

And now let us sing.

The following song is sung by Grayson / Reed, Fight for You.

“I know how to push your buttons
I know what to say to break you down
I know how to give you nothing
I know how to turn and shut you out
We are everything but perfect
We both have a million flaws
And there are days that I wanna give up
But I won’t because…
I’m gonna fight for you
Nothing’s ever gonna burn this down
I’m gonna fight for you
Til the breath in my lungs runs out
Our love is something I don’t wanna lose
So every single day I’m gonna choose
I’m gonna fight for you
Oh I’m gonna fight for you
I know how to be your champion
I know what to say to build you up
And I know how to make you feel pretty
I know how to make you feel loved
Ohh if you ever start to wonder whether its still true
Let me tell you once again what I said, when I said I do
I’m gonna fight for you
Nothing’s ever gonna burn this down
I’m gonna fight for you
Til the breath in my lungs runs out
Our love is something I don’t wanna lose
So every single day I’m gonna choose
I’m gonna fight for you
Oh I’m gonna fight for you
Ohhhhhh
Ohhhhhh
Ohhhhhh
Ohhhhhh
We know that were better together
Nothing we can’t do
And if we keep God here at the center
There’s nothing we cant get through
I’m gonna fight for you
Nothing’s ever gonna burn this down
I’m gonna fight for you
Til the breath in my lungs runs out
Our love is something I don’t wanna lose
So every single day I’m gonna choose
I’m gonna fight for you
Oh I’m gonna fight for you
Yeah I’m gonna fight for you
Oh I’m gonna fight for you
Oh
Oh
I’m gonna fight for you
Oh
Oh”

• Mike Grayson and Molly Reed, Fight for You

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  When we sin against you in the area of adultery, we may think that it is consensual and no harm is done, but that is only a factor of the darkness that spreads from that sin.  God, we confess those unclean thoughts, those desires that are not related to You and Your kingdom.  With our eye on Jesus, we do not see the allure that is near us that pulls us into that darkness.  Give us strength.  And give us a healthy relationship with our spouse.  With You and our spouse being the only focuses of our gaze, we have no reason to look elsewhere.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.