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 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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