Friday, September 23, 2011

The adulterous woman

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

This Proverb applies so very much to us today.  I was just thinking how I miss the Psalms, the challenging words, and emotion.  But, this is a Proverb that's hard for me to write about. : )  I'll do my best with it.  We have more ways to get into trouble today than ever before don't we?  Now we have temptation on the internet...  There's some great stuff too, like inspirational writing.  And there's a whole library of medical information so I can understand what in the world the doctor was talking about.  Even with that I always check and make sure the site is from a reliable  source.  But, the worst is the porn.  This Proverb is written for men, but I think women can gain from it too. 

When I was participating on a Prayer Forum, it was always so sad to see requests from women who'd been in this industry.  It leaves an ugly scar, a scar that's socially unacceptable.  Forcing them to live with a horrible secret.  But God forgives and restores.  And we can use tools on our computers to block internet porn.  In Windows, it's under the Control Panel > Internet Properties > Content > Parental Controls.  There's other tools available too by searching the web.
 

Proverbs 5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

Even associating with adultery can bring tragic results for people.  I think of people who posed for a nude photo years ago, only to have it re-surface and be condemned later.  One of the leaders at New York Institute of Photography wrote that he tries to warn kids that what they do with their cell phone cameras and the internet may come back to haunt them later in life.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”

God has given us all we need in our homes.  If you haven't found your husband or wife yet, don't give up.  Focus on your life, friends, hobbies, the Bible, Church.  We are most attractive to others when we're happy.
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

God sees and knows everything about us.  And is angry when we sin.   But He will forgive us when we confess and repent.
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
NIV

It's interesting, in the Old Testament women were to blame for adultery.  It wasn't until Jesus came that men were included.  Here's what Jesus said:
27 "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Matthew 5:27-28 NIV

9 comments:

  1. P.S. I think I'll let someone else write about Song of Solomon : )

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  2. This was a very interesting post Karen, My daughter had a recent experience with her teen aged brother-in-law in her home that was very difficult for her to bring up to his parents, only to be confronted by her in-laws being defensive of the boy; and her father in law is a published christian author. I feel sorry for this generation as the temptations are so available to them today~ literally at their finger tips!
    P.s.- I am not volunteering for writing about Song of Solomon either ;]

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  3. Thanks Lisa : ) I'm afraid for this generation too. I thought we did everything wrong that was possible in the 70's and then you hear what kids today are dealing with. It's a lot for sure. God bless!

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  4. Karen this is a really good post. Suffice it to say I agree with everything you have said here. I don't think that the world we live in today sees the scars left by sexual sin. It is not understood that the actions of the body can not be separated from the soul itself. It's good to write about this. Hard but good.

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  5. Thanks so much Colleen. I really wasn't sure how this would be received but it's a part of the Bible. You are so right about the scars. It reminded me of the many prayer requests from men and women begging us to pray for their spouse to come home because they'd left for someone else. It's heartbreaking. A part of me wanted to scream, we should've prayed before it got to this point!

    There was one young woman whose husband left after 1 year of marriage, and moved in with another woman. She came out daily to report all the signs she thought she was seeing that God would bring him back to her. I knew in my heart, he wasn't worth keeping. I could sense her insanity and the emotional roller coaster ride. So I would pray that God's will would be her strongest desire. After a few months she began to accept what happened, it left huge scars. A sweet, trusting young woman. God has given us free-will, He doesn't force people to do things. Life can be so hard at times and confusing.

    We should pray daily for our marriages, and talk a lot with our spouses. : )

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  6. Wonderful post. Blessings to you.

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  7. Thanks for this great post Karen! Your post is very similar to my new blog post titled 'What is your real identity?' Sometimes whatever scars that are left, when we look back now, it shapes our perspective of who we are. But God always says that He'll give us a temptation never too hard for us to overcome! :D

    Anyway if ur finding someone to help you wif writting Songs of Solomon, I can be of help... Haha cos I haven had yet to touch on this book :)

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  8. You are so right Joy! He has given us the ability to overcome our sin. That's an amazing part of His love- He never gives up. Thanks that's a great comment! God bless you!

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