The Commandment Is A Lamp
My child, keep your father’s
commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your
heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk
with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a
light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from
the wife of another, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not
desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her
eyelashes; for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of
another stalks a man’s very life. Can fire be carried in the bosom without
burning one’s clothes? Or can one walk on hot coals without scorching the feet?
So is he who sleeps with his neighbors wife; no one
who touches her will go unpunished. Thieves are not despised who
steal only to satisfy their appetite when they are hungry. Yet if they are
caught, they will pay sevenfold; they will forfeit all the goods of their
house. But he who commits adultery has no sense, he
who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace
will not be wiped away. For jealousy arouses a husband’s
fury, and he shows no restraint when he takes revenge. He will accept no
compensation, and refuses a bribe no matter how great.
Proverbs 6:20-35
Solomon warned his son against the dangers of sexual sin. As a
wise father, he wanted his son to know that in this wonderful, dangerous world
there are not only flowers and songbirds but also scorpions and fires.
The insights of Solomon and God help us understand the wisdom of
an eternal God who loves us far more than our own mothers and fathers do. His
Word also points us to the One who can help us no matter what.
Life offers us choices. Christ graciously offers us forgiveness
for what is past, and wisdom for what yet lies ahead.
The lessons of life are best learned
when Christ is your teacher.
Our Daily Bread –