Drink Water From Your Own Cistern
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
There is a high cost for faithfulness in marriage. In
Proverbs 5, after talking about the high cost of immorality, we read that
marriage is exclusive. Drink water from your own cistern, running water from
your own well.
Our romance is also being observed. Our ways are in
full view of the Lord. God wants to protect our marriages, so He’s constantly watching
us. May we please Him through the loyalty we show to each other.
There is a rhythm to follow in life. When we keep the
beat of our Creator by being faithful to Him – whether we are married or not –
we find blessings and joy.
Faithfulness
brings joy.
Our
Daily Bread – January 19, 2019