September 11, Proverbs 7
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman… -Proverbs 7:4-5
I heard a doctor advise people starting a new way of healthier eating to get the unhealthy foods and ingredients out of their house. Then they would be less likely to go back to the old unhealthy ways in a moment of weakness. I didn't do that, but I have learned to stay away from what I call the "carb closet" (the kitchen pantry). After a year of doing almost entirely without bread and sweets, those foods no longer appeal to me very much. I enjoy feeling better so much that I don't feel too threatened by having them around. (Ok. I admit I still enjoy a buttered homemade biscuit about once a week.)
Eliminating opportunity to stray from your eating plan by removing the wrong foods from your environment is a valid idea for more than just dieting. The idea of avoiding a tempting situation is very much the basis for the Father's advice to his son in this chapter.
The father counsels the son to hold wisdom close like a beloved sister, and to call insight his intimate friend for a purpose—to keep his son from the forbidden woman. He can avoid the powerful temptation by denying himself the opportunity to sin with her. He told a story about a young man who followed the road that led to the woman’s house. The woman in the narrative cast her proposition to the young man in the form of an opportunity: her husband was out of town on a business trip. The fellow responded to her enticing words and was trapped like a snared animal before he realized what had happened. So the father advises the son, "Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths." The young man could have avoided the temptation, sin and consequences by staying out of a vulnerable situation where the opportunity to do wrong was present.
This narrative is a good illustration of some verses in the New Testament book of James that describe how temptation works. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings death" (James 1:14-15).
Do you see why I say the scenario that accompanies the warning in Proverbs 7 is such a good illustration of these words? The young man was tempted by the woman because of his own desire. When the opportunity to satisfy that desire was presented, he was lured and enticed into sin that had the power to destroy his life.
So, to express it mathematically, Desire + Opportunity = Temptation. Once we understand this process, we have power to avoid temptations that might overpower us. The temptation can be avoided by changing the desire or removing the opportunity. Ideally, we would grow in holiness so that we do not desire the tempting thing any longer. But until that maturity is more fully formed in us and we are stronger, the only other way to short circuit the temptation process is by keeping ourselves out of an opportunity to act on the desire.
It was not easy to decide to give up bread and sweets. But over time I found they did not appeal to me as much as I thought they did before I started. My desire for those things has changed. I'm thankful for that. But I still know it would not be smart for me to hang around sourdough bread fresh from the oven or any of the sweets I used to enjoy so much. I need to limit my exposure and avoid the temptation. I've lost weight and gained it back too many times in my life to be casual about tempting foods.
This principle applies to all kinds of temptation, not just sexual immorality. It applies to greed and jealousy. It works with lusts of different kinds, such as an overwhelming desire for power or control. When a desire within us is enticed by exposure to an opportunity to allow our flesh instead of God's Spirit to control our actions, we need to pray for God's mercy. Ask him to get us out and keep us out of situations that would tempt us to disobey God and hurt ourselves and others.
I realize people who despise restraint and correction will not like this. But it is important to examine ourselves and know where we are vulnerable. When we know, we need to avoid situations where we would have an opportunity to do the wrong thing. May God bless us with his wisdom to see ourselves and the lurking danger clearly.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—September 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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