Proverbs 5

In this chapter the ‘Father’ is reminding the ‘son’ that he needs to remember the wise counsel he has been given.  The reason being?  It will lead him .. her .. us .. to live a life that discerns and is discerning in all it does.

Why?

Because . . . someone or something is out there looking to pull you away from wise living by making choices that lured you away from discernment and wisdom. This Proverb uses the analogy of an immoral woman but today . . .we could fill that blank in with anything that could pull us away.

These things can be as “sweet as honey” and “smoother than oil” . . just as the immoral woman is described.  But .. though it can look good, sound good and maybe even taste good . . in the end it is as “bitter as poison”, dangerous, cares nothing about you and can lead you straight to the grave.

Unless . . .

You stay with and stay captivate with . .  the “wife of your youth” . . or . . with your “first love”.

This Proverb made me think about the times in my life when I left my ‘first love’ ~ Jesus Christ ~ for other loves.  And you know what?  They were as ‘sweet as honey’ . . . so sweet that I didn’t realized I was being pulled away.  They ‘tasted’ so good and promised so much.  But in the end, they didn’t deliver what I thought they were going to provide me.

And when I used those words . . . . “But I just love __________” and someone replied to me, “But do you love God more?” . . . I was awoken from my sleep (so to speak!).

We can slowly slip away from our pursuit of seeking and knowing the Lord by even good things . . we have to be so careful.  Wisdom . . . His wisdom . . . pulls us back in.  When we return to our first love . . . the love of our ‘youth’ . . . we begin living wisely once again.

What Has Pulled You Away from Your First Love?

“For the Lord see clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.  An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.” Prov. 5:21-22