It is so sad that Solomon did not finish strong for God. He began his life so well. He pleased God with his heart cry for wisdom and understanding. He was used by God to write books that would help change the hearts of God's people in 2009. The thing is, he did not guard his heart the way he described in Proverbs 4:23. In the end his heart was led astray by the foreign wives he married.
1 Kings 11:4 (New International Version)
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
As we read chapter five, let's focus on verse 21. God is looking at our hearts, and we can hide nothing from Him. Solomon did not give God unhindered access to his heart in the end, but we can!
Proverbs 5 (New International Version)
Warning Against Adultery
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress 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 are crooked, but she knows it not.
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,
Solomon knows that when we get to the "doorway" of sin, it's too late. That's why he says to stay off the path. Keep your distance.
9 lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house.
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 listen to my instructors.
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly."
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 captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?
21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.
I love this verse. If I can rejoice in the full examination of my ways by the Lord, I can finish strong. Worrying about what people think of us is the fear of man, and results in unhealthy behavior. The Bible says that fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, so let's ask Him about our thoughts, feelings, and behavior!
22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
23 He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.
6 comments:
Thank you Father for keeping my ways in your full view, I will drink water from my own Cistern and stay captivated by the wife of my youth!
At first, I was not sure what I could take from this chapter as I had the previous ones. However, like Pastor Dave said, it is best not to stand at the door of sin. Solomon is warning us to keep as far away as we can. How can we do this? By giving God access to our hearts and by asking for wisdom and understanding.
I am a little troubled by the fact that the wisest man to ever live would turn his heart away from the Lord. It wasn't a one time decision but a gradual descent due to repeated decisions to disobey God. This should be a reminder to all of us that we are not immune to the devil's schemes. We must stand on guard each day, protecting our hearts and our relationship with God.
Solomon didn't heed his own advice. His sin ensnared him because he not only stood at the doorway of sin, but he also walked through it.
I noticed one thing in reading Ecclesiastes today (I have become intrigued with his life). Solomon repeats many times the phrase "under the sun". It is obvious that he was spending too much time focusing on the temporary rather than the eternal. At some point, his gaze shifted to worrying about earthly things. If he had fixed his gaze "above the sun", his heart would have been secure.
I want my gaze and my heart to stay fixed on God.
Amen to Anne Hopkins comment. That is a good observation of Solomon. As soon as man gets his eyes off of God and turns it to earthly things they are doomed to failure.
I, like you, find it hard to understand Solomon turning away from the Lord, the very thing he warned against, he did. How many of us do the same thing? We know what is right and still choose to do wrong. It proves Solomon was human.
8 Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house.
~ "her" can be substituted for any type of sin or distaction from the Lord. I want to give my "best strength" to the Lord and not to "others"...sins, or distractions that take my heart away from the Lord.
It really is troubling that the wisest man allowed his heart to stray. If I have learned anything from modern examples of Solomon, it is that we all need wise friends that love God and will speak the truth into our lives. Praise God for those friends at Victory!
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