Proverbs 7 – if you haven’t read my thoughts on the book of Proverbs yet, you’ll want to do so here. This isn’t a comprehensive look at each verse, but it is how God spoke to me through particular chapter of His Word at this particular chapter in my life. I hope it can speak to you as well, and I hope you are encouraged to seek Him in His Word. And if you missed Proverbs 6, you should also check that out here. Otherwise, on to Proverbs 7!
7:1-5 – My son, obey my words, and treasure my commands. Keep my commands and live; and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them down on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your relative. We have to get God’s Word in in front of us – the WWJD trend bracelets have long gone by the wayside, but find some sort of physical reminder that you can put in your car, or your wallet, or backpack or purse, or at your work that will remind you of God’s Word. It doesn’t always have to be scripture, but something that reminds you to think on scripture. For example, I have a pair of hexagon shaped earrings that remind me of a honeycomb. Now, whenever I put them on or see them in the mirror, I think of Psalm 119:103 – How sweet Your Word is to my taste – sweeter than honey in my mouth. In this way, I am ‘tying God’s Word to my fingers’ and in turn writing it down on the tablet of my heart when I think of it so often.
And here is God’s promise to us when we do that – [Wisdom] will keep you from a forbidden woman (any type of sin that calls you away from what God has for you), a wayward woman with her flattering talk.
7:7 – I saw among the inexperienced, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense. Being inexperienced is natural, and a part of youth. But inexperience can become experience through training and seeking knowledge and wisdom, which just takes time. However, this guy was inexperienced, and he lacked sense. He didn’t have the sense to try and gain experience, he just followed his whims. Proverbs 1:1-6 promises that this book will teach us all the wisdom and understanding and discretion we lack, so I for one, am glad we are in this book together.
The next verses describe how a woman comes out to meet him and seduce him with her words. A few of these stand out to me in particular.
7:13 – She grabs him and kisses him, she brazenly says to him…. Sin doesn’t play around. It wants to grab us by the throat and not let go. Sin is an active character at work in our lives, not just a ‘bad thing’ we do. Sin is always seeking to destroy us, like in Genesis 4:7, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. And just like we talked about in verses 1-5 above, reading and treasuring and practicing God’s Word is how we keep Sin, the character, seeking to devour us in the spiritual realm, from ruling in our lives.
7:15 – “I’ve made my fellowship offerings; today I’ve fulfilled my vows.” This is the woman, Sin, speaking. She’s saying, ‘Look, I done my duties, paid my dues, I’ve done enough and worked hard enough for God. Now I’m excused to go do whatever I want until the next time I need to pay God.’ This thought absolutely terrifies me. I don’t want to become so complacent, that when I see someone in need or feel that nudge from God to go speak an encouraging word to someone, I just shrug it off with an excuse of, ‘I’ve already done too much today, God. I’ve helped 20 other people already. I’m done. That person will be fine.’ That is what I fear the most in that statement and see how I can be tempted to do the exact same thing.
Prayer – God, let me not think I can justify poor choices because I think I have already ‘paid my dues’ or ‘done enough’ for You by reading my Bible or going to church or donating money or helping others.
7:15 – “So I came out to meet you, to search for you, and I’ve found you.” Again, we see Sin as a character at play, seeking to catch and destroy us.
7:21 – She seduces him with her persistent pleading; she lures him with her flattering talk. Sin is persistent. That is why we have to keep resisting, using God’s Word, not our own strength, and then the devil must flee (James 4:7). Prayer – God, help me discern the flattering words of Sin, and remind me of your Word to be able to resist its persistent pleading.
7:22-23 – He follows her impulsively…. He doesn’t know it will cost him his life. This is not a game we should take lightly. God gives us the tools in His Word to act with wisdom and discernment. We just have to take that small step toward God. To take a moment to listen to what He has to say to us, instead of always acting impulsively. I’m just as guilty as this youth when it comes to acting impulsively at times, especially when emotions are running high. But the more I read Proverbs, the more I find my spirit giving me pause before I act or react or speak. It allows my spirit to ‘think’ faster than my mind and interrupt me before I say or do something stupid or careless. How I love the power of God’s Word. I know it is cliché, but it really is life changing.
Prayer – God, I thank You for giving me Your Word. I thank You for its power in my life. Thank you for bringing it to my memory when I need it most, when I am in the middle of a trial or temptation, so I can use it to resist the Sin’s thoughts and words.
Friend, I pray these same prayers over you today. May you have a renewed love for God’s Word today so you can start seeing it work strength and resistance in your life.
Until tomorrow,
– Just a girl pursuing her reflection in the mirror of God’s Word, and praying you will do the same
Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible® Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.