Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 166 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs 5:1-6 Making Wise Choices #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 166 of our Trek, and yesterday we finished our exploration of Proverbs 4. We will remain at camp for a few more days as we explore Proverbs chapter 5. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is good to be back to somewhat of a routine this week. Being a disciplined person, I tend to like a structured schedule that allows me to get up at the same time each day for exercise and meditation. I find that I am able to accomplish much more when my schedule is set. I have been recording the Wisdom-Trek podcast early in the morning over the past few weeks, which seems to be working out well in my schedule as well. If I sound a bit raspy this week, it is due to allergies or a cold that seemed to flare up after returning from the cruise. It appears to be clearing up, so hopefully I will be over it soon.

In my hiking experiences, I have discovered that as the night wears on and we’re sitting around the campfire the stories shared become more personal in nature. So it is with the Bible, and especially in Proverbs. God does not sugar coat the subject discussed. Woven within scriptures we see the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. Even with all of the advances in information, technology, and medicine, people and societies have not changed all that much over the millenniums of human existence.

The next few chapters of Proverbs deal with some of the weaknesses we have as humans, and since God chose to leave them in His love letter to us, we will cover them as well as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are contained in the verses.

Just as the smoke from the campfire can drift into our eyes, temporarily blinding us and making our lives uncomfortable, there are times when we are blinded by desires and temptations in our lives which end up making our lives very uncomfortable. The question for today is “Do you stay in the same place allowing the smoke to continue to blind you, or will you take action and make the needed changes to avoid smoke getting in your eyes?” By God’s grace, regardless of past situations, we do not need to remain in the smoke.

The overall subject in Proverb chapter 5 is avoiding immoral women although the same principle applies in avoiding immoral men also.

As with part of the previous chapter, we see that chapter 5 is a poem. The poem has two subjects:

1. A married woman tempts a man who is not her husband.
2. Evil practices are like this woman because sometimes these things attract us. But evil practices offend God. We must obey God, and refuse to continue those evil practices or habits.

Solomon discusses both subjects at the same time. This is similar to Proverbs [2:16]-19. The actions of the woman show us how evil ideas can attract us.

¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
² Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

Solomon begins his lesson in the usual way. He reminds us why we need wisdom and knowledge. With wisdom and knowledge, we can avoid danger like what is described in the following verses.

³ For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.

A married woman attracts a young man. She seems so beautiful. When he kisses her, her lips seem to taste like honey. When he listens to her, her words are so attractive. He does not think about the woman’s husband. He does not think about God’s precepts. He does not even think about the results of his actions. He only thinks about her.

Sometimes evil ideas attract us. These ideas might seem sweet and pleasant. Sometimes it seems easy to do the wrong thing, and it seems hard to do the right thing.

We should not do evil things. We should say, ‘This offends God. It might hurt other people. It could place me in danger.’ The devil offered bread to Jesus when Jesus was hungry (Matthew 4:1-4). Jesus refused. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, “People do not live by bread alone,  but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Always be on guard, especially when you are tired or worn out physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  We also must refuse to do evil things.

⁴ But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
as dangerous as a double-edged sword.

Evil ideas may seem attractive, but they are really terrible. When the man kissed the woman, in his mind, even her lips tasted sweet. Later the taste in his mouth will be bitter. Later he will know the results of his actions. At first, the woman’s speech was attractive. Later, she will be like a sword. She will attack him and hurt him. Stepping outside of God’s plan for sex and marriage is like drinking a sweet poison. It seems so great when you are drinking it, but in the end, it will make you deathly ill.

Evil practices are often like this. Evil behavior always causes pain and trouble. The devil uses evil ideas to try to destroy us.

Stepping outside of God’s plan for sex and marriage is like drinking a sweet poison.

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⁵ Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.

If our behavior is evil, then the end result, is death. Solomon’s son might die if he follows the married woman. Solomon does not say how his son could die. It may not be physical death that is mentioned here, although it could be.  This death is a spiritual and moral death.  It would certainly mean death for this person’s integrity and reputation.

Occasionally, evil actions lead straight to death. Usually, the process is slower, step by step. Every evil action brings death nearer because our evil behavior takes us away from God. We can only receive true life if we trust God.

When the Bible speaks about death, often this does not mean the death of our bodies. Often the Bible means the death of our spirits. Romans 8:11 tells us, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” The result of our evil actions is death. But, God brings life to our bodies and spirits by his Holy Spirit.

⁶ For she cares nothing about the path to life.
She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

Again, the verse compares life to a journey or trek. Sometimes a person, like this woman, refuses to hear God’s law. The woman lives in the way that she chooses. She does not care about what is right or good. She lives by her emotions and physical desires. She has forgotten God. She does not know where her life will lead. She does not even know that her actions are wrong.  She stumbles headlong down a narrow and rocky trail.

We have heard God’s law. We know what is wise. We must trust God. We must not copy people like this woman, whether it is a sexual sin or any other type of evil behavior.

As we reflect around our campfire today, we can see how easily we can plunge into evil choices, leaving us unfulfilled and wasting our precious time and energy on something that has no eternal benefit. These life lessons are valuable to everyone we meet, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will continue on with Solomon’s teaching about wisdom.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spreaker, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

The journal for today’s Trek can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!