PROVERBS 7-82006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Proverbs 7-8

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. Proverbs chapter 7. As we've been studying through the book of Proverbs, we've looked at...

Several different subjects will be heading in in the next couple of weeks into the more classic style of Proverbs, which is the one-line phrases and idioms and things that really speak deeply to our hearts and cover a wide array of topics. But

Solomon in these first few chapters has been dealing with large chunks, dealing with the same topic. And last week we studied chapters 5 and 6, which dealt largely with sexual immorality. I remember Jay coming up to me last week and he said, well, what are you teaching tonight? I said, Proverbs 5 and 6. He's all, oh, good, sex ed. And that's really what chapter 5 and 6 is all about. It's

As well as seven, as we'll get into that tonight as well. But talking about wisdom and the importance of wisdom and holding on and grasping on to the words of God and the commands that God gives to us. We've defined wisdom as following God's recipe for life. It's not about how smart we are, intelligent we are, how much schooling we have. The wisdom of God is quite different than that. The wisdom of God is given to us and it's available for all of us. We

We just need to listen to it, receive it and apply it to our lives. And that, again, will be the subject of Solomon here in chapters seven and eight. And so let's start together in Proverbs chapter seven and read the first five verses. It says this, my son, keep my words and treasure my commands within you.

Keep my commands and live and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, you are my sister and call understanding your nearest kin that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words.

Solomon now is telling us again, he's speaking to us, his children. God is ministering to our hearts this evening. And once again, he encourages us. He reminds us. In fact, he commands us.

To hang on to wisdom, to receive it and cling to wisdom with all of our heart. Now, again, wisdom is not about being smart, but it's about following God's set ways for life. The things that he's commanded, the ways that he's given, the methods that he's laid out for us.

Wisdom is simply receiving that and carrying it out, living that way, living the way that God has said, staying away from the things that he has told us to stay away from and being involved in the things that he has told us to be involved in. And as we've talked about before, it's not because, you know, he just wants to kill all of our joy and ruin our lives. And so he sets up these

things and calls this sin so that we can't really enjoy the greatest things in life. No, contrary to that, sin is called sin because it will destroy you. It will wipe just completely everything out of your life. It will destroy and bring ruin to everything in you and around you and the people in your lives. Sin will just destroy

devastate everything about you. And so God says, I don't want that for you. I love you too much. And so here's the thing that I want you to stay away from. I'm calling this sin because it will ruin you. It will destroy you. You cannot live an abundant, joyful life. If you're involved in these things, you'll be miserable and you'll be bringing yourself to destruction. But on the other hand, these things over here, if you will involve yourself in these things, you

You're going to be blessed and you're going to have joy, abundant and overflowing life. And life is going to be like I meant it to be for you. And you're going to be excited about life and everything will be a blessing for you. Not that everything is going to happen and it's all going to be bed of roses and no problems and no situations.

But God will be with us the entire way through. He'll be protecting us and preserving us and he'll be carrying us along. And we will be blessed as we follow God's recipe for life. Now, we find God's recipe for life, the wisdom that he's talking about in the word of God.

And so we must ask ourselves that Solomon is asking us to make it an important part of our lives. How important is God's word to us? What place does the Bible have in your life and in my life? Solomon is telling us, make it a significant part of your life, a substantial part of your life. Center your life around the word of God. Listen, verse one, he says, keep my words, keep

Keep my words. The word keep it means to guard or protect or to observe, to practice them and carry them out. He's telling us to honor the word of God, to hold on to it and protect it as well as obey it and observe it. He also says in verse one to treasure my commands.

Treasure my command, Solomon says. Now, this is interesting. What is our attitude towards the word of God? It should be something that we value and highly regard. It should be a treasure to us. Usually we kind of treat it like pennies.

Kind of set it there and forget that it's there or it's off somewhere or we're not too sure what the particulars are about our situation and what the Bible has to say. A lot of times the word of God is not very valuable to us. We don't esteem it in that way.

Is God's word valuable to you? Is it a treasure to you? The words of God for your life and your situation. Do you treasure them and value them? Solomon says, this is what you need to do. Treasure my commands. Man, you should consider it such a wonderful thing that you have my words in your lap. It should be something that's priceless.

In verse 2, he says, keep my commands. Again, guard my commands, protect my commands, obey my commands, and live. You want the key to life? Guard and protect and observe the commands of God, and you will live. He also says in verse 2, keep my law as the apple of your eye.

The apple of the eye is it's an expression that's used to describe something that is most precious to a person. Sons and daughters are often described as the apple of a parent's eye. And the apple of the eye is literally the pupil of the eye. And how valuable is that to you and how precious is the pupil of your eye to you?

And he says, keep the law in that same place as the apple of your eye, that it just captivates you, that you're fascinated by it. It's precious to you. You hold on to it and protect it and guard it at all costs. In verse three, he says, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. Keep the word on you, Solomon says.

Just bind it on your fingers and write it on your heart. Everywhere you go, have the word of God with you. Keep it close to you, within you at all times. Fill your day, fill your life, fill your time with the word of God. Listening to it, reading it, studying it, meditating upon it, thinking about it, memorizing it. Just fill everything in your life.

With the word of God, Solomon says, this is what you need to do to hold on to it, to grasp onto it, to keep it because it is life for you and I. In verse four, he says, say to wisdom, you are my sister and call understanding your nearest kin. This is an interesting one. It makes us ask the question, is God's word a stranger to me? Unfamiliar to me. He says, say to wisdom, you are my sister and call understanding your nearest kin.

This book, the Bible that we have before us, is the most important book ever written. These are the most important words ever written. It's not the Declaration of Independence or our Constitution.

nor anything else that could be written. It is this book that we have that is the most important book, the words of God for you and I. This book is essential for me and for you. It's essential for our growth as Christians. And so we need to get to know it. We need to understand it. We need to be very familiar with it and close to it.

Without asking for a show of hands, I would ask you, you know, how many of you know the books of the Bible by heart? All 66 books. Do you know who wrote them and why they were written? Do you know where to find the beginning of the church in the Bible? Or do you know where to find Israel's time in the wilderness?

Do you know where to find what God says about marriage or family or how we're to be as employees or employers? Do you know what the Bible says about the situation that you're in and the activities that you're involved in? We need to be familiar with the word of God like a sister. Now,

You, if you have a sister, maybe you have a brother, you can kind of understand this. When you have a sibling, someone who's been raised with you or you've grown up with, you know them. Man, growing up with my sister, I knew everything about her. I knew what her expressions were. I knew her breaking points. I knew the buttons I could push to get the reactions I wanted. I mean, I just knew her. Why did I know her?

Oh, because I had spent so much time with her growing up, being raised together. That's what Solomon is saying. Call wisdom your sister. Be that familiar. Know the word of God back and forth and forward and backward, inside and outside. Get to know the word of God.

Have that type of relationship with it because you spend so much time in it. We need to spend time in the word of God, much time in the word of God. Hebrews chapter five, you can check it out on your own time, but it talks about that. Those who become mature.

By reason of use of the word of God, by just having used it so much, by having spent so much time in it, we find maturity in the word of God. If you want to grow as a Christian, you need to make God's word a priority in your life. And until you make God's word a priority in your life, you will not grow as a Christian.

So why are we to study? Solomon will tell us now in verse five. Again, verse five says that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words. Why should I make God's word a priority? Why should I read it? Why should I study it? Why should I spend much time in God's word and become familiar with it? The answer Solomon tells us is that they may keep you.

If you keep God's word, God's word will keep you, Solomon says. Keep you from sin, keep you from pain and misery, depression and despair, hopelessness, and all of the things that we bring upon ourselves by disregarding what God has to say about our lives and our situations.

Psalm 119 verse 11, a familiar verse to us, says your word of a hidden in my heart. Why that I might not sin against you. The word of God protects us and keeps us from sin. If you keep God's word, God's word will keep you. There's a saying that's been around for many years. This book, the Bible, will keep you from sin forever.

And sin will keep you from this book. And so we have a choice to make. Will we keep the word of God or will we continue to practice sin and stay away from the word of God? If you want to be blessed, if you want to live life to the fullest, if you want to have the abundant life that Jesus described, abide in him.

And abide in his word, as he told us in John chapter 8 as well as John chapter 15. We need to abide in God's word. Knowing it, living it, reading it, studying it, obeying it most importantly. The next part of verse 5, he says specifically what it will keep you from. And this is something specific that he's dealing with. And that is the immoral woman.

If you keep God's word, God's word will keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with words. Now, if you do not keep God's word now, if you have a hard time keeping God's word now outside of some temptation or some situation, you will not keep it in the midst of temptation. Don't think that you can compromise and play with sin here. And then when something big comes up, well, then I won't do that.

If you're having trouble and you're not keeping God's word now, you will not keep it in the midst of that situation, especially in the sin of sexual immorality.

I shared with you last week about the study of the brain that shows that when we are excited sexually, when things begin to stir within us, when the pleasure circuits of the brain begin to fire, it shuts down the logic circuits of our brain. The piece of our brain that deals with reason, that is able to make good judgment and good decisions, shuts down as those things happen.

begin to well up within us. And so if we do not keep God's word now in the midst of that situation, then we won't be able to keep good judgment. We need to keep it now because it will keep us from that situation, from that point where we will give into temptation. You have to make God's word a priority now and keeping God's word a priority. Now you cannot wait until later. And again, let me remind you of what I shared last week as well.

Any sexual activity outside of marriage is sin and will destroy your life. Solomon is talking here about the seductress, but it's not limited to that at all. It's limited to sexual activity. Any sexual activity outside of marriage is sin and applies to what Solomon is speaking about here in chapter seven. We need to keep God's word now because God's word will keep us from sexual immorality.

Let's go on in verses six through 12. It says this for at the window of my house, I looked through my lattice and saw among the simple. I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding passing along the street near her corner. And he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. And there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart and

She was loud and rebellious. Her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner.

Solomon now goes on to describe this scene of a young man being caught up in sexual immorality. And we learn a few things from his description for us. Four things specifically we'll look at very briefly. First off, in verse seven, he looks out and he sees among the simple a man devoid of understanding.

Devoid of understanding that word devoid means lacking or he has no understanding. It's absent from him. And the first lesson we learn from this is that we need to get understanding, going back to what we just looked at in verses one through five and keeping God's word and searching it out and knowing it and becoming familiar with it.

The first thing we need to remember, the first lesson we learn from this young man is we need to get understanding at all costs. We need to get wisdom by receiving from God and his word. If you do not have understanding, then you do not treasure the word of God, nor do you keep the word, nor do you practice it. You've already taken the first step towards destruction, towards involving yourself in sin.

If you do not keep and treasure the word of God, if you're devoid of understanding, it's already the first step towards immorality. Solomon says the second lesson we learn that we find in verse eight is to stay away. Verse eight says passing along the street near her corner and he took the path to her house. Now, in case you didn't recognize it, that is not a description of fleeing sexual immorality.

First Corinthians chapter six, verse 18, Paul tells us to flee sexual immorality because every sin that a man does is outside his body. But he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. There's a big difference. Sexual immorality is quite drastic for us and and is more destructive to us even than other sins that we can participate in.

And we're to flee from that, to run from it, to turn our backs and just give it all we got, sprint away. And that's not what this young man did. We need to stay away. He's passing along the street near her corner. And then finally he takes the path to her house. Don't even go down the street. So often in our minds we say, you know, I just want to look. I just, you know, just need a little taste.

I just want to get close or see. I'm just curious. There's lots of things that we can do to justify compromise in our life. But what we need to do, lesson number two from this young man, is just stay away. Don't go down that street. Stay away from her corner and definitely don't go the path to her house. Whatever it is that is in your life that is tempting, that is difficult,

capturing your attention and drawing you in just stay away from it if it's alcohol you don't drive down or walk down the street where you used to hang out with all your buddies and drink or drugs or sex or whatever the case may be we need to just get away stay away from the path at all altogether a good thing for us to learn is to look ahead remember they taught you that in driving

Look ahead and anticipate the changes in the road and what people might be trying to do in our life. We need to do the same thing. Look ahead of your day, the direction that your day is going or the direction that your life is going. Look ahead in the choices that you're making. And if your path leads anywhere near an area of temptation, you need to get off of that path.

You need to say like David, leave me not into temptation. Just get me off of that path altogether. Keep me going in a different direction. God doesn't call us to walk by and see if we can withstand. He calls us to flee, to run, to stay away completely, not even to walk the path, not even to hang out by the corner and not to enter into the house. Get off the path. You know, if there's situations in your life, maybe there's flirting going on in the office or

With someone that you shouldn't be flirting with. You need to get off the path. That's hanging around the corner. That's asking for trouble. Get off the path. If you have some extra channels on your cable TV or any channels at all, maybe it might be too much. Get off the path. Get rid of it. Do whatever you need to do to stay away. That's the lesson we learned from this man. Don't go down that street. Don't hang out by that corner. If you're on the computer, you're spending time online.

You need to get off the path. You really do get off the path and stay away from anything that would lead you down that way. You know, something kind of specific to the Internet, because that is an important subject and it's available to all of us. I would highly recommend if you have an Internet connection, you need some type of protection. You need to have some type of protection from people.

The pornography that's out there and all of the other things that are available. If you would like to know what we use at the church, I highly recommend what we use. You can talk to George after service because he's the one who set us up with it and everything. But you need it. It's really valuable. It's necessary. It's essential so that you stay away, that you don't go down the path. It's not even an available option. There's no opportunity. You need to get something so that you can stay away.

Maybe you're spending lots of time with someone of the opposite sex. You're heading down the wrong path. Unless it's your spouse, you can do that. That's encouraged. But if it's not your spouse and it's someone of the opposite sex, don't spend lots of time with people. Don't have conversations alone and share your heart and have... No, you're not to have that type of relationship. That's walking down the path. That's not staying away. That's not fleeing sexual immorality.

That's leaving the door wide open and we need to be careful. Lesson number three we find in verse nine. Lesson number three is walk in the light. Verse nine says in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. Isn't that a good description? We always feel like darkness hides our sin, don't we? We feel like it's covered. Nobody knows. Nobody saw. We're safe. It's hidden.

Solomon says, hey, you better learn this lesson. Don't be like this young man. Walk in the light, not in the night. That's an important rule for us. Don't be involved in activity that you would be ashamed of if everybody here knew. Can you imagine? We came up here and I announced all of your activities for the entire week in front of everybody. But at the same time, we need to walk in the light. Laughter

Larry was trying to be suave. Put his arm around his wife. Whacked her in the head instead. I think he's under conviction. I'm just kidding. Hey, we've all done that, right guys? How many guys have done that? That's just funny to see when you're teaching. We need to walk in the light.

Not in darkness that we would not be ashamed if everybody else knew. If you're involved in anything, if you're doing things that you don't want your spouse to know about, it's wrong. You need to stop. If you're doing things that you don't want your parents to know about or your friends or your family or your coworkers or your neighbors, it's wrong. You need to stop unless you're planning a surprise party or something like that. But you know what I'm talking about.

If you're involved in things that you would be ashamed of if others found out, it's wrong. You need to walk in the light. Learn the lesson from this young man so that you don't fall into the trap. And then lesson number four found in verse 10. Lesson number four is watch out for wolves. Verse 10 says, and there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart.

That is a deadly combination. The attire of a harlot and a crafty heart. There is nothing innocent about this woman. In verse 12, it describes her as lurking, which means to lie in wait or to ambush. She's seeking to ambush. She's lying in wait for her next victim. You know, in dealing with sin in our lives, we always think we can handle just a little bit. We always think we've got it under control.

We always think, you know, I can compromise a little bit in this area. It's not a big deal. It's not a big issue. If something serious came around, I wouldn't be able to, you know, be involved in that. I wouldn't go forward in that.

But we need to remember that the devil is roaming around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. First Peter 5, 8 tells us. And he jumps at the opportunity to devour you because he hates you. And so as we involve ourselves in that little bit of compromise and that little bit of situation or sin, then he throws our way some situation we're not expecting. And that's what this young he's just he's just looking. He's just speaking around the corner.

It's kind of looking. It's a nice path. And here she comes. It's a trap and he's fallen into it. Just a quick example, but you can apply this in many ways. You know, we would just say, you know, we're just flirting. Nothing could ever happen between us. It's no big deal. It doesn't it doesn't mean anything. We both know it doesn't mean anything. We're both married or she knows I'm married or he knows I'm married or whatever the case may be. But then, you know, the opportunity arises. The timing is right. The place is right.

Should I say wrong? But the person responds with an invitation, bluntly, openly, with the attire of a harlot, perhaps. And now you have all this history. You've already played with your emotions and feelings. You've already allowed your imagination to roam with all the flirting and all the things. You're trapped. Now you're sucked into this sinful activity that you thought I would never do. How many times do we have those things in our lives? Don't raise your hand. I would never do that.

And then we find ourselves. And people warn us. People who love us say, don't do, why are you involved? And you say, it's just, I would never go all the way. We would never. And how many times do we find ourselves afterwards saying, I can't, how did I get, what happened? What was I thinking? We need to watch out because there are wolves out there. And you might think you're just playing a little bit, but that wolf will attack. And even the innocent ones,

Remember that Satan is roaming around like a roaring lion and he will use the innocent to devour you. He will present a wolf through the situation. And so we learn these lessons from this young man to get understanding, to stay away, to get away from the situation, to flee from immorality. We learn to walk in the light and to watch out for wolves because they will devour us.

Going on in verses 13 through 20, Solomon is continuing the description of this young man and the situation. He says in verse 13, So she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face and said to him, I have peace offerings with me. Today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you diligently to seek your face and I have found you.

I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with love, for my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey. He has taken a bag of money with him and will come home on the appointed day. You think you have it under control. You think you can handle it. And then, bam! Here's the situation.

This woman, not hinting, not being subtle, not just flirting back. The situation now, it's, well, it's a deadly situation. It's all been set up and everything is prepared. And that's what she comes to him and says, listen, dude, everything's already set. I've got it all ready for you. Verse 14, she says, I've paid my vows. Indicating that, hey, I'm religious. It's not, I'm not a wicked person. I'm not trying to rip you off or destroy you.

Also paying the vows indicated that she was well off. She wasn't just desperate for money and trying to get some money. And that's why she wanted. No, I'm well off. You don't have to worry about me stealing from you. I'm not going to charge you anything. I'm free. I've already paid my vows. I'm taken care of. Verse 15, she says, I found you. Not only have I paid my vows, but I found you. You're the one that I want. I was diligently seeking you, not just for anyone.

It was you that I wanted. You're the one that I love. You're the one that I want to be with. You're the one that I need. Where have you been all my life? And how many times do we hear that story? And no longer is it my husband or my wife. She's the one. So she presents herself. I want you. I found you. I've been looking diligently and I finally found you. I've paid my vows. I found you. Verse 16. I've spread my bed with tapestry.

My bed's already made. It's fresh and clean. It's decorated. I have it all prepared for you. Also being very forward and saying, hey, I want to have a sexual relationship with you. I want you to come back to my place. Verse 17. I have perfumed my bed. Pleasant aromas. Soothing. Everything is set. I have it all ready for you. And my husband is not at home. For a carnal guy, this is the ideal, perfect situation. Right, guys?

You're not supposed to be carnal, guys. It was a trick question. Sorry. In the world, this is every guy's dream, but this will destroy your life. We have to flee to stay away. Verse 18, she says, come, let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with love. Very clear, open, bold, blunt. Would you be able to flee?

In that situation. Would you be able to run? Would you be able to turn your back? And apply it to whatever you might personally struggle with. Would you be able to? And of course we should say no. Not on our strength. No we cannot. There's no way. And that is why we must keep God's word now. Because if we keep God's word. God's word will keep us. Out of that position. Out of that situation. Now God will never give us anything.

that we cannot bear, that he does not provide a way out. But it's way better for us to take the way out that begins before we even enter the path, walk the road, or go down that way. Think about two examples in the Old Testament. Samson, Judges 13-16. You can check it out on your own. He compromised on the little things. He didn't keep God's word for him on the little things.

He's hanging around the vineyard. He's touching the dead animals, doing the things that God specifically said no, but they weren't big things. They weren't large things. They weren't life and death things. He figured, you know, hey, when it comes to the life and death things, I'll be able to handle it. But then here comes Delilah. He's already compromised on the little things, already turned his back on the word, already ignored the word of God in certain areas, disregarded those things. And so when Delilah comes, he says, he cut my hair.

Essentially, he goes to Delilah and says, can you destroy my life completely? Can you kill me, please? Because I don't want to obey God anymore. And that's the reality of what he did. As opposed to Joseph, Genesis 39, faithful in the little things. Man, he had the worst. He's sold into slavery. Brothers hated him. But he's just faithful to God, faithful to God, faithful to God. Raise him up. God raised him up. He's obedient and faithful to his masters and to the Lord.

He finds favor in the Lord's eyes and in his master's eyes. The master makes him really the ruler of his house. And then, of course, you know the story. The master's wife basically did a Proverbs chapter 7 on him. Lie with me. I've perfumed my bed. It's all ready. There's nobody in the house. Come on, Joseph. And he fled.

Because he had already been faithful. He'd already kept the word of God on those areas that are maybe little in our estimation. But he'd already been faithful to the word of God. And so when the next thing came, rather than pulling a Samson and saying, cut my hair, he runs, he flees, he gets out of there. This guy needed to flee like Joseph, but he did not.

And you and I need to learn to flee like Joseph. But we learn it not in the big situations, in the day-to-day, keeping the commands, obeying the word, receiving the wisdom of God. Verses 21 through 23. He says...

With her enticing speech, she caused him to yield. With her flattering lips, she seduced him. Immediately, he went after her as the ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks. Till an arrow struck his liver as a bird hastens to the snare. He did not know it would cost his life. Here, this young man, he's enticed, he's flattered, he's seduced by sin, and the result was his own destruction.

Verse 23 is so powerful. He did not know that it would cost his life. He didn't know that it would be his destruction. You need to know this evening, sin will cost you your life. Romans 6, 23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Sin will destroy you. You will reap what you sow, Galatians 6, 7 and 8. And on and on and on we could go.

The wages of sin is death. It will destroy you. You need to know it will cost you your life if you live in sin. Closing it out, verses 24 through 27.

He says, now, therefore, listen to me, my children, pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths, for she has cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death. Solomon now gives us the moral of the story in verse 24. Now, therefore, listen.

Here's the results. Here's what you need to know. Listen to me, Solomon says. Pay attention to the words of my mouth. Again, he says, listen, pay attention. Open your eyes. Open your ears. Listen to what I'm saying. I know what I'm talking about. It's for your protection and for your blessing.

Verse 25, he gives us the command. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths. As alluring and tempting situations may be, you do have a choice and you can obey this command to not let your heart turn aside and to not stray into those paths.

Again, God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able to bear. He will always provide a way out. First Corinthians 10, 13 tells us. But the best way out is the one that keeps you from the situation altogether. So don't let your heart turn aside. Don't stray to her paths. Don't go that direction. Set up...

Things in your life to keep you from going in that direction. Set up whatever accountability you need. Set up whatever things that you need in your heart and in your life. But first and foremost, the way that you keep yourself from that is by paying attention and taking heed and treasuring the word of God. Don't even go down the road of flirting.

Get rid of those things on cable or the movies or whatever. Protect yourself on the Internet. Do whatever you need to do. Listen to Solomon. Listen to the word of God. It will save your life. Because in verse 26, it says she has cast down many wounded. And notice all who were slain by her or what were the weaklings. They were the ones who couldn't handle sin. They're the ones who couldn't really deal with temptation.

No, it says all were strong men like Samson. And we think I'm strong. I can handle it. I can deal with this. Do you really think that you're strong enough to handle temptation? Well, so did everybody else before you. It's our downfall. Do not play with sin. You are not strong enough. It will destroy you. Verse 27 says her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.

We don't have time, but look up on your own. Galatians 5, 19 through 21. We looked at it last week. Revelation chapter 21, verse 8. If you think that you can live in sin and still inherit eternal life, you need to read your Bible again. Her house is the way to hell. And we need to be warned.

Solomon now leaves the subject of sexual immorality as we go into chapter 8. And he begins to again emphasize the importance of wisdom. Wisdom is personified in this chapter, which means that wisdom is spoken of as if it were a person. And it's done that way poetically to give us a better understanding that we might have a clearer picture of wisdom and the possibility of attaining it. In chapter 8, verses 1 through 5 says,

Solomon says, does not wisdom cry out and understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the top of the high hill beside the way where the paths meet. She cries out by the gates at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors to you. Oh, man, I call and my voices to the sons of men. Oh, you simple ones understand prudence and you fools be of an understanding heart.

Here in chapter 8, we find that wisdom is crying out, calling out loudly. But notice where wisdom is calling out. In verse 2, it says, at the top, on top of the high hill. Later in verse 2, it says, beside the way. In verse 3, by the gates, as well as at the entrance of the city. And verse 3, as well, at the end, says, at the entrance of the doors.

Why is it significant to notice that? Well, because wisdom is not something that's elusive. It's not hard to find. It's not hidden and only available to the really intelligent or the very religious. All the places mentioned here are common places open to the public for all to see on top of the high hill, beside the way, just on the side of the road or on the side of the freeway, by the gates, by the entry of the city, by the entrance of the doors. Wisdom is crying out, calling for attention everywhere you go.

Wisdom is as close to you as the door. Anytime you go through a door, wisdom is that close to you, right there for you. It's not just to the elite or the select few. Look who wisdom calls out to in verse four. To you, O men, I call. Men is a reference to human beings in general, not just the gender. If you're breathing, if you're a human being, if you're a person, wisdom is calling out to you, to every one of us.

Is wisdom only for the well-educated? Is it only for the smart people? Look at verse 5. Wisdom is calling out to the simple, to the foolish, to those who don't have wisdom. It's not about being smart. Any one of us can obtain wisdom. Wisdom is available to any who wants it. So how do we get it? We find out in verses 6 through 11. He says this.

Listen, for I will speak of the excellent things and from the opening of my lips will come right things for my mouth will speak truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness. Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge.

Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choice gold for wisdom is better than rubies and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. How do we get wisdom? Verse six tells us, listen, that's how we get it.

Listen, I will speak excellent things. All we have to do to get wisdom is listen. God makes it so simple for us. There's not these hoops that we have to jump through. We don't have to, you know, go spend four years at a university or join some fraternity or anything like that. All we have to do is listen. Listen. Something our parents tried to get us to do since we were young. But listen, that's all we have to do.

That's all God calls us to. We saw that in chapter seven as well. In verse 24, Solomon, remember, said he said, therefore, listen to me, my children, pay attention to the words of my mouth. Again, wisdom is not about being smart, but it's how well you listen about listening. Well, verse 10, he says, receive my instruction. So listen and receive instruction. Now, of course, listening and receiving instruction, it means more than just hearing the sounds or reading the pages.

Instruction is received by hearing what is said and applying it, living it, putting it into practice in our life. If you walk in ways that contradict the word of God, then you are not wise. If you listen to this message but still play with sin or involve yourself in sexual immorality, you are not wise. If you want wisdom, listen to God's word, receive it and let it change your life.

Live your life by it. That's all you have to do to be wise is listen to God's word and obey it. Again, as I've often said, wisdom is God's recipe for life. Putting it into practice. Verse 11. Wisdom is better than rubies and all the things that one may desire cannot be compared with her. This is such a powerful verse to me. All things one may desire. It makes me think, what is the best thing that you can imagine?

If you were Aladdin and you had a genie with three wishes, what is the best that you could come up with? The best, just the things that you can't even really describe. What is the best in your imagination? Wisdom is better than all those things. They can't even be compared with wisdom. Do you believe this? Do I really believe this?

That receiving God's word and applying it to my life is better than anything that I can imagine. Believe it. It is the truth. It's God's promise. So seek after wisdom with all your heart. Search and study the word of God. Apply it to your life. Let everything you do be governed by God's word. Verses 12 through 21.

He says, I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance and the evil way in the perverse mouth. I hate counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding. I have strength by me. Kings reign and rulers decree justice by me. Princes rule and nobles, all the judges of the earth.

Verse 17, I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently will find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold. Yes, then fine gold and my revenue than choice silver. I traverse the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of justice that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries.

Here, Solomon goes on to describe the value of wisdom. And boy, is it incredible. When you get wisdom, you also get verse 12 prudence, knowledge and discretion because wisdom dwells with those things. In verse 13, he says that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Sometimes we struggle with that, don't we? Learning to hate evil, get wisdom, get wisdom.

Because wisdom hates evil. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. There's value in that, in teaching us to be disgusted by sin. Verse 14, other things, other values of wisdom. We get counsel, sound wisdom. We get understanding and strength. Verse 17, wisdom is saying, I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently will find me.

You can have these things. You can have the things that are more valuable than all the things in the world that you could imagine. You can have wisdom. In fact, you should have wisdom. There's no reason why we shouldn't have wisdom. I was cracking myself up when I was studying this. If we can have wisdom and we should have wisdom, then if we don't have wisdom, we're fools. Because...

If you don't have wisdom, you're a fool. And if you don't have wisdom, you're foolish because you can have it. If you don't have wisdom, you're a fool. Obtain wisdom. Get wisdom. Search it out. Seek after it by receiving from God's word. In verses 18 through 21, wisdom talks about the fruit of wisdom and the riches therein. Now, it's not talking about monetary riches and things in this life, though that may come. Verse 18 specifies specifically wisdom.

Specify specifically. Can you say that? Verse 18, enduring riches and righteousness. Riches that will last. Now, which riches are enduring? Matthew chapter 6, verses 19 and 20. Jesus spells it out very clearly. Don't lay up treasures in this world where moth and rust destroy. Lay up your treasures in heaven where the rust does not destroy and the moth cannot corrupt. The treasures that last, the enduring riches last.

Other things of eternal value, the fruit of wisdom is eternally valuable. If you want to fill up your treasures in heaven and store up treasures in heaven, then you need to obtain wisdom. You do not fill up your treasuries by doing lots of good works, but you fill up your treasuries by listening to God's word, obeying it, seeking it, studying it, reading it, memorizing it, and then applying it to your life and living it out.

By obtaining wisdom, hearing from God and allowing him to instruct you. Verses 22 through 26. It says the Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way before his works of old. I have been established from everlasting from the beginning before there was ever an earth.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth or the fields or the primal dust of the world. We see...

Here, many see a parallel of Jesus in these verses and as well as the following verses. I'm not going to really get into that tonight, but suffice it to say this. There are a lot of parallels here because Jesus is God and in him is all wisdom and all mysteries and all knowledge. And so we do find lots of parallels here between wisdom and Jesus Christ.

But Solomon is explaining here the origin of wisdom. How long has wisdom been around? Verse 22 says, at the beginning, before his works of old, before God's works of old, wisdom...

Verse 23. Verse 24. Verse 26. Wisdom has been around since the beginning because, of course, wisdom comes from God. And so it's not something that we just arrive at today.

Something that's just available today or maybe was available then. But you know, the word God, the Bible, that's a long time ago. It doesn't apply to today. No, these are truths that have been established and founded since before the world began. We can count on them, rely upon them. They're steadfast. Verses 27 through 31 says,

When he prepared the heavens, I was there. When he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.

Now, if wisdom was included as part of God's work and part of all that he did, preparing the heavens, drawing the circle on the face of the deep, establishing the clouds, strengthening the fountains of the deep, giving the sea its limit, strengthening everything, marked out the foundations of the earth,

If wisdom was involved in all of, if God saw it necessary to include wisdom and all of his activity at the beginning in creation and establishing this world, how much more should we include it as a part of everything that we do? Do you have to do things that are more difficult and more complicated than creating the world? Then wisdom is sufficient for you. God's word is sufficient for you.

For what you are called to do in the activities that you're involved in. Wisdom is sufficient for your needs. Finally, closing it out in verse 32 through 36. Now, therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise and do not disdain it.

Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death. He says, now, therefore, since wisdom has always existed and since wisdom comes from God and was used in creation, Solomon again says, no.

Listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to my words. Receive them and apply them. Take them into your heart and let them change your life. Receive them and apply them. Don't be wise in your own eyes. Don't ignore my counsel and instruction. Listen to me, Solomon says. Verse 33, hear instruction and be wise and do not disdain it.

To be wise, we must be instructed. We must allow God to tell us what to do, what he wants us to do. We talked about this on Sunday in Philippians chapter 2, the importance of humbling ourselves and being obedient to the point of death. Who am I to obey? God, government, employer, husbands and wives, parents, spiritual leaders. We're to be obedient and receive instruction and allow ourselves to be told what to do.

By God and his word. By those that he's placed over us in authority. We're to be obedient to them. Hear instruction. That is wisdom. Receive it. Listen to me, Solomon says. God speaks to us tonight. Listen to me. We have a choice this evening and every day. Will we receive instruction? Will we let God tell us what to do and what not to do? Will we apply his word to our lives?

In verse 35 and 36, we conclude with this. He says,

You have a choice before you this night and every day. Life or death. If you love wisdom and seek it diligently, if you search and study the scriptures and find out what God says about the things that you are doing and the way that you live and the things you're involved in, if you live according to his instruction, you will find life and you will have favor with God. But if you do not, if you hate instruction and do not receive correction, if you do not

If you will not let God direct you, you love death and you're storing up wrath for yourself. Moses, when he gave the commandments to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 30, verses 15 through 20, he finishes telling them everything. This is what God has said. This is the way he's called you to live. And he says at the end, see, I've set before you life and death, good and evil and the commands that I've given to you.

To walk in his ways and keep his commandments, his statutes, his judgments. That you may live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, you do not listen.

If you're drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witness today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life that both you and your descendants may live. We have a choice to listen or not to listen. Life and death.

to allow God to instruct us or to refuse to be corrected in the issue of sexual immorality or anything else that we might be going through. We must search out what God has to say and let him speak to our heart and direct us in the way that we are to go. That is life. And in that is blessing. And in that we will obtain things more valuable than we can imagine.

God makes it so simple. It's not complicated. He says, listen, receive, hear it, follow it. He lays it all out for us. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you, God, that you make wisdom available to us. Lord, you don't hold it out in front of us that we would chase it and never be able to obtain it. But God, you make it available right here in our laps. In your word, we find everything we need for life and godliness, according to Peter.

So God, help us to receive it, to listen to it, to allow you to instruct us. Give us a thirst for your word, God, that we might search it out and find wisdom and grasp onto it and pay attention. Lord, may we give you authority over every part, every aspect of our lives. God, I pray that you would keep us from sin. As we keep your word, Lord, allow your word to keep us as you promised.

I pray for any who might be struggling with sin and might be involved in immorality or in a lifestyle, Lord, that's in disobedience to your word. God, I ask that you would stir up in their heart repentance. God, that they would be able to see, not like the simple man who did not know that her path led to death, would help us to see the paths in our life, the ways that we go that lead to death. Open our eyes, God.

Keep us from those things. Lord, may we not consider ourselves strong because all those before us who fell were strong men, strong women. We're not too strong, God. We're not strong enough. We need you to keep us from temptation. Lead us not into temptation, God. We're weak. And so, Lord, knowing that, may we search out wisdom. May we seek after wisdom. May we hold on to wisdom and pay attention that you may keep us strong.

from sin, from destroying our lives. Protect us, God. Fill us with your spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.