Posted: 2/06/04
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 15
God's wisdom is necessary for sexual purity
Selected Proverbs
By John Duncan
Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury
Reports indicate a connection between poverty and teenage sexual promiscuity. James Q. Wilson says: “You need only three things in this country to avoid poverty–finish high school, marry before having a child and marry after the age of 20. Only 8 percent of the families who do this are poor; 79 percent of those who fail to do this are poor” (citing Presidential advisor William Gaston in Family Ministry, Spring issue).
Teenagers are not alone in promiscuity. Adultery and broken marriage vows accentuate the misery, pain and anxiety of the foolishness of promiscuity. God's wisdom from Proverbs invites his people to seek God's will to pursue a lifestyle that is spiritual, mutually fulfilling, physically healthy, and values the present and future of the relationship.
Warning
If purity of life and sexual purity in God's eyes are a goal, then each person must consider God's ways and his or her own ways. “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and ponder all his goings” (Proverbs 5:21) Pondering God's way indicates three thought processes: (1) thinking of God's expectations; (2) respecting other people and the paths of their lives (5:6); and (3) honoring self in the realm of spiritual purity. This simply means listening to God's wisdom long before passion, sexual temptation and promiscuity come knocking on your door (5:1-2).
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Paul addressed a problem at Thessalonica. He challenged the first century Christians to walk in a way that pleased God (1 Thessalonians 4:1). He reminded them of God's commandments–given for the good of the kingdom of God, the body of Christ and individuals (v. 2). Paul then stated the pure in life will one thing–to please God. How was that done?
Paul begged the early church to live a life set apart and under God's direction. He commanded them to abstain from sexual misconduct. Paul moves one step further in explaining how purity can be worked in practical ways.
First, respect others in their uniqueness as set apart by God. This keeps a person from looking at a partner through selfish and lustful eyes (v. 4). Second, honor the other person by serving them and valuing them before God. Paul indicates that honor creates a circle in a relationship: God, man and woman in relationship. The circle is broken when respect for any one of those persons is broken.
Third, Paul warns against allowing the mind to pursue any other thing except God's purity. Beware of lust, an inner drive that appeals to the imagination (v. 5). Four, beware of stealing from another person that which rightfully belongs to them (v. 6). The theft might be the gift of virginity outside marriage or a relationship already established with a spouse.
Paul warns his hearers to please God by denying the self, honoring another and enjoying the gift of sex in the boundaries of monogamous marriage intended by God. Consider your ways, your comings and goings, your goals and God's will (Proverbs 1:8-9).
Proverbial wisdom
The writer of Proverbs describes a similar warning in his day. Understand God's ways. This might mean avoiding situations that compromise your values, your pure will and God's plan (5:1-2). It alerts the spiritual person to wise choices, to a discretionary mind that does not detour from God's path or surrender the body to momentary passions.
In our image-driven world of wandering values, keeping God's straight path warrants the continual feeding of the heart, soul, mind and passions with God's knowledge (v. 3). God's word serves as a tool to build discipline, a sword to battle temptation and an escape route to free the mind. “Hear me and my words,” the writer of Proverbs shouts (v. 7).
What happens when the passions of lust and sexual drive overpower the purity of life? Deception offers sweetness, but the end result is bitterness (vv. 3-4). Where bitterness swarms and swells in a person's heart, pain stings deeply and seldom retreats. Sexual promiscuity and infidelity can produce anger, anxiety and intense pain like a sword piercing the body (4:5). Such actions lead also to what the writer of Proverbs calls, a “downward pull.” Sexual impurity drags people down into trash heaps and filth. It distances people from God to an extreme and grieves his heart (v. 5).
Flee
Paul tells his young friend Timothy to flee youthful lusts by pursuing righteousness, faith, love, peace with God and a pure life (1 Timothy 2:22). The writer of Proverbs gives a similar word: “Run from temptation. Close the door on sexual impurity. Depart from the winding path of sexual misconduct” (Proverbs 5:8).
Reading Proverbs 5, you get the impression that the writer understands the pain of impurity. He indicates part of the pain is knowing you acted the part of a fool, hated instruction, utterly rejected wise words and turned a deaf ear to wisdom (vv. 8-14). For those who fall into the trap of impurity, Christ offers forgiveness while demanding repentance toward purity of life. Purity sets the heart at peace with God, the inner self and others.
Question for discussion
What wisdom in Proverbs 5 most speaks to you?
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