Day 964: Proverbs 6- Potential Pitfalls

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
    have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
    caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
    go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
    and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
    like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
 
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.
 
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
 
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.
Warnings Against Adultery20 My son, keep your father's commandment,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
    and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
    but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest
    and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
    and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
    none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
    he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious,
    and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
    he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
 
Meditation
The way of wisdom has potential pitfalls, places where hearts wander and feet slip in the pilgrim journey. Christians possess the promised Spirit who “guides us in all truth” (John 16:13), strengthening our steps and guarding our hearts. Fruitful footing in the way of wisdom necessitates we follow God’s Spirit to obey God’s truth and pay attention to potential pitfalls.
 
Godly wisdom will give certainty in our footing. We trust God’s ways as the lamp and light to our steps, guiding us from dawn to dusk (22-23). This Godly wisdom keeps our hearts and minds from wandering in the ways of the wicked.
 
Potential pitfalls include:
            -Compromising integrity (1-5). Wisdom understands the urgency of walking the talk, not saying one thing and doing another.
 
            -Sitting as a sluggard (6-11). Like the ant, wisdom uses God’s gifts in HIS work today to prepare for tomorrow.
 
            -Stumbling in one of the seven abominations (12-19). Wisdom loves what God loves and hates what God hates. If you are not aware of what God hates you will fall. Watch for the pits of division, arrogance, lies, injustice, wicked plans, feet hasty to do wrong to people and places.
 
            -Adultery (20-35). You cannot carry fire in your arms and not burn your clothes. Likewise, you cannot give a foothold to lust in your heart without torching your life.
 
Jesus is the ultimate way of wisdom. To love Him and His word from our hearts will guarantee we sustain sure footing and avoid potential pitfalls in our pilgrim journey on the way of wisdom.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the concrete confidence in God’s way of wisdom in 22-23?
 
-Which pitfalls do you identify with, and why?
 
-How does God’s Spirit empower you to trust God’s word so you can walk in God’s ways? Are you taking advantage of this gift of grace? If you are not a believer then you do not have God’s Spirit. If you are- TURN TO HIM and trust Him to lead you in truth.
 
Key Verse
22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,