Her house is a highway to Sheol [hell], leading down to the chambers of death. Proverbs 7:27, TLV
Trapped? Warning! Danger ahead! What goes through our mind when we see road signs like this? I don’t know about you, but my heart accelerates, and if I’m driving, I slow down and focus more on the surroundings. Question? Do we heed the danger signals from our conscience, or Scriptures, or the Holy Spirit?
In today’s proverb, the naive-turned-foolish young man hits the point of no return in verse 22. He ignored the danger signs. Once he followed his temptation — and the woman — there was no turning back. Now, he would have to live with the repercussions of his decisions and actions.
Do you think he knew the point before the point of no return? Or was it when he was “locked in” to whatever fate awaited him?
We have discussed temptation as a web (Proverbs 5:20). The spider weaves the web to attract their prey. Once an unsuspecting insect lands on the web, the strands vibrate and alert the spider that dinner has arrived.
Remember Joseph? (Genesis 39:7-23) He saw the point of no return — the web
— when Potipher’s wife enticed him to sleep with her. I bet his heart accelerated and he was hyper-aware of his environment. Why? Because he recognized the cost of sin: his life, betrayal of GOD’s and Potipher’s trust. He didn’t want to be trapped or locked-in to her desires.
Her determination was not something he wanted to contend with, so he figured — wisely — the best thing to do was run.
Because the Holy Spirit is within us, we have an early-warning system to temptation. The better we know our Father’s word, the better we can hear those danger signals, know our own weaknesses, and have the strength to call on the LORD . . . Or run.
Temptation is all around us. Sin is sin, whether infidelity or kneeling on someone’s neck or looting a store or calling someone a cruel name (Matthew 5:22). In every situation, we can choose to say, “No!” to temptation. Watch for the danger signals — the warning signs.
There’s a battle raging between good and evil—unfortunately the evil is seeded inside real humans. Humans that are deceived and acting out. This isn’t an excuse for their behavior, but understanding this helps us listen for God’s still small voice and not the voices of anger, pain, and fear.
Please continue to pray for Israel and the innocents caught in the web of deceit.
Think More About It
Have you ever turned away from danger in time? Have you missed the warnings and run into it? What did you learn in either situation?
Thanks for stopping by. This was one of those rough topics we don’t like to think about. But you did it. I love hearing your insights and hope that if this blog blessed you or you gained something from it, you will share it. It helps my ministry.
