Proverbs 5-6

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:1-8 Warning to stay far from the adulterous woman. Contrast this with the wife of noble character (31:10-31). Words of honey that belie the bitterness of gall (5:3-4) (gall being the contents of the gallbladder, i.e., bile), are the opposite of wisdom and faithful instruction (31:26). She gives no thought to the way of life but wanders aimlessly (5:6), contrasted with watching over household and not being idle (31:27). We can also contrast the adulterous woman to the bride of Christ, who is glorious having no spot or wrinkle, but is holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27). 

Proverbs 5:9-14 Consequences of ignoring this admonition. The alternative to these consequences is to establish patterns of behavior that help you and others to honor God. Trouble in the the assembly of God’s people (5:14) might refer to church, but perhaps also refers to the gathering of His people at the last trumpet. 

Proverbs 5:15-19 The blessings of faithfulness in marriage. Focusing on your wife is the vaccine against adultery. The husband must love his wife as himself  for this to happen.  (Ephesians 5:33) In the situation where the wife is unwilling to participate in faithful intimacy, the husband is called to love her redemptively, as for example, Hosea loved Gomer even though she was unfaithful, as a symbol of God’s love for Israel. (Hosea 1-3)

Proverbs 5:20-23 The Lord sees and there are consequences for evil and foolishness. In the end, evil deeds reap consequences not because of rule-breaking, but because of a heart that loves sinfulness. It is a man’s responsibility to recognize that the Lord sees all of his ways, and knows what is in his heart, and acts accordingly. (Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8:39.)

Proverbs 6 We can only become what God calls us to if we say ‘no’ to the opposite.

Proverbs 6:1-5 Admonition about pledging security for another person. Do whatever it takes to get released from being responsible for another’s debts. Co-signing on a loan is a very common practice, but Solomon warns very strongly against it. 

Proverbs 6:6-11 A lazy person will end up poor and hungry. Learn from ants who can’t be lazy - they set aside food in times of plenty so they won’t starve to death. Joseph set the example. (Genesis 41:46-57) Work hard and store up for hard times.

Proverbs 6:12-15 A troublemaker, a villain, will be destroyed without warning. If he escapes it in this life, what awaits him after this is worse. 

Proverbs 6:16-19 Seven things the Lord detests all relate to the misuse of body organs that the Lord created to be blessings: eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet, and mouth. Lying and bearing false witness both relate back to Exodus 20:16. Hands that shed innocent blood points to Exodus 20:13. There are some things the Lord detests that are not in the big ten: pride, wicked scheming, rushing to evil, and sowing discord among the brethren. The New Testament speaks to some of this in the context of church membership, but one would think these behaviors would be ruled out by the love of the brethren. Sigh. Human nature is hard to overcome.

Proverbs 6:20-35 Do not commit adultery, because the offended husband will destroy you. Obviously adultery is forbidden in the big ten. (Exodus 20:14)  Not honoring your parents’ commands and teaching, which presumably say don’t do it, violates another one. (Exodus 20:12) Not lusting after another’s wife violates the ban on coveting. (Exodus 20:17).  Prophets during the nation of Israel’s existence repeatedly used adultery as a picture of Israel’s (and ultimately Judah’s) idolatry. This was to communicate how offensive this unfaithfulness was to God. And eventually God did allow both of the nations to be destroyed.

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery that Jesus refused to condemn (John 8:1-11) shows the hypocrisy of society in Jesus’ day. Jesus did not say it was ok to commit adultery. His response (let the one without sin caste the first stone) put the accusers on the spot, because none of them was innocent. We don’t know if they all committed adultery, but they all had a guilty conscience. Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more. We can’t sin with the expectation of future forgiveness - that is putting God to the test. Jesus is no longer here in the flesh, but the spiritual dynamics of adultery are still active. Solomon’s advice, although given at the human level, embodies the eternal, spiritual principle of faithfulness.