Proverbs 6:23-35

TEXT Proverbs 6:23-35

23.

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;

And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24.

To keep thee from the evil woman,

From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

25.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart;

Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26.

For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread;

And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27.

Can a man take fire in his bosom,

And his clothes be not burned?

28.

Or can one walk upon hot coals,

And his feet not be scorched?

29.

So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife;

Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30.

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal

To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31.

But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold;

He shall give all the substance of his house.

32.

He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding:

He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33.

Wounds and dishonor shall he get;

And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34.

For jealousy is the rage of a man;

And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35.

He will not regard any ransom;

Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

TEST QUESTION OVER Proverbs 6:23-35

1.

What is there about parental teachings that are like a lamp or light (Proverbs 6:23)?

2.

How many times (different sections) in Proverbs does the author warn of wicked women (Proverbs 6:24)?

3.

What is lust (Proverbs 6:25)?

4.

What does precious life in Proverbs 6:26 mean?

5.

What does Proverbs 6:27 mean?

6.

Does Proverbs 6:28 teach the same as Proverbs 6:27?

7.

Has society been right in thinking that adultery is a terrible sin (Proverbs 6:28)?

8.

Does Proverbs 6:30 condone stealing?

9.

What did the law of Moses teach about restitution (Proverbs 6:31)?

10.

What reflects such a man's lack of understanding (Proverbs 6:32)?

11.

What about an adulterer's reputation (Proverbs 6:33)?

12.

Who is the angry man of Proverbs 6:34?

13.

Whose gifts will such a man refuse (Proverbs 6:35)?

PARAPHRASE OF 6:23-35

Proverbs 6:23-24.

For their advice is a beam of light directed into the dark corners of your mind to warn you of danger and to give you a good life. Their counsel will keep you far away from prostitutes with all their flatteries.

Proverbs 6:25-31.

Don-'t lust for her beauty. Don-'t let her coyness seduce you. For a prostitute will bring a man to poverty, and an adulteress may cost him his very life. Can a man hold fire against his chest and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who commits adultery with another man's wife. He shall not go unpunished for this sin. Excuses might even be found for a thief, if he steals when he is starving! But even so, he is fined seven times as much as he stole, though it may mean selling everything in his house to pay it back.

Proverbs 6:32-35.

But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul. Wounds and constant disgrace are his lot, for the woman's husband will be furious in his jealousy, and he will have no mercy on you in his day of vengeance. You won-'t be able to buy him off no matter what you offer.

COMMENTS ON 6:23-35

Proverbs 6:23. The three statements of the verse are progressive: the commandment is a lamp; the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. The truth is always enlightening and shows the way to go: The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes (Psalms 19:8); The opening of thy words giveth light (Psalms 119:130); Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path (Psalms 119:105); Jesus said, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

Proverbs 6:24. Oh, the importance of the young man growing up and not being taken in by the evil woman and her flattering tongue! Her flattery is warned against several times: To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words (Proverbs 2:16); The lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil (Proverbs 5:3); That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the foreigner that flattereth with her words (Proverbs 7:5).

Proverbs 6:25. Lust in this passage is that burning desire for intimacies with her. It is that which gets into the heart, and it reminds us of James 1:14-15, which says that a man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin. It was lust in Amnon's heart for his half-sister Tamar that caused him to do what he did (2 Samuel 13:1-14). Because of this Job made a covenant with his eyes so that he would not think on a maid (Job 31:1). Pulpit Commentary says, The admonition is a warning to repress the very first inclination to unchaste desires. To harbor such lustful, unchaste thoughts and feelings in one's heart is to be guilty of adultery-in-the-heart before God (Matthew 5:28). To create this lust in men's hearts there are women who both subtly and openly go out of their way to attract the attention of men. The wicked Jezebel painted her eyes in an attempt to buy Jehu off from his military designs about her and her family (2 Kings 9:30).

Proverbs 6:26. From this verse onward to the end of the chapter the discourse consists of a series of arguments...exhibiting the evil consequences of such indulgence (Pulpit Commentary). Many sinful habits have cost men a lot of money over the years (prostitution, gambling, drunkenness, smoking, etc.). Bible passages showing the financial outlay of immoral living: Proverbs 29:3; Luke 15:13; Luke 15:30; Genesis 38:13-17. The evil consequences brought to mankind by a money-making harlot are of no concern to her (she hunteth for the precious life).

Proverbs 6:27. The answer is no. Just as getting too close to a fire is inviting destruction by blaze, so getting involved with an immoral woman is a sure way to absolute ruin! This is a sin that no person can get away with. See Proverbs 6:29 where the word so leads to the application of this question's answer.

Proverbs 6:28. The answer again is no, and Proverbs 6:29 applies to this verse just as it does to Proverbs 6:27.

Proverbs 6:29. One can no more commit adultery with his neighbor's wife and get away with it unpunished than one can take fire into his bosom and his clothes not be burned or walk upon hot coals and his feet not be scorched. Who will punish him? (1) her husband: Jealousy is the rage of a man; and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts (Proverbs 6:34-35); (2) society: Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away (Proverbs 6:33); and (3) God: They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

Proverbs 6:30. Even though a thief will be punished upon being caught (Proverbs 6:31), yet men are somewhat understanding if he stole out of extreme hunger.

Proverbs 6:31. But even then he will still be punished. The law of Moses required a fourfold restitution of stolen sheep and a fivefold restitution for stolen oxen (Exodus 22:1). Zacchaeus spoke of restoring fourfold (Luke 19:8). Possibly in Solomon's day they had increased the penalty to a sevenfold restitution. Actually one might lose everything he had making the restitution (he shall give all the substance of his house). Proverbs 6:35 shows that the injured husband of the woman will not take any form of restitution for a man having taken her.

Proverbs 6:32. Adultery is an unwarrantable invasion of his neighbor's rights (Pulpit Commentary). Other passages connect such action with a lack of understanding: Proverbs 7:7; Proverbs 9:4; Proverbs 9:16. Lust has displaced right reason (Pulpit Commentary). God's displeasure with adultery is seen in His commanding the guilty parties to be put to death under the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22) and in His condemning the same to everlasting destruction today (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 22:15).

Proverbs 6:33. Wounds may be those inflicted by the enraged husband as mentioned in Proverbs 6:34; they may be referring to the wounds received by being stoned to death according to the law of Moses; or they may be associated with dishonor with which it is joined by and. People will talk about such a person, and the guilty may deplore that fact, but it is right here in the Bible that those guilty of adultery get themselves a reproach, and that reproach will not cease. Even after a person is dead or has settled down to a proper behavior, people will still remember him as the man who stole So-and-so's wife. God Himself was still talking about David's sin with Bathsheba in Matthew 1:6.

Proverbs 6:34. The worst feelings of anger are kindled in the man whose wife has been taken by someone else. Because of this there have been vicious fist fights, knife-stabbings, and shootings.

Proverbs 6:35. Nothing that the guilty man can do to try to make amends or to appease the man whose wife he took will work. We must face the fact that there is something about adultery that is different from any other sin that man can commit, and it's that way whether people like it or not!

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 6:23-35

1.

Comment upon Proverbs 6:23.

2.

What does Proverbs 6:24 warn the young man about?

3.

What 2 things does Proverbs 6:25 warn him about?

4.

What does Proverbs 6:26 warn him about?

5.

What is the answer to Proverbs 6:27-28?

6.

From what 3 sources can a man expect punishment for his adultery (Proverbs 6:29)?

7.

From Proverbs 6:30-35 show that society looks upon adultery as worse than stealing.

8.

What 2 things does Proverbs 6:32 affirm about the man who commits adultery?

9.

Comment upon the truthfulness of Proverbs 6:33.

10. Comment upon the truthfulness of Proverbs 6:34-35.

CHILDREN RECEIVE INSTRUCTION

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law (Proverbs 4:1-2). A good father gives good doctrinegood teaching. His ways are right, and he is not going to misguide his child. Proverbs 3:1 says My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. Remembering what they are told is just as important in the home as remembering what God has commanded us. People forget what God says and disobey; children forget what parents say and disobey. I forgot, they say so often. They need to be taught to remember what they are told, and parents whose regulations are regularly kicked around with this I forgot business are weak parents, who are in the process of failing already with their children.

How important are parental instructions? Listen to Proverbs 6:21: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. Listen again: Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart (Proverbs 7:3). Bind is a strong word. Children should bind their parents-' teachings upon their hearts, fingers, and all to remind them of what they are to do.

But, there are some children who will not listen. A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent (Proverbs 15:5). Children who will not listen usually shows them to be such. While a wise son maketh a glad father, a foolish man despiseth his mother (Proverbs 15:20). Proverbs 13:1 tells of the way that a wise son will listen to his father's instruction, and that there are sons who scorn every rebuke given. Yes, there will be outside forces, outside influences, that will seek to tear down our children. That is why the Proverb writer said, Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge (Proverbs 19:27). What a text! Such sons and daughters come to no good end.