“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 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. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house. He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.” — Proverbs 6:20-35
One of the primary pitfalls the father in Proverbs wants to protect his son from is the folly of adultery. If the son listens to what his father and mother have taught him, their words will guide him down the narrow path, lighting the way to keep him from falling. They will lead him, watch over him, and talk with him. They will be like the warning lights in a cockpit that start flashing when the airplane is approaching a dangerous situation: his conscience, shaped by his parents’ godly instruction, will alert him to the life-threatening danger of a forbidden relationship.
Don’t Trade Your Life for Beauty
This passage teaches us that the path to sexual sin and adultery begins with listening and lusting. The “smooth tongue” of the adulterous woman represents folly that opposes the wisdom of the father and mother. The Serpent in the Garden of Eden was a smooth-talker with Eve, and he continues to subtly convince people to turn from God’s word and trust him instead. Those who follow the evil one become like him, turning others away from God’s wisdom. The first step to any sin, but specifically sexual sin and adultery in this case, is to stop believing in and listening to God’s word.
This passage teaches us that the path to sexual sin and adultery begins with listening and lusting.
The next step is to lust after beauty. Lust begins with the eyes and moves to the heart, twisting a rightful recognition of beauty into a sinful desire for another person. There’s nothing inherently wrong with seeing the beauty in another person, but when we lust after their beauty, we turn the person into an object to satisfy our selfish desires. The longer we think about them and fix our eyes on them, the greater the chance we have of being taken in, especially if there is mutual desire.
The father warns his son that adultery is a matter of life and death. Essentially, the father tells his son, “If you touch the fire, you will get burned.” What seemed beautiful, warm, and inviting will, in the end, consume you.
Don’t Destroy Yourself
If we fail to guard our ears, hearts, and eyes, we open the door to the possibility of destruction, pain, dishonor, and disgrace through adultery. We will earn the hatred of those we hurt through our sins, especially the spouse of a married person. Adultery is a destructive act that can split families, damage children, and break down trust and faith. Even if reconciliation and forgiveness happen, the pain lingers.
“If you touch the fire, you will get burned.” What seemed beautiful, warm, and inviting will, in the end, consume you.
We have all sorts of sexual temptations thrown at us every day: whether it’s from print ads, social media ads, TV ads, online pornography, immodestly dressed men and women, or simply our own imaginations. So, we must be vigilant, recognizing that the lust that begins with these things will not be satisfied until it has destroyed us. Engaging our ears, hearts, and eyes in lustful thoughts and behaviors is sin and will develop into more sin.
The enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to steal and destroy our lives, and he will use those things that seem most beautiful and pleasurable to accomplish his plans. God, on the other hand, desires that we have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). These warnings against adultery and sexual sin display God’s heart that your life be full of joy, blessing, and wholeness. It’s when we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and walk in his ways, submitting to his word and Lordship, that we truly experience freedom and life.
Don’t trade your life for beauty. Don’t destroy yourself. If you touch the fire, you will get burned.
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