The Story - Chapter 13 - Proverbs 6

The verses below are the two that were chosen for Proverbs 6 in The Story, indicating to me their importance.  Perhaps the old adage many of us remember comes from verse 28.  When you play with fire you are apt to get burned. Sometimes just the act of getting burned teaches us not to go too close to the flame.  Sometimes when we get burned, permanent scars are left behind as a reminder to be cautious.

Proverbs 6:28-29 (NIV) 
"Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished."

The first four chapters in Proverbs layout words about wisdom – seeking it, embracing it, devouring it, using it to get ahead on our spiritual journey, and to get ahead in life. Along with wisdom are words of warning.  Solomon is alerting us to be vigilant to enticement and wary of moral entrapment.  The heading of Proverbs chapter 6 is Warnings Against Folly.

Are you thinking as I right now?  Why didn't Solomon practice what he preached?  How could someone so knowledgeable, who was gifted with more wisdom than anyone, fall so far?  For me this is confirming things I have been feeling for a while now. We are so bombarded with the sinful ways of the world, the moral-less lifestyles of celebrities and some athletes, we become numb.  Our exposure to violence on television, movies and our games numbs us, we are no longer shocked.

We learn that's what happened to Solomon; he allowed the statues of his wives’ idols to be placed in the palace. He encompassed their beliefs along with his and soon right and wrong became gray.  Little by little Solomon’s heart was hardened, as he embraced the ways of the world.  The same happens to us unless we protect ourselves.  Don’t get too near the flames.

Read Proverbs 6 here

Listen to Proverbs 6 here