Proverbs 7 is a detailed call from King Solomon for his son not to fall into the trap of the adulteress. He lays out how the adulteress operates, and the ultimate end for those who turn to her: death. The statement seems dramatic in our anything goes American culture of the 21st century. Yet, Solomon was right then, and he is right today. A thousand years after Solomon wrote these words, Jesus would remind us adultery starts in the heart, and the Apostle Paul would tell us sexual sin is a sin against the “temple” of God, because the Holy Spirit resides within us. Thus, we are the “temple” of God. As we seek to live holy lives, lives that bring glory to God, one of the chief areas for purity to reside is in our thoughts, hearts, and actions when it comes to sexuality.
Proverbs 8 “personifies” wisdom. Wisdom speaks to us as if we could shake hands when we meet. The benefits of wisdom are the eradication of foolishness, material prosperity, and favor from the LORD. While these benefits are typical of Old Covenant promises: If you do this, then the LORD will do that… the truth is wisdom carries over to Jesus’ teaching, and in his book, James, the brother of Jesus, spoke of its importance as well. Wisdom will not save our eternal souls, only Jesus can do that, but wisdom does point us to Jesus, and offers us clear guidance for daily living.
Proverbs 9 contrasts wisdom and folly. When we read the descriptions, we wonder why anyone would want to follow after folly and become a fool. Yet, folly is popular. She is accompanied by myriads of people, and each of us accompanies her at times. As we read the chapter we see how important it is to avoid folly and to pursue wisdom. The life we long for is found in the “house” of wisdom, not the house of folly!
As we return to Luke 14, we find Jesus once again turning the religious leaders’ world upside down. He heals on the Sabbath. He tells them to invite the poor, the lame, and those who can’t repay them to their banquets. He tells them they must hate their families and loved once, if they are going to love Him. (That last one would have caught even His own disciples by surprise!) As we read Jesus’ words, and attempt to hear them as those who heard them the first time, it is hard to imagine how radical the words would have seemed. Many of us have read them before. Some of us have read them many times. They have lost their shock value for us, if they ever had any. We did not grow up steeped in the Law of Moses. Jesus’ words make sense to us. Who wouldn’t heal a man on Sunday? (The Sabbath) But how many of us invite strangers to our dinner parties? How many of us “hate” our families so we can love Jesus. That last point was undoubtedly hyperbole, but Jesus must be first in our lives if we are going to serve Him as LORD. If He is not first in our lives, we haven’t trusted Him as Savior. Jesus will hold only one position in our lives, the position reserved for God–first!