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Friday 13 September 2013

Proverbs 6:20-7:27 - Adultery

We now get another chapter and a half of warnings against adultery. Sometimes people say the church focuses too much on sexual sin. There are various things can be said about this. First, we don't focus on sex half as much as society in general does! Secondly, the reasons there are frequent warnings against sexual sin of various sorts are that it is very prevalent, it is a temptation we particularly subject too, and it is very destructive.
The section starts with a repeat of the advice to heed your parent's instruction. Older people will have seen a bit of life, and will hopefully have learnt something from it (though this is not always the case!). We should learn from their experience. 
There is a warning not to lust in our hearts nor to be captivated by her. The sermon on the mount was not the first mention of our heart attitudes being important (in fact most of the sermon on the mount is reflecting what is already in the Old Testament).
Adultery is even worse than going with a prostitute. For adultery involves another man's wife, so you will endure the wrath of the other man as well as everything else that goes with sexual sin. The punishment will be great.
Then we are called on again to keep wisdom close to us. Then the writer tells a tale of the effects of adultery, describing how the temptation of adultery works. It uses smooth talk and tempting looks. When a man gives in to sexual temptation he becomes a fool.

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