Proverbs 5:15-23

15 through 23. All right, grab my Bible here. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. It's so good to have you here this morning. We are at Proverbs chapter 5. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all of the wisdom literature. So good to have you. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee?
We'll pray and get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. We pray that as we read your word, you would care for us, that you would watch over us. We pray that you would lead our path, direct our steps, let us walk in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, you can't see it here, but lots of stuff on my desk. I woke up this morning and came into my office after workout and found all sorts of birthday presents on my desk from Olivia and the kids. So I have to be careful where I put my coffee. All right, here we go.
Proverbs chapter five, verses 15 through 23. Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving deer in a graceful doe, let her breast satisfy you at all times, and always be enraptured with her love.
For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray." We need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to this? So, A, what is this about? Well, verses 15 through 20 is this father's advice to his son, right?
Boy, go home and love your wife. Hey son, don't go by the house of the seductress, stay far away from her door, that's what we looked at before. Even though her lips drip with honey, no, her words are seductress, her ways lead to death. Instead, stay home. Go home and love your wife.
Be enraptured in her love. I love both the imagery in this proverb as well as the sensitive way in which it talks about it. Just love your wife. Be satisfied in her. Be there for her. And again, this is both for husbands and wives. The father here is speaking to his son. But this very well could be a mother speaking to her daughter, right? Hey, love your husband. Be with your husband. Love him alone. Be satisfied in your spouse alone. Being raptured in their love.
It's this beautiful picture of this intimacy between a husband and wife in covenant marriage and them alone loving one another. And it's just, that's where you'll find joy. That's where you'll find security. That's where you'll find the beauty of God's covenant is in the sanctity of the marriage bed. Love your wife, right? Love your husband. Be satisfied in them and in them alone. Because if you don't, God sees all your ways.
Some especially feminist theologians will come to this and say, oh, this is all about the adulterous woman, blah, blah, blah. Okay, one, it's written from a father to his son. It'd be different if this was from a mother to her daughter. But they'll go even so far as to say, well, this just shows the patriarchy and stuff like that.
Notice who the responsibility falls on. in the last few verses. This isn't blame shifting. Quite the opposite. Verses 21 through 22, For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. There's no, oops, I accidentally had an affair. Oops, oh no, I thought I could hide this. No, no, hold on, stop right away.
The Lord sees everything. The Lord knows everything. There's nothing that the piercing gaze of God does not go into. And so this is not some type of machoism or patriarchy or stuff like that, no. No, specifically to the men watching this, God knows your heart.
He knows when we lust after a woman that we've already committed adultery in our hearts. He knows if you're running around looking at other girls or going near the seductress's house. Stop it. The Lord sees that and you will bear your own iniquity. For the women watching, that's the same thing. This is non-discriminate. This is saying it is the sanctity of the marriage bed. must be kept pure and will stand before God and answer for that. Just be satisfied in your spouse. Love your husband. Love your wife. Be fully there embraced in their love and find joy in your marriage. Go there. Stay away from the adulterer. Stay away from the seductress. Be satisfied in your spouse.
Isn't it a beautiful thing to know that Jesus Christ, the groom of the church, does not go and have love affairs with other people, but he loves his people with an everlasting love. God is faithful. God is great. He loves us. He's faithful to us. and that is meant to be pictured in our marriage.
Well, why don't we go ahead and pray. Father, we pray that you might keep us faithful. We pray that you would give us marriages that we would be satisfied fully in our spouse. Lord, we pray that you would let us find joy at home. We pray, Father, that we might uphold the sanctity of marriage. And that, Father, we would know that each one of our steps are before you. And so, Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would work in us and guide us in the path of righteousness. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may you walk in wisdom. May God's word dwell in your heart. And may you find joy in following his path. I'll see you on Monday. Bye.