The Pondering Path – Part 2
Reflective Reading: Proverbs 5
Last week we discussed the difficulty in translating Proverbs 5:6,
Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
We talked about how the seductress changes her methods of enticement constantly. Her “moveable” methods keep the son in a perpetual state of distraction, restricting him from pondering the path of life. How does he avoid such a person? Proverbs 5:8,
Remove thy way far from her, and come not near the door of her house.
The only way to protect yourself from the seductress is to stay far away from her! The Apostle Paul warns Timothy to do the same when he writes,
Flee also youthful lusts but follow after righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
If the son does not heed his father’s warning, then he will experience five major losses: virtue, vigor, valor, value, and vitality. Note how the father communicates these warnings in Proverbs 5:9-10,
Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,
1. Lest you give your honor to others (virtue)
2. Your years to the merciless (vigor)
3. Lest strangers take their fill of your strength, (valor)
4. Your labors go to the house of a foreigner (value)
5. At the end you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed (vitality)
What a great loss! And for what? A one-night stand? Even if his immoral cheap pleasures lasted a lifetime, the losses are eternal. Many who have experienced these tragic losses say exactly what the father says next,
“I can’t believe I did this to myself! Why didn’t I listen to the voice of my teachers?! Why didn’t I heed the warning of those who tried to correct me?! Why was I so stubborn?!” (Proverbs 5:12-13 paraphrase mine)
The plot thickens with the father’s next warning,
I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. (14)
The most dangerous place to be when you are in a sinful state is in the midst of the congregation. This is the place where we hide our sins and pretend everything is alright. The father warns his son that this state of hypocrisy will only lead to more egregious sins—especially sexual ones. Proverbs 5:15-20 warns the son to stay faithful to his future wife. He is to be intoxicated with her love and stay far away from any cheap substitutes that he might think will fill any void in his life. Any substitute will in the end take him to the strange woman’s house where he will inevitably wake up too late to realize that he has lost his virtue, vigor, valor, value, and vitality.
Now for the grand finale of these ponderings. In verse 21 we read,
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.
In last week’s blog, we talked about the word “pondering”.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Pro. 4:26
In chapter 5 we have two more occurrences of the word,
Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. (6)
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths. (21)
Do you see the pattern? In 4:26 the father is telling his son to ponder the path of his feet. He teaches the importance of thinking things through and weighing out the benefits and losses of the direction he’s going. If the son does not ponder the path of his feet, then he won’t be able to ponder the path of life (5:6) when the seductress begins her enticing offerings. From here on he lives a life that hides his sin, his struggles, and his true identity. He actually becomes comfortable with his hypocrisy in the midst of the congregation. In 5:21, the father gives his son the very strong warning—God Himself will be pondering his paths. Though the son may be hiding in the midst of his safety net, God is pondering and nothing escapes His attention.
As the father brings his wisdom lesson to a close, he ends with these words,
His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held with the cords of his sins. (22)
If I was the author of this Proverb, I would have ended with the cords of sin as a warning. But the father has one more reminder. He isn’t through with his primary theme of correction. It is the foundation of all other lessons—it is the foundation for wisdom. If the son is willing to listen and obey his father’s correction, then he will be more willing to listen to God’s correction when it comes in various forms. If not, then his father has one final word for him:
He will die for lack of correction, and because of the greatness of his folly he is led astray. (5:23)
Wisdom or Folly; ponder or perish…as always, the choice is his.
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Reflective Reading:
Hedge of Thorns Illustrated (Ages 6+)
Phil Tyler’s Stand (Ages 9+)
Charles Ogilvie (Ages 12+)
Hidden Years of Nazareth (Ages 12+)
Ned Franks the One-Armed Sailor (Ages 12+)
Sheer Off (Ages 12+)
Silver Keys (Ages 12+)
