Jump Start # 1866

Proverbs 7:21 “With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him.”

Our verse today is taken from an eyewitness account of a wreck. I’ve seen car wrecks. I was walking in a parking lot once when two cars backed out at the same time. They hit. I saw it. This wreck didn’t involve cars. It wasn’t something that after a couple of weeks in the body shop, everything is fixed and nice again. This was a moral crash. The consequences would be long lasting and devastating. A man is looking out of his window and he sees a young man walking down the street. The young man is not smart. Not dumb in book knowledge, but not street smart. He’s naïve. He doesn’t realize that he is walking down the wrong street at the wrong time of the day and looking for him is the wrong person.

A woman meets him. She’s married, but she doesn’t care. She is dressed like a prostitute—which implies revealing, immodest and suggestive. She has something in mind and she wants that to be in his mind. Then comes our verse. A conversation takes place. She talks and he listens. She brags on him. She flatters him. She fills his head with lies to get what she is after. He listens. He believes. And a terrible crash takes place. Like being shot with an arrow, he has sinned. Adultery has taken place. “He does not know that it will cost him his life,” the utter reality of what he has now done.

He didn’t mean to. It just happened. He wasn’t at fault. She led him and deceived. He only did it once. Doesn’t matter. She talked and he listened. She sold him lies and he believed them.

There are several lessons that come from this chapter.

First, the devil is alive and well. He is powerful. This same story is repeated over and over. Among brethren, adultery is destroying marriages and tearing up congregations. The devil deceives us. “With many persuasions” we are enticed. With flattery we are “seduced.” The devil has no regard. He doesn’t care about the little children who will suffer because of a divorce. He doesn’t care that men may have to resign as deacons or elders because of this. He doesn’t care that the church may suffer a large set back because of this. He doesn’t care that several may lose their souls over this. Satan simply doesn’t care. He smiles as the young man in our story takes the woman’s hand and follows her to her place. He smiles as they embrace. He smiles as the passion of sin overtakes what they know is wrong. He smiles as guilt and shame follows the young man for weeks and weeks after this.

Satan will use co-workers and neighbors to fill the role of this woman. Satan will use church members and best friends to stand in her role. Innocent. Naïve. Not thinking. Not being alert. Satan sets the trap. He watches and smiles as we surf the internet, stopping on places that are inappropriate and that fills the heart with lust. The thoughts planted, now he arranges the reality. Two friends reaching out on Facebook. A casual lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex. So innocent. So naïve. Like a giant chess game, Satan moves pieces here and there so opportunities present themselves. A late night. A stressful time in the marriage. A little moving here and a little moving there. A little flirting. Nothing serious. A little teasing. A touch on the arm. A lingering look. And right before our eyes, check-mate. How did this happen, we say. I never saw this coming. I never intended for this to happen. Satan did. It was right by the book, his book. It took time. He was patient. He was watching. And he smiled the whole time. Satan is powerful.

Second, God is stronger than Satan. This is why we are told to be alert. This is why the Thessalonians were told that Christians are of the day, not the night. Awake. Alert. Looking. Watching. Careful. Not putting yourself down the wrong street, at the wrong time of the day and certainly not listening nor believing the words of the wrong person. Joseph fled. The Corinthians were told to flee fornication. Don’t stick around and argue. Don’t debate. Don’t try to out wit fornication. Put on your running shoes and leave. You may have to leave your place of work or school or neighborhood, or sadly, even congregation to avoid Satan’s trap. God can defeat Satan. Surround yourself with godly people. Build a fortress of truth around your heart. Keep your eyes open. Be ready.

Third, the stats show overwhelmingly that most adultery occurs between people that know each other. It’s with co-workers, friends, neighbors, and sadly, church members. Why? Could it be that we are among “family and friends,” and we certainly would never think that something like that would happen here. Oh, Satan hopes you will believe that. Let your guard down. Take your eyes off the horizon. Turn the radar off. Relax. And before you know it, check-mate. He got you.

There is never a time, and never a place that we let our guard down. There is never a time and never a place that we turn off our spiritual radar.

Fourth, the way Proverbs 7 is written, it doesn’t sound like the naïve young man went looking for trouble. He was naïve. He was innocently walking down the wrong street. For us, it may be innocently texting someone that we are not married to. Keep your conversations short, to the business and let your mate know. Don’t be talking to others about things that it’s none of their business. If you need to talk to someone, talk to your mate or a counselor or with the shepherds in the church. The lonely hearts club is the starting place for the wrong street and the wrong person. The lonely hearts conversations generally do not end well. Be smarter than that. Don’t walk into Satan’s trap.

Fifth, God can repair what Satan tears up. Satan doesn’t do anything good or right. He leaves messes. After convincing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, we don’t read about Satan again in Genesis 3. He’s gone. God is the one who must come and clean up the mess that he created. God always does. Satan puts large dents into our marriages. God knocks the dents out. Satan causes us to only see problems in our marriages. God reminds us of our blessings. Satan makes us only see ourselves and how miserable we are. God gets us to see our families, our church, our friends, our influence. Satan hides sin. God reveals sin. Satan never shows the consequences. God does. Satan hides truth. God reveals truth. Satan doesn’t tell you about the bitter aftertaste of sin—guilt, shame and punishment. God reminds us of the honor and glory of walking in truth with Him. Satan is heading to Hell. God’s home is Heaven.

Many have walked down that wrong street with that naïve young man in Proverbs 7. They have allowed conversations to go too far. They have crossed the line with their affections. They have committed the sin of adultery. God can save a marriage, even after that. Forgiveness. Grace. Trust. All of these can be restored as folks walk with the Lord. Unfaithfulness does not mean automatic divorce. It doesn’t have to. Let God save, repair and make better what you promised.

Under the banner of forgiveness, things can be better. It’s not easy. And, Satan will fight you all the way. He doesn’t want your marriage to survive. He will launch more torpedoes. He wants to sink you and your marriage. Make changes. Put God in charge. Seek first God’s kingdom and God’s ways. Fight. Don’t give in. Roll up your sleeves and standing along side of the Lord, the battle belongs to the Lord.

It’s time to kick Satan down the street and for us to get off the wrong street and return to following God.

Roger