Proverbs 6:32–33: “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; / He who does so destroys his own soul. / Wounds and dishonor he will get, / And his reproach will not be wiped away.”
June 10th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotionalIn this chapter Solomon again warned his children of the dangers of adultery. He pointed out that adulterers destroy their own souls and their disgrace will not be easily forgotten. Earlier in the chapter he warned, “Can a man take fire to his bosom, / And his clothes not be burned?” (v. 27). Of course, the answer is obviously that fire burns whatever it touches, leaving injuries. This powerful metaphor is used to teach the destructive consequences of adultery.
The Book of Proverbs is filled with teachings about consequences. All behavior eventually produces corresponding consequences, bad and good. Godly behavior produces godly blessings and results in the believer’s life. Ungodly behavior produces the opposite.
We may often be tempted to think that nothing good is happening as we participate in a bible study, listen to a sermon, or pray with someone. We may be thinking, “That didn’t seem to help me one bit.” But we can be assured that spiritual truths are penetrating and making an impact on our hearts through the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Years ago I observed a woman with a growth on her neck that her physician told her required radiation treatment. When she was given the “radioactive-cocktail” treatment to drink, she immediately complained that it must not have worked, exclaiming, “I don’t feel a thing!” But in only a matter of days the growth was completely gone. Repentance (1 John 1:8–9) allows the Holy Spirit to remove the tumor of any sin in our lives, including adultery, restoring us to spiritual health more completely than any human physician could ever do physically.
“LORD, we are in Your Word today because we seek to feed our soul and spirit with the bread of life so that we can walk in Your way.”