Why Should We Pay Attention to God's Wisdom?

[Proverbs 5:1-14]

Do you know someone who has been sexually assaulted? Last week, I came across a heated article in the internet edition of the Chosun Ilbo titled "Medical Students Accused of Group Sexual Harassment, Hire Numerous Prominent Lawyers". The article reported on three medical students from a prominent university in Korea who were arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a female classmate while she was drunk and unconscious. They then hired a large number of lawyers, around ten in total, including well-known ones. This raised an immediate question—how could these students afford to hire so many famous lawyers?

Sexual assault and harassment often occur at the hands of someone familiar to the victim. According to statistics from RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), nearly two-thirds of sexual assaults are committed by people the victim knows. About 38% of rapists are friends or acquaintances. Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. This is a serious issue. It reflects a world full of sexual temptations, and many are succumbing to these temptations. So, what should we do?

Over the past two weeks, during our Wednesday prayer services, we have received five lessons from Proverbs 4:20-27 on how we should pay attention to God's Word. We learned that we must listen to what God says (v. 20), keep His Word before our eyes (v. 21), guard it in our hearts (v. 21), and speak it with our lips (v. 24). In doing so, we must ensure that our steps do not depart from His Word (vv. 26-27). Today, let us look at Proverbs 5:1-14 and learn why we should pay attention to God’s wisdom (v. 1).

In verse 2, King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, says, "That you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge." The reason we should pay attention to God’s wisdom is, in short, to gain knowledge and discretion to guard and protect ourselves (1:4; 2:11; 3:21-24). But how does God's wisdom help us protect ourselves? What does it protect us from? It protects us from the temptations of the adulteress, or the prostitute. In other words, when we pay attention to God's wisdom and gain knowledge and discretion, it protects and saves us from the seductive and dangerous allure of the adulteress. "Wisdom will save you from the adulteress, from the wayward woman with her seductive words" (2:16).

So, what is the "temptation of the adulteress" mentioned here? Let’s look at Proverbs 4:3: “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil.” The temptation of the adulteress here is her lips. Her lips "drop honey," and her speech is "smoother than oil." This means that the temptation of the adulteress is so deceitful and subtle that her words sound sweet to the ear and can easily lead us astray, making us stumble in our faith (Park Yunseon). Initially, her words seem sweet and attractive, offering pleasure, but in the end, they turn bitter like wormwood and sharp like a two-edged sword (v. 4), leading us toward spiritual death and eternal destruction (v. 5). This is the ultimate purpose of the adulteress—her aim is to seduce us into pleasure-seeking, causing us to lose our way, and ultimately, to abandon God and suffer eternal damnation.

So, what should we do? How can we overcome the temptation of the adulteress? What steps should we take to protect ourselves from falling into this trap?

First, to overcome the temptation of the adulterous woman, we must not reject but listen to the words from the mouth of God.

Let us look at Proverbs 5:7: “Now then, my sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.” To overcome the temptation of the lips of the adulterous woman, we must listen to the words that come from the mouth of God. In other words, we need to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, to defeat the temptation that flows from the lips of the adulterous woman. For this, God’s word must be as sweet as honey to you and me. We need to hear the confession of the psalmist in Psalm 19:10: “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” If we are tasting the sweetness of God’s word, we will never listen to the tempting voice that comes from the lips of the adulterous woman. And even if that voice sounds as sweet as honey, we will not be deceived by her temptation. However, if we have not tasted the sweetness of God’s word, we will gradually distance ourselves from His words and eventually abandon them. The reason is that we are listening to the tempting voice that flows from the lips of the adulterous woman, which is more slippery than oil, instead of listening to the words that come from the mouth of God. This is like having not the honey of God's word planted in our hearts, but rather the “honey” of the adulterous woman.

Not long ago, a group of people came to my house to remove some bees. One person climbed a ladder to the roof and sprayed pesticide, and soon after, many bees fell dead to the ground. Then, another person came and removed a part of the roof to take out the honeycomb. After removing the honeycomb, he resealed the roof and blocked the gaps between the roof and the walls to prevent the bees from entering again. According to the expert, if the honeycomb is not removed, the honey will melt, attracting insects and rodents, and the bees will return. So, reluctantly, I spent a large amount of money to remove the honeycomb. Reflecting on this, I wonder if Satan is working through the adulterous woman to create a sinful "honeycomb" in our hearts, leading us to chase after the pleasures of the flesh. However, those who value God’s word more than honey have their hearts sealed with the living and active word of God, so they do not hear the tempting voices of Satan and the adulterous woman. On the other hand, those who have not tasted the sweetness of God's word have many gaps in their hearts and are more exposed to the temptations of Satan and the adulterous woman. Like the psalmist, we must value God’s word more than the honeycomb. We should desire and love God’s word to that extent. Therefore, we must meditate on God’s word day and night, listen to His voice through meditation, and, by obeying His voice, we must ensure that no temptation from the lips of the adulterous woman can penetrate our hearts.

Second, to overcome the temptation of the adulterous woman, we must distance ourselves from her path.

Today, let’s look at Proverbs 5:8: “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.” Dr. Park Yun-Seon said the following: “Sexual temptation is something that is attractive, so it can only be overcome by avoiding it.” One representative figure of this is Joseph from the book of Genesis. Joseph, who was handsome and well-formed (Genesis 39:6), was repeatedly seduced by Potiphar’s wife, who asked him to sleep with her (v. 7). Although she urged him every day (v. 10), Joseph, fearing God, not only rejected her advances but also refused to be near her (v. 10). One day, when only Joseph and Potiphar’s wife were in the house (v. 11), she grabbed Joseph’s garment and said, “Lie with me.” But Joseph left his garment in her hand and fled (v. 12). As a result, Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned, but he was able to resist Potiphar’s wife’s temptation.

However, today, many Christian young people are not able to reject sexual temptations like Joseph. They fall into temptation, sin against God, and live in the prison of their hearts. They are bound by the chains of sexual sin and are living as slaves to their sexual desires. In contrast to Joseph, if we had to pick someone who fell into the temptation of a woman, apart from David, we could mention Samson. He saw a Philistine woman in Timnah and took her as his wife (Judges 14). Then, he went to Gaza, saw a prostitute, and slept with her (Judges 16:1). He also fell in love with Delilah, a woman from the Valley of Sorek (v. 4), and succumbed to her tricks. He was eventually captured by the Philistines and died with them.

What should we do? We must distance ourselves from things that sexually tempt us. Trying to resist sexual temptation while getting closer to it is foolish. I remember hearing a story a long time ago about a pastor who worked with prostitutes and eventually fell into sin. I also remember hearing from a missionary I know that she was interested in working with prostitutes on the mission field. This is not easy. I believe it is an immense challenge. The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee the evil desires of youth.” And in 1 Corinthians 6:18, he says, “Flee from sexual immorality…” We must flee from immorality and desires of the flesh. We must never even go near the door of the prostitute’s house. We must distance ourselves from the prostitute. We should draw near to God’s word and keep away from the words of the prostitute, and by drawing near to God, we should stay away from her.

But what does the Bible say will happen if we refuse to listen to the voice of God through King Solomon, and do not distance ourselves from the immoral woman, but instead approach her door? Dr. Park Yun-Seon explains five tragic consequences (Park Yun-Seon):

(1) We will lose our honor.

Let's look at Proverbs 5:9: “Lest you give your honor to others…” The first tragic consequence of rejecting God’s word and getting closer to the door of the immoral woman is that we will lose our honor. Here, "honor" can be interpreted as "strength or vigor," or it could mean "reputation" or "dignity." Both interpretations are valid. By not distancing ourselves from the immoral woman and approaching her door, eventually falling into her temptation, it’s true that we lose our strength, but the loss mentioned in verse 9 seems to refer more to the loss of honor rather than physical strength. A great example of this is King David. When he was under King Saul, he was wise in all his ways and was praised by the people of Israel, gaining honor. But after he became king, committed adultery with Bathsheba, and orchestrated the death of Uriah, God used the prophet Nathan to expose his sin. At that point, David lost his honor and glory. In Matthew 1:6, it says, “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife.” The mention of "Uriah's wife"—meaning Solomon was born through another man’s wife—is a direct acknowledgment of David’s sin, publicly exposing his adultery to the Jewish people. How shameful is that? Similarly, Judah, the son of Jacob, also committed sexual sin, and in Jesus’ genealogy, it says, “Judah, the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.” Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law. What a disgrace!

(2) We will waste our youth.

Now, let’s look at the second half of Proverbs 5:9: “And your years to the cruel one.” What does this mean? When we disobey God’s word and draw near the immoral woman, we waste our youth, which is the golden time of our life, on the cruel one—the immoral woman. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come…” The youth, which is like golden time, is the best period to remember and serve our Creator. If we squander that time not serving God but rather spending it with the immoral woman, how will that young person's life turn out? The immoral woman is called the "cruel one" because she leads young people to waste their precious years.

(3) We will lose our wealth and income.

Let’s look at Proverbs 5:10: “Lest strangers be filled with your wealth, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner.” Falling into the temptation of the immoral woman leads to more than just the loss of honor and time. We also lose our material wealth. The Bible clearly tells us that we are to honor God with our material blessings, but someone who is enticed by the immoral woman is not offering his wealth to God. Instead, he is spending it to satisfy his own desires, giving money to the immoral woman. How foolish and absurd is that in the eyes of God? God blesses us with wealth, but if we use that wealth to support the immoral woman, it’s as if we are wasting our blessings. It would be better to lose everything because then we couldn’t even go to her.

(4) We will lose our health and regret it.

Let’s look at Proverbs 5:11: “And you mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed.” How many people today contract sexually transmitted diseases by lying with prostitutes, weakening their bodies and even dying? AIDS, for example, is still an incurable disease. What is truly frightening is that some people knowingly infect others with sexually transmitted diseases by continuing to lie with prostitutes. When we hear such news, it becomes evident how cruel and wicked people can be. In the end, those who engage with the immoral woman lose their health and, at the end, regret their actions when they find themselves suffering from diseases.

(5) We will inevitably suffer the pain of a guilty conscience.

Let’s look at Proverbs 5:12-14: “And you say, ‘How I hated instruction! And my heart despised correction. I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.’” After losing our honor, time, wealth, and health, what good is it to regret? After receiving correction from teachers and others, if we continue to despise that instruction, we are guilty of great sin. How much greater is this sin if, while attending church, we continue to sin sexually despite receiving guidance and warnings from pastors and teachers? Dr. Park Yun-Seon said, “Those who have learned much truth but continue to oppose it will receive greater punishment.” (Luke 12:47-48).

I would like to conclude my meditation on the Word. We must pay attention to the wisdom of God. Why? The reason is so that we can gain knowledge and sobriety to protect and guard us from the temptations of prostitutes. We must fight and overcome the temptations of prostitutes. To do so, we must not reject the words of God’s mouth but listen to them. And we must keep our way far from prostitutes. We must never give in to the temptations of prostitutes and lose our honor, time, wealth, and health, and live a life of regret with a tormented conscience. I pray that God will give me and you His wisdom.