Like an Ox to the Slaughter

If one doesn't get it Proverbs 5, maybe Proverbs 7 will convince a reader to think twice before entering into a relationship with someone not his or her spouse. Remember in chapter 5, Solomon said not to even go near the house of another. In other words, do not put yourself in a compromising position.

In chapter 7, Solomon paints the picture of a young man who goes to the house of a woman. It is twilight, and darkness was coming. Interesting imagery, eh? He was not walking in the light of wisdom. The woman tells him that her husband is gone and won't be back till the full moon. What idiots. How many TV shows or movies have included a scene in which the absent spouse comes home early? And furthermore, how can one be so stupid to think no one will ever know. The Big Guy in the sky knows, and He's the only one that matters. For this and so many other reasons, we need to guard our hearts and our minds so that Satan cannot even get a foot in the door.

Listen to what Solomon says about adultery:

"[The young man] followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life...Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death" (Prov. 7:22-23, 26-27).

We have heard and experienced so many stories of marriages and families broken by violations of marital vows. The effects on the spouses (both spouses) and the children are detrimental and longlasting. Protecting one's marriage from violations, whether they are with flesh and blood or through cyberspace (tonight there will be a feature on Christianity and pornography on World News Tonight), is imperative and requires action. So do what you need to do.

As I discovered this morning that Solomon was writing about adultery again, I began to wonder about this man that had numerous wives and more concubines. Who is he to write about the dangers of adultery, I thought with annoyance. Then I remembered that he also wrote Song of Solomon. Scholars have theorized that he really loved only one woman. Hmmmm. Could it be that Solomon could write about adultery because he had experienced himself the pain of disloyalty to one's love? I also remembered that Solomon was the second son of David and Bathsheba. Their first son was conceived in an act of adultery and died as a baby. Could Solomon be passing on these words about adultery because his father, David, warned him about the dangers of it? Sounds likely. The lessons of the Bible seem so much more significant when one realizes that these things happened to real people.

Guard your hearts, my friends, and be proactive about protecting your relationships.