Proverbs 5:7-14
The Results of Immorality
1. Thus far in the chapter (vs.1-6), Solomon pointed out to his son the deception of the immoral woman. She comes on as sweet as honey and smoother than oil, but in the end is bitter… and sharp like a sword.
2. In this next section (vs.7-14), Solomon warns his sons about the consequences of immorality.
3. He begins in vs. 7 as he did in vs.1 by strongly exhorting his son to LISTEN carefully to what he is about to say… HEAR… and don’t depart from what you hear! This is important.
4. In vs. 8 he warns his son to stay away from the immoral woman.
a. Notice that he warns his son not even to come NEAR her door!
b. Don’t put yourself in temptation’s way!
c. Lit. = distance your road from her…
d. Pray that God would lead us OUT of temptation…
e. If we pray for that, then we are responsible to stay away ourselves too!
• There is no sense in praying for deliverance from sin if we insist on toying with objects or places that are associated with sin!
• Run away—like Joseph!
f. Rom. 13:14 – make no provision for the flesh!
g. The application to us is clear. We, too, should avoid ANYTHING and everything that would stir up our flesh… (TV; videos; Internet; magazines; — make no provision for the flesh! Don’t even come close to her door!)
h. Of course there isn’t anything sinful about being near her door—except that it places you only one step away from sin!
i. For that reason, we should FEAR sin… and fear being around temptation. We should fear it and stay away like we would fear leprosy and stay away… or any other deadly disease. Avoid it like the plague!
Lost honor (vs. 9a)
1. Honor = splendor, majesty, vigor, glory
2. The man who spends his time with immoral women is handing over… throwing away… losing his honor, integrity, and self-respect.
3. Prov. 6:32-33 – this man receives dishonor and a reproach that will not go away!
a. This sin results in a wound—a painful experience—in contrast to the pleasure of sin in the immediate… the long lasting consequences are a painful… like a wound that never heals. It will always be a sore spot.
b. This sin produces a reproach that is not wiped away. It is a mark of dishonor that you wear…
c. All sin can be forgiven, but not wiped out. The consequences of some sins cannot be wiped out…
d. David’s reproach for his sin with Bathsheba was never wiped out.
• He genuinely repented and God forgave him.
• God called him a man after his own heart.
• But—this reproach of this sin STICKS to David to this day!
• It didn’t mean God had no use for him or that he could not be restored to fellowship with God. He was… but the stigma remained. That is the nature of the sin of immorality.
• This is what Solomon warns his son about! If you fail in this area, you will be branded with this label as David was.
Lost years (vs. 9b)
1. The adulterer and fornicator will not only lose his honor, he will lose years off his life.
2. It is not entirely clear whether Solomon had in mind
• Sexually transmitted diseases…
• Or perhaps the revengeful rage of a jealous husband who seeks to kill the man who went with his wife…a love triangle often results in murder… watch the 6:00 o’clock news!
• Or perhaps just as a general principle that those who live in the fast lane lose years off their life…
• When children obey their parents—it adds years to their life. Here’s one way a son can listen to and obey his father and add years unto his life.
Lost wealth (vs. 10)
1. This sin is costly too—expensive! Your wealth could end up in the hands of strangers!
a. There is a cost for prostitutes… and it can become addicting like a drug… (Prov. 29:3)
b. The prodigal spent his father’s wealth on harlots. That was the complaint of the older son, “He hath devoured thy living with harlots.”
2. If disease results, there is a cost to that too. (lost wages; doctors; etc.)
3. Sometimes bribes and blackmail must be paid to keep the affair quiet…
4. 6:34-35 – Solomon implies that the man involved in this sin might have to try to make up to the offended husband with gifts and money—but it will not work.
5. If a child is produced, then there is the cost of child support…
6. This kind of lifestyle and the reputation earned by it may result in poor performance at work and it may hinder your career and thus your pay…
7. If this sin is widely known it can cause you to lose your job in some instances… especially if it involves someone from work.
8. This sin can be costly in many ways. Your wealth could end up in the hands of strangers.
9. There could be lawsuits involved! All your labors (all you have worked for) could end up in the house of a stranger… someone else might end up possessing all your possessions! Recently there have been court cases where one spouse sues the adulterer for breaking up the home—and they have won!
10. Prov.6:26 – this sin can reduce a man to a piece of bread. It strips a man of all he has… down to a piece of bread! I know of such cases! Solomon probably did too—thus he warns his son!
Lost health (vs. 11)
1. Not only can the sin of immorality take away your honor and wealth, it can destroy your body too!
2. The flesh and body being consumed may speak of diseases transmitted.
3. It can shorten your life… it can also make your life miserable… sick… a consumed body.
4. The destruction of the body may be the result not only of this kind of immorality, but of the whole lifestyle that goes along with it—life in the fast lane… usually includes drugs or alcohol…
5. This kind of person is obviously not taking care of his or her body. In time, this lifestyle WILL catch up to you and will consume your flesh.
Lost opportunity (vs. 12-13)
1. These are the words of the man given to lust at the end of his life.
a. He has just experienced all of the consequences of his sin.
b. Now he knows what people had warned him earlier.
c. Now he has lost his honor, his wealth, his health, his respect…
d. At the end of his days he has nothing… and he laments his life of poverty, disease, and disgrace.
2. People warned him of the dangers and the consequences, but he hated the instruction… he despised the reproofs… back then he didn’t want to listen to anyone. He just wanted to do his own thing.
3. Now he realizes how he has wasted his life… he should have listened, but it is too late now. “If only I had listened…” seems to be the intent of this verse.
4. This seems to be the most painful of the consequences… living the rest of his days knowing that the shame, disgrace, poverty, and poor health is all his fault! Living with the guilt… the stinging conscience… the regret… the irretrievable loss… hurts!
• David said of his sin, “my sin is ever before me.” (Ps. 51:3)
• How many times did David say, “If only I had turned away that night on the roof”?
5. This foolish man groans because he refused to listen to his parents… to his Sunday school teacher…
Lost respect (vs. 14)
1. Finally, the author speaks of his loss of respect in the community.
NIV = “I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”
2. This man’s sin caused him to lose face in the community… it brought him not pleasure but disgrace…
3. Some have been brought to the brink of suicide because of the shame, guilt, and consequences associated with their sin.
4. This loss of respect also served as a warning to others NOT to commit sins of immorality. There was a stigma attached to it—like the wearing of the scarlet letter. That had a sobering effect on the community…
5. Unfortunately, this stigma seems to be lost in our culture… unless your picture appears on TV as a sexual offender. Adultery seems to have no stigma any more—but it sure did in Bible days.
6. Our society seems to have lost its ability to blush or to feel shame.
7. However, if there is any sense of shame at all—this sin will bring it out!
8. This kind of a lifestyle leads to remorse and a wasted life… and ultimately the man is disgraced in his community—which meant something in the olden days—when honor meant something.
Conclusion:
1. We reap what we sow. (Gal. 6:7-8)
2. Failing to take heed to the warnings of a godly father results in a life of regret later on.
3. In our loose age these warnings are more needful than ever before. These kind of warnings need to be given to kids at a younger and younger age nowadays too.
4. Solomon gives his son lots of things to THINK about. He wants his son to THINK about the consequences of sin. We should think about such things too. It leads to making wiser decisions. It instills fear in us…
5. In the end it results in a loss of health, wealth, honor, it leads to mourning (vs. 11a); is bitter (vs. 4); regret (vs. 12-13); ends in disgrace (vs. 14).
6. These are good reasons to remove thy way far from the immoral woman!