Matthew Henry Commentary Proverbs 5
Matthew Henry Commentary
Proverbs 5
Matthew Henry Commentary
Proverbs 5
"My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil: But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol; So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, [and] she knoweth [it] not. Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house; Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel; Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors [be] in the house of an alien, And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation." — Proverbs 5:1-14 (ASV)
Solomon cautions all young men, as his children, to abstain from fleshly lusts. Some interpret "the adulterous woman" mentioned here as idolatry or false doctrine, which tends to lead astray people's minds and conduct; but the direct view is to warn against sins related to the seventh commandment. Often these sins have been, and still are, Satan's method of drawing people away from the worship of God and into false religion. Consider how fatal the consequences are, and how bitter the fruit!
In any case, this sin wounds. It leads to the torments of hell. The direct tendency of this sin is the destruction of both body and soul. We must carefully avoid everything that might be a step toward it. Those who want to be kept from harm must keep out of harm's way.
If we thrust ourselves into temptation, we mock God when we pray, Lead us not into temptation. How many destructive consequences accompany this sin! It blasts the reputation, wastes time, ruins the estate, is destructive to health, and will fill the mind with horror. Though you are merry now, yet sooner or later it will bring sorrow.
The convicted sinner reproaches himself and makes no excuse for his folly. Through frequent acts of sin, its habits become rooted and confirmed. By a miracle of mercy, true repentance may prevent the dreadful consequences of such sins; but this is not often so; far more die as they have lived. What can express the plight of the self-ruined sinner in the eternal world, enduring the remorse of his conscience!
"Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well. Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets? Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth. [As] a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love. For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths. His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray." — Proverbs 5:15-23 (ASV)
Lawful marriage is a means God has appointed to keep from these destructive vices. But we are not properly united, unless we attend to God's word, seeking his direction and blessing, and acting with affection.
Always remember that even though secret sins may escape the eyes of our fellow human beings, yet a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, who not only sees, but ponders all his goings. Those who are so foolish as to choose the way of sin are justly left by God to themselves, to go on in the way to destruction.
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