Proverbs 5:1-2 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: that thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
God-Given Safety
We are living in a day of scandal. Perhaps never before have so many people thought they have kept so much in secret that, in fact, was not. While technology has allowed for this illusion of privacy, protecting our privacy is not the same as protecting our heart and life.
God wants you to live a life of integrity and joy, but I don’t have to tell you that there is an attack against you, your family, and your marriage every day. It comes from things that flash upon the screen of your phone, computer, or television. This attack can come at work or school, and our own weakness is an ally to the enemy who seeks to destroy us and our happiness.
What protections has God given us to guard our purity and happiness? Proverbs 5 speaks to us as if we were a son or child. We learn here that a young man finds safety in the instruction of his father, and a married man finds safety in the love of his wife. Both of these are God-given.
Parents are never perfect, but God has given us parents for guidance and protection. Proverbs 5:1 says, “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: that thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.” Notice the father saying, “Look, the protection is not in your understanding or wisdom, it’s in mine.” That is wonderfully liberating because a young person does not have to understand everything in order enjoy protection. When I listen to my dad’s wisdom, then I can have a clue about life.
Why is that so important? The next verse says, “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil.” This strange woman is a reference to a woman who does not belong to you. She is a stranger. God has given parents for both freedom and safety. I can learn from experience, but I’d far rather learn from your experience. Avoiding experiences is precisely what we’re after when it comes to sin and heartache. Some may say, “Experience is the best teacher.” Not when we are talking about life and death! God has given parents to give direction and protection.
What about once you are grown, married, and no longer under the direction of parents? The Bible says in the second half of Proverbs 5 that that protection is found in your marriage. The Bible says, “Rejoice with the wife of thy youth.” And then the Bible is very plain about the joys that God provides in marriage.
God knows our hearts. When I listen to my parents and cultivate love for my wife, I have joy that I would not otherwise have. I also have the safety that God has provided, not just through His Holy Spirit, but through the people He has placed in my life.