Proverbs 7:1, 5a My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee…That they may keep thee from the strange woman
Proverbs 7 is a tragic story. It is one of observation. It is the story of a young man, a simple son who is open and naïve and who goes the way of the immoral, strange woman. She is strange because she does not belong to him. She is not his wife. She is a strange woman, a stranger. In the story we have the simple son and the strange woman. The moral of this story is not left for the end of the story but is told at the beginning and fleshed out by relating the story. The end of the story is found in verse 27 where it says, “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
So, the end is inevitable. Sometimes we know the future. We are not future tellers, but there are some actions that have almost universal, inevitable results. What I sow, I will reap. That is not an ominous, bad thing. It is just life. If I plant corn, I’m going to reap corn. If I invest in a market, that is where I am going to reap. If I invest in my health, that is where I am going to reap. You reap what you sow, and the end of immorality, going aside from God’s provision, ends in destruction.
So, in Proverbs 7 experience can either teach us or it can kill us. For the son who is written about here it was destructive. For you and me it can be life-giving. I don’t need to experience everything in life to know about life. There is no way you or I are going to live long enough to make all the mistakes ourselves. It is so much better to make observations of life and to learn from the experience of other people who in many cases are wiser, older, and nobler than we are. We can learn both their mistakes and their successes. Proverbs is a repository of thousands of experiences and God’s commentary on them.
So, what is the moral at the beginning? Verse 1 says, “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” Verse 5 says, “That they may keep thee from the strange woman.” What he is saying is, “Guard and cherish my words and they will guard and cherish you.” There is a contrast between wisdom, who is called a kinswoman, and a strange woman, who flatters with her words. You have the danger and the provision. You have the kinsman who has wisdom and you have the danger of the strange woman. Now the strange woman is not the only moral danger. Obviously, men can be a danger to a naïve young lady. The point is that the rules you keep will keep you. That is why God has given parents to children.
Can a good kid play out in the street and get hit by a car? Yes. So, our goal is to have kids with a good heart to gain their heart, but I have to tell you, a good heart is not enough to protect you from destruction. David was a king and a man after God’s own heart, yet David fell to Bathsheba. David was the initiator, the one in sin. David had a good heart, but that wasn’t enough to keep him from destruction. He wasn’t where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing, or looking at what he was supposed to be looking at. Proverbs 7 is talking about a simple son, which means he is open and naive. So, kids don’t just need a good heart. Kids need parents to guide, provide, and protect them until the time when they are putting the restraints in their own lives.
I’m not a youngster anymore, but I need to be restrained and disciplined in my own life. My wife is a great help to that. Yes, I have parents who, though I am not in their house any more, are a great help to me. I also feel responsibility to my children. All these things are restraints, guides, and helpers in my own life. As a parent, take ownership, as in my son, my wisdom, and my understanding. It is not the understanding of the kid that protects him. It is the understanding of his parent that protects him until he is old enough to understand for himself. So, have ownership as a parent and give restraint. “My son…keep my commandments, and live.”
Then, give guidance. That is what parents are to do. I thank God for every child with a good heart, but having a good heart is not enough to keep you from destruction. God has given parents to help with that. The rules you keep will keep you. If you are a parent, give them, guide them, love them, and you will be glad you did.