Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Pro 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.  Pro 4:19  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.         The difference between good and evil can be compared to light and darkness. Good is always associated with light while evil with darkness. Our Lord says: “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light” (John 3:20, 21a). John says one is either walking in the light or walking in darkness (1 John 1:6, 7). The path of the wicked is gloomy, dark, and dangerous. David says they “are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 14:1). Solomon says they are so foolish that they do not know why they trip and fall (v.19). The apostle Paul, in discussing the ways of the wicked, concludes they are worthy of death (Romans 1:32). He was referring to the eternal damnation in hell fire. Indeed, their ignorance is a great curse for which they choose for themselves. Paul says they know about the judgement of God on their wickedness but they laugh at it and take pleasure in continuing their wicked ways. Conversely, they way of the righteous is a shining light and Solomon says it “shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (v.18). The picture is the beginning of dawn when the sun is just a little red spot at the horizon. But as it rises up from the horizon it becomes brighter and by noon, the full glory of the sun is out. What a description of the life of the righteous! Their lights only get brighter. God wants us to shine brighter each day as we mature as Christians. He doesn’t want us to be just the little red dot at the horizon; He wants us to rise up and shine. Our Lord says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We all walk in varying levels of brightness. Some remain in that little brightness as the dawning sun. In the dawning sun, we still see darkness around us. God does not want us to have a little bit of brightness while darkness still cover the most part of us; we are either walking in the light or in darkness and no middle ground.  John wrote: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now” (1 John 2:9). It implies there is no middle ground: we may have done well in everything but if we fail in one, we are in darkness. James concurs: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). God wants us to shine brighter each day as children of light. How else would this world ever come out from darkness if we don’t shine? The things we do and the things we say should show people something wonderful that they are not used to seeing. Our friends before our conversion should be wondering: “What’s gotten into you?” Peter wrote: “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you” (1 Peter 4:4). A twenty-year old Christian should shine brighter than a two-year old Christian. How else can we set an example for the young converts if they cannot see Christ in us? They know Christ as the light of the world (John 8:12). The young Christians want to have that light of Christ. They want the matured Christians to teach them to shine. Our lives must therefore see constant progress upwards and not downwards. The lamps in our homes will grow dimmer but our Christian lights must shine brighter. Are you shining brighter each day?

Pro 5:20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

Proverbs 5 is a warning against adultery. Solomon is warning his son about the strange woman. A “strange” woman is any woman a married man has no business with; she is not his wife. Since she is not his wife, he has no right to touch her. She is the “third party” in a husband and wife relationship. Solomon knows full well about such women for he was a victim of their seduction. He once lusted after them and he had many: “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites….. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kings 11:1, 3). Unbelievable, isn’t it? Seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; I doubt he could remember all of their names. What about children? I doubt he knew them all. Some he thought were his might not be his at all for they were not virtuous women. In Proverbs, Solomon spent a great deal of it warning his son about the strange woman. He did not want his son to fall into the same foolishness as him. He wanted his son to be faithful to his wife. He wrote: Pro 5:15  Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.  Pro 5:16  Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Pro 5:17  Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.             Pro 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.              Pro 5:19  Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  Pro 5:20  And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?  The Bible is the best manual for perfect love, marriage, and sex. God invented sex and hence, He has perfect knowledge about it. Solomon asks this important question for all husbands (and wives): “And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?” (v.20). A beautiful woman offering sexual intimacy is a great temptation; her captivating body will overwhelm most men. But the horrible consequences will crush the pleasure! It will destroy them (v.22, 23). It destroys marriages and homes. The consequences of sex with a strange woman are horrific. Solomon described them as death and hell (Proverbs 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18). It is a life of death and hell, and hell after death! Yes, hell after death. Paul says the adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). John agrees and says the whoremongers shall be in a lake of fire that burns forever (Revelation 21:8). Young men, forget the beautiful face and body. David succumbed to the lust of the eyes and flesh (2 Samuel 11). It led from one sin to another. He never had peace after that even though he repented. His whole family was torn apart. His conscience kept hurting him. He did not have peace. Solomon says: “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:17). Forbidden fruits are attractive because they are forbidden. But, its pleasure is for a moment, and the pain forever (Proverbs 9:18). It gives occasion for God’s enemies to blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14). Sex in marriage is a beautiful expression of love designed by God; all other sex is called SIN. Let us remain faithful as the husband/wife of one spouse.

Pro 6:33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

Once again, Solomon warns his son about committing sin with a strange woman. It is a sin that will not go away easily. Solomon says he will get wounds and dishonour, and his disgrace will not be wiped away (v.33). Even when he has repented, the shame will not go away. While the thief could redeem himself by restitution, the adulterer can do nothing to undo his sin in the least degree. Adultery is a heinous sin in which the whole body is involved (1 Corinthians 6:18). For this reason adultery should be rejected at all costs. Hollywood encourages and glamorizes adultery, but God’s word condemns it as a profane act which carries eternal damnation (Proverbs 2:18; 5:5; 9:18). The most notable news in the newspapers in recent days is about the string of cases involving voyeurs in universities. Young men who are intelligent and so full of promises for the future have succumbed to the lust of the eyes and flesh. Fools they are; they destroy their lives and future and all for one moment of gratification to the flesh. They may repent but their shame will not go away. They will forever remember the shame and the day they were caught. Their friends will remember this sin forever. There is no way one can forget this sin. Solomon is right: their reproach shall not be wiped away. The handphone is a gadget for good and evil. The handphone itself is neutral; it is not capable of committing sin. It was designed for good. The fault lies in its users. How can we use this gadget wisely that prevents us from running into sin? 1. Have a consciousness of sin and fear God When faced with the seductress, Joseph said: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph knew all sins are against God. Joseph had a reverential fear of God. He knew casual sex is sin and one which God hates. 2. Make a covenant with our eyes and flesh not to commit sexual sin Job made a covenant with his eyes that he would not look lustfully at another woman (Job 31:1). Solomon says likewise in today’s reading chapter: “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids” (v.25). Paul warns: “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:22). He means every form of evil. It includes pictures and novels. Watch what we read and see! 3. Do not stay at the corridor of sin Don’t be too confident that you will not fall into temptation. Solomon advises us to run away as far as our legs can carry us: “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:15). Learn from Joseph; he ran away from the temptress. Don’t be like Samson; he went where harlots displayed their wares. We know what happened to him in the end (Judges 16:1, 21). 4. Cut it off Jesus says: “If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off” (Matthew 5:30). You can live without your handphone. There are millions in this world whose lives still go on without the internet. If you are spending too much time on the FaceBook, unsubscribe it. You don’t need a FB if it is hurting your life. If your handphone has become a gadget for sin, cast it away. 5. Mediate on the word of God David says: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). It is not good enough just to hear and read the word of God or has it only in our hands. The word of God must be in our hearts: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). To have God’s word laid up in the heart is the only security against being surprised into sin. Let us fear God and keep His commandments; it is the only way we can overcome sin.

Pro 7:1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

We see that in the book of Proverbs, the author’s greatest concern was sexual sin. It is one sin he kept repeating and warning his son about. It shows how heinous this sin is. Solomon, the author of this book, was himself a victim of sexual sin; he did not want his son to repeat his mistake. In this chapter, Solomon says that he saw a young man, one of the simple youths, walking around the streets at night, looking for sex. Then, a woman came toward him, dressed like a crafty prostitute. Solomon says: “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter” (v.21, 22a). That young man followed her like an ox headed to a slaughterhouse. It means stupidity; he did not know what he was in for. Solomon warns his son not to follow that young man's example. He says adulteresses like that woman have ruined many young men, and her house leads to the underworld, Sheol, and to death (v.24-27). Why did that young man fail to overcome temptation? The answer lies in verse 1: “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” What things are involved in keeping the commandments? Solomon says: “Write them upon the table of thine heart” (v.3b). The commandments are only good when they are in the heart. We all have head knowledge about the word of God. We know what sin is. We know what things we must avoid. We know we must not steal or commit adultery. Yet, why do some fail? The reason is simple: they do not apply the commandments to the heart. Solomon says we are to keep the commandments as the apple of our eyes (v.2). The phrase “apple of your eye” refers to the pupil of the eye. We cannot bear the smallest speck of dust in the eye. The slightest wound is most painful. We protect our eyes because they are valuable to us, and so we should value and protect God’s Word like we value and protect our eyes. The great temptation facing most young men is to discount their father’s advice; they do not value their warnings. They think their fathers are out of touch with the world, that their fathers overstate the danger, that their fathers are depriving them of pleasure. Solomon said of his own experience: “I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:3, 4). Obviously, Solomon’s father, David, had warned him about adulterous women. But apparently Solomon did not take heed (1 Kings 11:1-3). We know he repented later in his life and wrote the book of Proverbs warning young men about sexual sins. Young men and women, will you take heed to the commandments? Are you keeping them in your heart?  Young men, wear your wedding ring so the women that pass by your life know you are out of bound. Place your wife’s photo as the wallpaper on your handphone so that other women know you have eyes only for your wife. We have a heavenly Father. He has given His commandments and law to us. Are we keeping them as the apple of our eyes? Do we meditate on His precepts daily? Are we keeping His commandments in our hearts that we might not sin against Him? (Psalm 119:11) God has spoken; are we listening? Do not be like the foolish son of Proverbs 7.