609_A warning against sexual sin (Prov 5)
Proverbs 5:1-6 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
6 she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
15-17 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
A pastor once shared a story about a man who came to him in deep distress. This man had not committed adultery in the physical sense, at least not as the world defines it. He was faithful in attendance, respected in the church, and devoted to his family. Yet behind closed doors, he carried a hidden habit—hours spent consuming explicit content online. Over time, he noticed a slow erosion in his spiritual life. Prayer became dry, Scripture lost its sweetness, and intimacy with his wife felt strained and hollow. What disturbed him most was not just guilt, but the realization that his heart had been quietly drifting away from God. What he once thought was harmless entertainment had begun to shape his desires, expectations, and loyalties. This quiet collapse of the inner life is precisely what the book of Proverbs warns us about long before the act ever becomes public.
Proverbs chapter 5 addresses a subject that is both important and delicate. It is framed as the loving counsel of a wise father speaking to his son, urging him to stay away from the “strange woman,” a term used to describe sexual relationships outside the covenant of marriage. The father is not merely issuing moral rules; he is appealing to wisdom, foresight, and the preservation of life itself. He understands that sexual sin does not announce its destructive power upfront. It begins with flattery, curiosity, and desire, but it ends with regret, bondage, and loss.
We live in a world saturated with voices that speak freely—and often falsely—about sex. Movies, advertisements, social media, and popular culture present distorted ideas that separate sexual desire from commitment, responsibility, and holiness. But Scripture offers us a balanced, truthful view straight from the heart of God. When God created man and woman, He created them in His own image and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. This command was given before sin entered the world. Sexual intimacy within marriage was God’s design, a gift meant to unite a man and a woman in covenantal love, trust, and joy. Sin did not create sex; sin corrupted it.
When sin entered the world, Satan twisted this God-given gift into a tool for destruction. What was meant to bond has been used to break. What was designed to draw people closer has been exploited to isolate, addict, and enslave. Proverbs 5 exposes this distortion by showing the contrast between fleeting pleasure and lasting consequence. The words of the adulteress may drip honey, but her end is bitter as wormwood.
In this chapter, the father urges the son not merely to avoid sin, but to actively rejoice in the wife of his youth. Faithfulness is not portrayed as dull restraint but as joyful fulfillment. Scripture consistently affirms this view. Hebrews 13:4 declares that marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to remain undefiled. God is not indifferent to sexual sin because it violates His holiness and damages His people.
The apostle Paul echoes this wisdom when writing to the Corinthians. In a culture just as sexually permissive as ours, he emphasizes the importance of physical intimacy within marriage. He warns against neglecting one another, explaining that prolonged deprivation—unless by mutual agreement for spiritual reasons—creates an opening for temptation. Satan is always alert to exploit moments of weakness, distance, or unmet desire. The message is clear: intimacy within marriage is both a gift to be cherished and a safeguard against sin.
This warning is especially relevant in our present age. We live in a digital world where pornography is not hidden in dark corners but available instantly and privately. Many justify it by claiming no one is harmed, and no real act is taking place. But Scripture calls us to a deeper understanding of sin—not merely what we do with our bodies, but what we allow to shape our hearts. Pornography normalizes sexual immorality and trains the mind to desire what God has forbidden. The Greek word used in the New Testament for sexual immorality is porneia, from which we derive the word pornography. Ephesians 5:5 soberly warns that those who persist in sexual immorality have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
The prophet Habakkuk pronounces woe on those who cause others to be exposed so that their nakedness may be gazed upon. This is not merely a private issue; it involves exploitation, addiction, and dehumanization. Many within the pornography industry suffer deeply, often trapped in cycles of abuse, substance addiction, and despair. What appears glamorous on the screen hides a broken reality beneath it.
Beyond its moral implications, pornography is destructive because it is not real. It creates false expectations and distorts intimacy. It trains people to consume rather than to give, to fantasize rather than to commit. Many marriages suffer not because of a lack of love, but because one or both partners carry unrealistic expectations shaped by what they have seen rather than by what God designed. Proverbs reminds us to guard our hearts with all vigilance, because from the heart flow the springs of life. What we repeatedly allow into our minds eventually shapes our desires and actions.
The book of Proverbs uses vivid imagery to warn us about the danger of sexual sin. It asks whether a man can carry fire next to his chest without being burned, or walk on hot coals without scorching his feet. The answer is obvious. Sexual sin is never neutral. It wounds the soul, damages reputation, provokes jealousy, and leaves scars that cannot easily be erased. Proverbs states plainly that the one who commits adultery destroys himself. This is not exaggeration; it is loving honesty.
Again and again, Proverbs portrays adultery and fornication as spiritual betrayal, moral self-destruction, and a path that leads to death. These sins are consistently contrasted with covenant faithfulness, wisdom, and life. At the close of Proverbs 5, the father gives God’s verdict: a man’s ways are always before the eyes of the Lord. Sin may promise secrecy, but it never escapes divine sight. The cords of sin entangle the one who refuses discipline, and folly leads him astray.
This warning is not given to condemn but to rescue. It calls us to take holiness seriously in a world that trivializes it. For those who are looking forward to marriage, this is a call to guard your mind and body now. Ask the Lord for the grace to pursue purity, to avoid what pollutes the imagination and undermines your future joy. What you feed today will shape the marriage you bring tomorrow.
For those who are married, Scripture calls us to honor and celebrate God’s gift of sexual intimacy within the covenant. Faithfulness is not merely avoidance of sin but joyful devotion to one another. Marriage itself is a living picture of a greater reality. Throughout Scripture, God describes Himself as a husband to His people. Israel’s idolatry is called spiritual adultery because it represents a betrayal of covenant love. In contrast, Paul describes the church as a bride betrothed to Christ, longing to be presented as a pure virgin to Him. Just as the serpent deceived Eve, so our thoughts can be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Ultimately, this devotion is not only about avoiding sexual sin; it is about guarding our hearts for God. Sexual faithfulness reflects spiritual faithfulness. When we honor God with our bodies and desires, we declare that He alone is worthy of our devotion. May the Lord help us to walk in wisdom, discipline, and joy, so that His name may be glorified in our lives, our marriages, and our devotion to Christ.