Day 18– 90 Days in Proverbs - She Will Cut You

Proverbs 5:1-5 [NKJV] 1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, 2 That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth [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 lay hold of hell.

There is a LOT of advice in Proverbs about staying away from an immoral woman. Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines. It makes me wonder about what that household might have been like.

Solomon warns us that this immoral woman seems like honey and oil, but she is wormwood and death. And, her ways like a two-edged sword. I assume Solomon is saying that her ways bring pain and suffering to both the man who is lured by her and to her own life. That’s how sin works.

The reference to a two-edged sword reminds me of Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

There’s a big difference between the two references, though. The Word of God cuts away the carnal nature in us – the thoughts and intents of our own hearts that often lead us to sin. The purpose of the two-edged sword wielded by God is to surgically remove the carnal nature within us so that we may be filled with more of the divine nature of God. It is similar to how a surgeon would remove a tumor in me – something that does not belong there – so that I can have better health.

In other words, God’s two-edged sword is used for spiritual healing and growth. It results in life – a better life now and a fabulous life in the Kingdom.

Unlike God’s two-edged sword, the two-edged sword of the immoral woman leads to sin and death for herself and for those ensnared by her.

All the ways of this world, of Satan, of our carnal nature lead to death. Before being called by God into new life in Him, whatever sins tempted us led us toward death. Any sin, not just sexual sin, can seem like honey and oil, or it wouldn’t be so tempting. And all sin ends up with bitterness and ultimately death.

But sisters, we can dodge that two-edged sword that is the result of sin, if we are willing to submit to the two-edged sword that is wielded by God. We escape the two-edged sword of sin when we repent, because Jesus already paid the price and took the punishment for us.

You and I will never regret what the Lord removes from us, any more than we would regret having a cancerous tumor removed. We welcome God’s intervention for our own spiritual health. The sword in His hands leads to new life now and eternal life in His Kingdom.

We will regret the two-edged sword wielded by sin. Sin, it will cut you.

So, we must ask ourselves whose sword we are submitting to.

Prayer — Father God, lead me away from the temptations of this world and my own human nature. Lead me away from the ways that lead to bitterness and death. Remove my sins from me by the precious blood of Jesus. Cut away the carnal nature within me and graft in the Holy Spirit. Your ways lead to eternal life in Your Kingdom. I choose Your sword. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Your thoughts —  

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