Fearing the Lord—how should that be seen in you morally and sexually? The fifth “talk” teaching the correct, skillful application of God’s Word (“wisdom”) addresses this crucial aspect of life: avoid immorality and love your spouse (5:1–23). There are three essential aspects of this. The first (5:1–6) is be saturated with biblical wisdom for protection from sexual seduction. Being saturated with biblical wisdom involves careful (1a) and exclusive attention (1b). “Giving attention” and “inclining” involve intentionally directing yourself to God’s Word and away from everything ungodly. Many things will affect, direct, and turn your heart. You must determine to go exclusively in the Lord’s way. You must do this in order to gain and retain the needed discretion and knowledge (2). “Discretion” is the ability to see things as they really are and make correct assessments. The point here is that this is a life-long effort: you can lose discretion and knowledge. The reason why you should be saturated with biblical wisdom is given next (3-6), to be protected from sexual seduction. Since this is a fatherly “talk” to his son he talks about an “immoral woman.” The seducer’s speech drips with honey and is smoother than oil—this is flattery (3). The only way you’ll see his/her true character is if you’re saturated with biblical wisdom. Sin never shows itself for what it really is. It always hides its true character. What is their speech really like (4)? Where will seducers and those they seduce end up (5–6)? They say they’ll take you places, but what place (5)? They say they know where they’re going, but they really don’t (6).
- Are you intentionally devoting attention to God’s Word? What is the opposite of intentional?
- What will happen if you incline your heart toward self-gratification (1 John 2:15ff)?
- Where does the path of temptation always lead (James 1:14-15)?
- Is it wise to judge based on appearances? Why?
- The sexual seducer is self-deceived and lives for the moment. Do you have the discernment to see through the seduction? The devotion to Christ to resist it?