Welcome, with warm wishes for a fine day! Let's begin Proverbs 5, with verses 1-6, then consider further Psalm 119, stanza 10A, verses 73-76.
Proverbs 5:1-6:
"1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my discernment, 2 So that you may guard your thinking abilities And safeguard knowledge with your lips. 3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave. 6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where."
"1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my discernment, 2 So that you may guard your thinking abilities And safeguard knowledge with your lips."
Prove 5:1-2: We should all pay careful attention to what we learn from Proverbs, the rest of His word, and instruction from Him in other ways on a regular basis. Even after we have learned much divine knowledge, Hebrews 2:1 says "That is why it is necessary for us to pay more than the usual attention to the things we have heard, so that we never drift away." Regular instruction and reminders from God protect our spirituality, relationships with Him and others. There are different ways of approaching the same subject, so we shouldn't be put off if we're hearing something we already know. The apostle Peter wrote, at 2Peter 1:12: "For this reason I intend always to remind you of these things, although you know them and are well-established in the truth that is present in you."It is knowledge that can lead others to everlasting life--try to see a difference in the way such knowledge is being presented each time. When Jesus was trying to teach his followers humility, they struggled to get the point, in the competitive, class-driven society of their day. But Jesus would each time try a different approach to the same lesson. It still took time, but they would eventually get the point. Peter counseled, for instance, at 1Peter 5:5, "In the same way, you younger men, be in subjection to the older men. But all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones." Peter understood and taught discernment, to see the difference between pride that God opposes, and humility that He blesses.
"3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave. 6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where."
Prov 5:3-6: Even an immoral person can have compelling words, being seductive, but if falling into the trap of immorality the end is bitter, causing great spiritual harm which can lead to death and the Grave. Is that true love? If you truly love someone, will you cause them to do something that could harm that one's hope of eternal life? We should all hate sexual immorality as a sin that is causing many to lose out on everlasting life--rather, what is wrong with treasuring the marital relationship, helping others to look for a treasured mate who loves God and will be loyal in a true marriage? Ones can pray to Jehovah for His blessing on finding such a person. "It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, and He adds no pain with it." If you're of marriageable age, this process needn't drag on for more years--lest you be tempted to have an immoral relationship, or to look elsewhere. The suitable one you find may or may not turn out to be the partner you begin with into eternity, but why not see how close you can become in a God-approved marriage? Aim to build a relationship that could last for an eternity, and leave it in God's hands, the founder of marriage, to decide whether that should ever change--delight in sharing life with this one day by day!
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PSALM 119 STANZA 10A
The theme for all of stanza 10 is:
SUBMISSION TO GOD’S DISCIPLINE PLACES US IN HIS HANDS TO EXPERIENCE HIS FAITHFULNESS
Verses 73-76 read this way: “73 Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding, So that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those who fear you see me and rejoice, For your word is my hope. 75 I know, O Jehovah, that your judgments are righteous And that you have afflicted me in your faithfulness. 76 May your loyal love please comfort me, According to the promise you made to your servant.“
Verse 73: Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding, So that I may learn your commandments.
GOD'S LOVING INTERVENTION.
Psalm 119:73 The psalmist acknowledges God’s loving intervention in his life, made possible by heeding God’s word, likely from the time of youth. Even if some time passed before learning the value of God’s written word, He may still have lovingly guided us in some ways or at critical times in our life. May we appreciate whatever God has done to encourage us in doing right, and seek the quality of understanding that we may more fully grasp God’s law. This quality enables us to see the big picture of something and how it’s various parts fit together to make the whole of it. Applying this to divine knowledge based on God’s written word enables us to grow in appreciation for God’s commandments, seeing how they relate to our life and the benefits of heeding them.
Verse 74: Those who fear you see me and rejoice, For your word is my hope.
HOPE IN GOD'S WORD.
Psalm 119:74 Those truly fearing God likely know the course of integrity does not mean a lack of problems or challenges in life. Still, those ignoring God’s word have problems as well--they just haven't yet seen the value of God's protective guidance. Of course, our difficulties are temporary, as we maintain our hope in peaceful conditions, around the corner. Even if we’re facing difficult circumstances, we can place our complete trust in God, and rely on His word and law to help us navigate through any hardships faithfully. Showing that righteous ones do not live a problem-free life, Psalm 34:19 says: “19 Many are the hardships of the righteous one, But Jehovah rescues him from them all.” Thus righteous ones come to experience God’s salvation through their problems, and this strengthens their faith in God, their integrity, and their hope of future salvation.
Verse 75: I know, O Jehovah, that your judgments are righteous And that you have afflicted me in your faithfulness.
GOD'S PERMISSION OF DIFFICULTIES.
Psalm 119:75 The psalmist was a likely king or future king, and thus perhaps came under more of God’s discipline than most, needing refinement to carry out the will of God fully. Likewise, those receiving sonship to rule with Christ also need God’s loving correction to guide them in receiving their privileged reward from God. Anointed Hebrew Christians at one time were evidently focusing too much on any problems, as Paul sought to correct their view, stating at Hebrews 12:5-6: “5 And you have entirely forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nor give up when you are corrected by him; 6 for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.” The psalmist thus felt he was experiencing difficulties that God at least permitted, yet he saw God’s faithfulness in His dealings with him. He knew God’s judgments were righteous, and he could endure in faithfulness, learning from his experiences to observe God’s law fully.
Verse 76: May your loyal love please comfort me, According to the promise you made to your servant.
TRUSTING GOD'S LOYAL LOVE.
Psalm 119:76 Thus in God’s faithfulness we can see or experience His loyal love, which expression reminds of us the loyalty involved in expressing true Christian love toward others, such as in a marriage. This loyalty can patiently put up with a wrong in the strength of God, when another strays somewhat, looking to God for loving ways to correct it, with blazing hope of a restoration of the approved relationship. The psalmist pleads for the comfort of God’s loyal love toward him, as he endures any difficulties, maintaining his hope in whatever promise God made to Him, as we too can rely on the promises of God’s written word for comfort.