8. A Simpleton, A Seductress, and a Ship of Fools (Proverbs 6:20-7:27)
August 22, 2021 • Rod Fillinger • Proverbs 6:20–35, Proverbs 7
1967 – The Summer of Love. The Beatles sang “All You Need is Love,” while the Mamas and the Papas sang their international hit “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).” The Summer of Love was a time when “free sex,” drugs, and lots of rock ’n’ roll — the more mind-bending and psychedelic the better — fueled an idealistic Utopian vision for world peace, love, and anti-materialism. It was a time when Harvard University professor-turned-LSD-guru Timothy Leary urged disaffected young people to question authority, reject straight society and “turn on, tune in and drop out.”
It has blossomed in the first quarter of the 21st century into the cult of the modern self. Your identity is what you determine it to be. Gender is fluid. Sex is no longer confined to an intimate marriage relationship between a (biological) man and a (biological) woman. Authority is rejected as authoritarianism. Restraint and self-control are repression and oppression.
As we have emphasized throughout our summer series from Proverbs 1–9, wisdom from God in his Word is not just a theory. Our Bible text this week, Proverbs 6:20–7:27, continues the theme of embracing the Word of God as the way of wisdom and life, while rejection of his authority is sin and folly and leads to death and destruction. This week we will look at another warning given to avoid sexual sin. This warning is illustrated through a parable that dramatically illustrates for us the folly of sexual immorality. We need this wisdom; we need the one who is wisdom to not be deceived by peer pressure or the culture around us. By the mercy of Christ, we can avoid being simpletons seduced by the culture or those around us to yield to the seductress. In Christ we can live a brighter, more loving, more fruitful life to the glory of God.
In Christ alone,
Pastor Rod
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Discussion & Response Questions for Proverbs 6:20-7:27
1. List, compare, and contrast the qualities or characteristics of the two women in chapters 6 and 7, Wisdom and the Seductress.
2. How does the teaching of Proverbs about sexual purity and marriage compare with the teachings of Paul (1 Cor. 7) and Jesus (Matt. 5:27–30)?
3. What is the role of the family in sex education? How should parents go about teaching their children about sex (see 5:1; 6:20; 7:1)?
4. How can Wisdom protect you from sexual immorality?
5. Why is Wisdom more important than a husband or wife?
6. Contrast the way in which the Bible speaks about human sexuality with the way in which sexual matters are portrayed in worldly media.
7. How does knowing you have a place in the final marriage supper of the lamb (Revelation 19:6–10) empower you to say no to sexual temptation today?
Questions for Self-Examination:
8. Is what you are doing with respect to sexual thoughts and actions simply wrong? Do you sexualize or lust after people you know are forbidden?
9. Are you captivated by sex? Are you driven by it, obsessing about it? Do you find yourself acting impulsively or compulsively with respect to sex?
10. Do you hide what you are doing? Have you created a secret garden of sexual sin?
Do you use sex as a refuge from boredom, stress, loneliness, or pain?
11. If you are tempted or ensnared, how will you bring these things to light? What brother in Christ (if you are a man) or sister in Christ (if you are a woman) can you confess your sin and seek their prayer and counsel?
