My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.
Summary: Being able to recognize what is sinful and what is not is essential to avoiding sinful men. There is only one source for training in this area; our Father in heaven.
Today’s passage is, of course, good advice. Unfortunately, “sinful men” do not advertise themselves as such. Usually, it is just the opposite. Sinful men try to pass themselves off as smart, competent, and commanding.
So how do we know who to steer clear of? Who are the “sinful men” Solomon is warning us about?
These proverbs are titled, “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel” (Proverbs 1:1). They are presented in the form of a “father-son” chat. Solomon’s problem was that he had a lot of sons! The Bible says that Solomon “… had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines…” (1 Kings 11: 3). If you have a thousand wives, you are going to have a lot of kids.
Being king kept Solomon busy. Being a husband to so many women kept him even busier. Putting his advice for his children in writing was essential if he was going to convey his wisdom to them.
The biblical record says that Solomon loved his wives (1 Kings 11:2) so it seems reasonable to conclude that he loved his children, too. This is key to understanding who the sinful men are. We need a father who fears the Lord and loves him. We need someone who can teach us how to serve God and how to recognize sinful men.
But what if you did not have a father like that?
The good news is that we do! Our “Father in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9) is our spiritual father. Whether or not we have a human father, we are all God’s children.
Blessed is the child whose father is also a child; a child of God. Such a father has already started learning from our Father in heaven. The more he sits at the feet of our Lord, the more he has to share with his own children.
But for those who do not have a human father or whose father was not sitting at the feet of God, we still have our Father in heaven. Every single one of us can learn from our heavenly Father. By studying his Word, we get to know him. By accepting his Son, Jesus, as savior we are given righteousness (Romans 3:22). We are also given his Holy Spirit to guide and teach us (Acts 5: 32).
Every child of God, male or female, can sit at the Father’s feet. He loves us deeply and wants us to know him intimately. As we come to know him more every day, spotting “sinful men” becomes easier and easier.
Application: Our best defense against those who would lead us astray is a strong relationship with our heavenly Father.
Food for Thought: How is being “enticed” a clue that someone is a sinful man?
The word “enticed” itself already makes me think that it is not on the level (lol). The serpent “enticed” Eve by catering to her nativity and curiosity, all the while exercising it’s ulterior motive. When it comes to God’s truth, I believe that the Holy Spirit “leads” us to His truth, and it is presented and either accepted or rejected, with no “enticement” needed. I believe someone who relies on enticement also is exercising an ulterior motive, and that motive is usually to satisfy a sinful desire in some capacity.
Romans 8:5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
James 1:14-15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
Exactly what I was thinking, it is temptation. It’s dangerous to think that only the devil can tempt us, but people, including ourselves can tempt us too. How many times have I said, “I only want to look at the doughnuts” mild example, but the same thinking gives a foothold to sin
A – I will keep an eye out for you at the doughnut store! 🙂
A let me know now if I should give up doughnuts for the rest of my life and never mention the word around you. Romans 14:13-23.
Haha! No, no one else needs to refrain from doughnuts on my account. Thanks T!
Chris,
Your point is an obvious one, but a great one nonetheless. My on-line dictionary defines ‘entice’ this way:
“attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage”
In a sense, an enticement is a bribe. If something is the right thing to do then we should do it regardless of any other factors. If we have to be enticed… well, that is a warning sign.
Sometimes enticed can be deeper than you’d ever think. Maybe someone has grown up without a father that feared the Lord. Maybe they grew up fearing a worldly father. Learning sinful ways. Being enticed not for themselves but to serve and make their worldly father happy. It is a slippery slope for anyone with a servants heart. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit. I’m thankful for a Heavenly Father 2 Peter 2:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, and today and everyday to “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Those enticing desires are deceitful of a sinful man, that man that is hard to put off ( or kill even though I try everyday ). Its a battle within, a war for souls, that goes on without people being aware of the true cost. So as I fight I know I’m not alone.
Tim,
“Its a battle within, a war for souls, that goes on without people being aware of the true cost.” — So true! Very well said. Thanks!
01-28-2022, Proverbs 1:10, How is being “enticed” a clue that someone is a sinful man?
Entice: To attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage
Gods word tells us to expect enticements, spiritual warfare against us on the three fronts.
THE DEVIL, Satan and his demonic host.
THE WORLD, Our present world system, which is controlled by Satan.
THE FLESH, Our sin nature.
Ephesians 6:12, 1 John 2:15-17, Romans 7:5
Like Paul, we all imperfect beings ( with a sinful nature ) seeking to serve our perfect God. Paul writes, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Romans 7:24-25
Jesus lived a sinless life and is our example for defeating the temptations of Satan, his world system, and our flesh as he countered temptations with the truths as written in the Word of God.
Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13
God used Paul write, “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”. The Word of God has always been our best defense against Satan’s temptations, and the better we know His Word, the easier it will be to claim victory over our daily struggles.
Galatians 5:16
R2T2 I am encouraged by your wisdom knowledge and understanding of Gods Word. I was kinda trying to comment similar to you but I had too much world in mine and not enough knowledge of Gods word yet. Also Jeff hit the nail on the head with today’s blog dealing with personal issues I just have to realize that what’s nailed to the cross has been forgiven.
Ron,
Thank you! Excellent assessment!
The DEVIL attacks us in our thoughts.
The WORLD attacks us through other people.
The FLESH attacks us through he desires of our own heart.
We have to be on guard on all of these fronts, all the time.
Hey Mr T,
Thank you for your kind words. I always enjoy reading your comments and seeing the growth of our God through the power of His Holy Spirit in you.
Our God has been with me for 44 years now and still has a lot of work to do. It takes time Brother, but stay focused, enjoy the safety, stability and purity so freely given to the faithful. You’re a Marine Tim, chosen by God to give Life to others as they see His Son in your life. Keep doing what you are doing.
God Bless!
The.comments are all very good. So are the Scriptures. Since I am getting to this late I don’t have anything to add.
So, I just want to encourage you all. Great devotion. Great comments. And T, sometimes the growth is seen in the service. In which case, you may be much farther ahead in the accumulation of W, K and U than you think.