Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
Summary: The Bible deals with real life. The topics are not always easy. Satan is skilled at leading us “down to death” but Jesus meets us where we are with a message of life.
The whole of chapter five in Proverbs is devoted to the topic of adultery. When God gave the Israelites his Ten Commandments, he included two that dealt specifically with this topic. The Seventh Commandment simply says, “You shall not commit adultery.” The Tenth Commandment says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”
Why did God give these commands to the Israelites? As we have discussed before, if there wasn’t a problem, we would not have needed to be told “No.” People were doing a lot of messing around. People still mess around. Where would movies and television be if there were no adultery? I would venture a guess that at least a third of all movies and TV shows would disappear if adultery were erased from the media.
Years ago, I knew two young men who worked for the same company I did. One day, one of them showed up to work looking like he had been in a car wreck. The other one was missing from work for a long time. They had been best friends until one of them caught the other one in bed with his wife. The consequences of that event changed their lives forever.
There is a reason God spends so much time on this topic in his Word. There is a real danger here. The danger is both physical and spiritual. Of the adulterous woman, Proverbs says, “Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave” (Proverbs 5: 5). Of the adulterous man, it says, “None who go to her return or attain the paths of life” (Proverbs 2:19).
Please keep in mind that we are looking at Old Testament Scripture here. These are the words of God under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is Jesus Christ. In him is forgiveness (Matthew 26:28) and life (John 3:16). My only cautionary note is we must be careful not to confuse forgiveness of past sin with tolerance for future or present sin.
A great deal of the Bible’s teaching is summarized by being content with what God provides us. Proverbs 19:23 says, “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:6, writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
In Jesus, we find true love and contentment. In Him, we can be satisfied. True wisdom is seen in the man or woman who lets Jesus into their heart (Revelation 3: 20).
Application: Actively ask Jesus into your heart. Hold the door for him. Show him to the best chair in the house. Treat him like a king. After all, he is THE King.
Food for Thought: What does it mean to say someone’s “feet go down to death?”
I had a comment all done then I lost signal and lost the comment. So in short it’s not a a military members feet after a long deployment in the same boots. 1 Samuel 2:9 NIV.
Tim,
I’m sorry your comment was lost. Technology, like the rest of humanity, is not a perfect medium. I think I get the gist of your thought though.
Praying for you to get some sleep T. Interesting verse and comment. I love your heart brother.
In the context of this Proverb, it could certainly literally refer to death. If someone sleeps with the wrong man’s wife it could be the last thing they do.
But I think this more likely refers to what sin does to us spiritually. Adultery also has terrible consequences for so many people. It is death of a marriage, family, possibly friendships, it affects the soul and could lead to murder. Although movies romanticize it, God’s word says it is death. It is.
I pray for all of us to abide in our Lord. Sleep would be nice but if I’m unable to sleep, then scriptures, trying to do good things that reflect Jesus, and prayer are pleasant things that help.
Rich,
As a pastor you have a unique perspective on this topic. You watch over the sheeple Jesus has put under your care and you watch some make good decisions and some make bad ones. I imagine people sometimes want to have their cake and eat it too, meaning they want to make the bad decision and then want help dealing with the consequences.
Yes. I once worked with a couple that claimed to be believers but also did swinging – swapping with other couples for sex. When there were horrible consequences as a result, she asked with tears in her eyes, “How can God do this to me?”
03-05-2022, Proverbs 5:5, What does it mean to say someone’s “feet go down to death?”
I invited a man in our church to weekly bible study. He was so very sorry he could not attend because that was His bowling night. He began missing worship services and his wife later asked me to talk with him because he had developed an obvious heavy drinking problem. Were his feet taking him down to death?
The Bible is the Word of God, written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. These eternal spiritual truths have been communicated to mankind to provide life and growth to the spirits of those who will meditate on and live by them. Throughout His word God has chosen to use physical examples to present His spiritual truths to mankind.
John 3:3, 12:24, Matthew 16:25, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Genesis 2:17 is the first example of this where He warned that the day man would eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would truly die. We know they did not at that moment drop physically dead, but they did realize they were naked, spiritually separated from God, and were ashamed of their condition. They desired to be like God, were tempted and had chosen to sin, they died spiritually as their relationship with God was broken.
Matthew 16:4, Jesus calls out an adulterous generation demanding a sign. Their act of adultery was, receiving their sense of worth from the praises of men rather than God. Anytime humanity values or worships anything, anyone other than Godly life, we are committing adultery against God.
As Jesus ministered to us, we see the dead being given live, the blind receive sight, the deaf hear and lame walk, and adultery forgiven, all physical examples of spiritual healings received through Christ today. People are given life, see His truths, hear His words, walk in faith, and serve our One God.
Proverbs 5 does speak of people walking to death as they choose to turn their backs on God, turn to any activity which brings pleasure to their flesh. It could be video games, bowling, shopping, whatever. I’m not sure, they could be saved by a previous act of repentance, but to turn our backs on God, spiritual adultery against our Lord, is a frightening thought, and all who do this are choosing spiritual death over life.
I am not saying I am perfect in every way, I am simply saying what I believe God is trying so hard to communicate to all mankind. I am a work in progress like all other believers.
Your comment makes me think of Isaiah 1:15-17. God communicating telling us to stop sinning. Then 1 john 1.
Powerful, powerful verses Tim! Exactly what I’m talking about
Thank You.
Ron
R2T2,
Your comment reminds me of Hosea and Gomer, whom God used to illustrate Israel. He repeatedly called Israel adulterers and harlots for worshiping other gods throughout the time of the old testament prophets.
Although I think God is speaking about the literal act of adultery in Proverbs 5. I also believe that the consequences of physical/literal and spiritual/idolatrous adultery are the same, as they are both sin.
All sin is worthy of death. It is from this understanding that we can begin to appreciate the cross.
You could be right “A”. For sure they are walking on a path leading down to death. Temptations and sins are always decorated up to look attractive when they are actually repulsive.
Blessings Brother
Actually, sister, but hard to tell with just a letter.
Blessings to you too.
Blessings, Sister!
Well hello A.
I thought that your comments sounded beautiful. Now I know why.
Thank you, Ron!
The definition of “idol” is, as you have pointed out, quite broad. It includes anything we might praise or submit to that is not God.
To claim to be married to one, The Bride of Christ, and consort with another would definitely count as adultery. Just saying, we all have so very far to go, but we keep trying.