Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
Summary: This passage offers us an illustration of sin’s effect on our lives.
Solomon spends a great deal of time on the sin of adultery. He describes the temptation and the consequences. In this passage, he asks two questions that one might call “burning questions.”
Solomon is a man addressing his comments to his sons (See Proverbs 1:8). That said, I expect that the consequences of sin apply to both sexes. Do they apply in the same way? I don’t know. It might make for an interesting study sometime. For our purposes now, let’s assume that the pain of guilt applies equally to men and women.
Solomon tells us that adultery is a sin that is like scooping fire into your lap or walking on hot coals. The Hebrew word for “fire” can describe fire, but it can also describe things like God’s anger.
If you scooped fire into your lap, how long do you think you would sit still while it burned there? When you stood up and shook the fire off, would it leave a mark on your clothes and your skin? Of course it would. Solomon’s example is also interesting because fire in the lap would scar us sexually, too.
The example of walking on hot coals takes a different approach. My wife injured her foot recently, and the injury has been debilitating. There is a lot about walking that we take for granted. If you scorch your feet, especially the bottom of the foot, you cannot walk. A person with scorched feet is incapable of escaping. They cannot run or even walk.
But what about modern fire-walkers? Walking on a bed of coals is not uncommon. Some groups even promote fire-walking as mind over matter. What’s up with that?
It turns out there is a trick to walking on hot coals. It has to do with how you walk and when you walk. The walking has to be smooth and steady. Even pressure on the feet spreads out the body’s weight evenly without digging into the hot coals. Not digging into the coal is important because the ash on top of the coal acts like an insulator. That, combined with water and sweat on the bottom of the feet, provides a protective barrier between the hot part of the coals and the skin.
Sound easy? I am sure it is still a scary thing to do in real life. Yet, people do it all the time.
To be clear, Solomon is referring to a different kind of coal. The “hot coals” in verse 28 are hot enough to burn the skin. Some translations use “red hot” to describe the coals. Remember the “fire in the lap”?
Sin leaves a mark. Our Savior, Jesus, died to forgive our sin. Then, like the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8: 1-11), he says to us “Go, and sin no more” (KJV).
Application: Accept the salvation offered by Jesus, and then go and sin no more.
Food for Thought: What makes burned skin a good illustration for sin?
What makes burned skin a good illustration for sin?
I have two thoughts:
Burned skin left untreated will get infected which can ultimately bring death. Sin left untreated will infect your life which will ultimately hasten your death (spiritually, and very possibly physically too).
As you had said “sin leaves a mark;” a scar on our conscious. Like someone who has an area of their body with burned skin, the knowledge of our past sins can be a constant reminder and fill us with “unproductive regrets.” Dwelling on them can cause us to be ineffective for Christ. Once we confess our sins to God and accept His forgiveness, we can remember our past mistakes for the purposes of not repeating them, but also not to allow them to “defeat us” again. It is like a person with burned skin who won’t go out around other people because of it.
Chris,
Thank you. I appreciate your insights this morning. I especially appreciate your point about accepting God’s forgiveness and not wallowing in “unproductive regrets.” Well said!
Thank you chris I’m with Jeff.
Thanks for this message, we should remember adultery can affect the whole body( the local church)i have witnessed the hardship on a church when it was the pastor who fell, but because of strong Godly elders, they focused on healing for the congregation through Jesus. One of those elders was Richard Staffords father and another was my father
Jerry,
Thank you for joining in! You make two important points. One, about the power of sin to corrupt, and secondly, about the power of Jesus to lead us in forgiveness.
As I understand it, severely burned skin never really heals. The pain goes away over time, but the scars last forever. The sting of sin has consequences that endure. Thankfully, the consequence of spiritual death have been paid for through the cross for those who receive it. 1 Corinthians 15: 54 – 57; Colossians 2: 13 – 15.
But there remain painful consequences to ourselves and others.
The story of David and Bathsheba comes to mind. Uriah died. The baby of David’s sinful actions died. Absalom revolted, slept with David’s concubines. Absalom died and the concubines lives were ruined. People died in a war, etc, etc.
Rich,
I appreciate your insights today! (Well, actually I always appreciate them. 🙂 ) Your list of consequences to D & B is a powerful reminder of sin’s legacy. I would add that their son, Solomon, also failed in this area by indulging in a kind of sexual promiscuity that led to introducing idol worship in Israel. From there it was a short walk to the division of the kingdom and setting up golden calves to worship in the northern tribes.
What makes burned skin a good illustration for sin?
Well if it has consumed a persons life and have fallen into sin never turning away from it, no repentance, being consumed with sin so much to keep inviting it into your life, then what is left for and of that person. Burnt flesh, a burnt body, a burnt life, a punishment of eternal fire. Then there’s the smell that lingers of all that burnt person/person’s life. One of the worst smells. Not just because of the smell itself, but because you know what it is that causes that smell. Most people’s sense of smell is linked to memory so you’ll never forget the odor.
God is good, God is great. He will turn bad into good. He will lead us away from sin and temptation, He has and will guide us, leave us instructions, show us examples along our paths. Some examples are left so many people stay away from that sin because how much hurt it can cause. So flee from that path if you get a hint of sin/temptation.
Tim,
What an interesting insight! Thank you!
03-18-2022, Proverbs 3:27-28, What makes burned skin a good illustration for sin?
Good responses on this!
Obviously, burnt skin is something other than what God created, it is dead and serves no purpose. You could have a little burn, but there is no little sin, all sin is rejected by God as a contaminant to Holiness. There in no longer any life or feeling in burnt skin and if left unattended, will can contaminate, infect the entire body resulting in death. Christ can
Cleansing and healing are required for both and with sin, can only come through Jesus Christ who washes away all sins.
Matthew 8:2-3, Mark 1:40-42, Luke 5:12-13
Ron
Thank you! I agree, lots of good responses today. I love that you bring us back to Jesus for cleansing and the cure.
What we intend for evil, God will use for Good.
Genesis 50:20 As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this–to preserve the lives of many people.
Proverbs 6:2. “whosoever touches (neighbor’s wife) shall not be innocent.”
In other words he is guilty. He has lost ‘his innocence’ . This is the life long regret. It is a irreplaceable part of him, gone forever.
Before he lost it, he didn’t see the value of his innocence. Sin is the scar that has taken its place. This sin can only be healed and made whole again through Jesus’ forgiveness .
Anon,
So true! The things we have we tend to take for granted. The things we don’t have we tend to envy. In crossing the line and taking what is not ours, we leave behind something we can never recapture; innocence.
The truth you point us to applies not only to adultery but every little breech of God’s Law.