Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 248 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [7:10]-20 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 248 of our trek, and today we will remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Chapter 7:6-9. Since each day’s discussion builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

As mentioned on previous days, Paula and I are refining the daily concepts along with worksheets for Your Life Plan Blueprint, which we covered in January, into an easy to use workbook. I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As expected, this week is keeping us very busy with life activities including work of course. We do not necessarily separate our work from other life activities since we look at each of the 7 areas of our lives as an integrated holistic entity. Our aim is to maintain a balanced Wheel of Life because a balanced life will allow us to live a full life that is rich and satisfying.

For most of us, to sit around a campfire on a pleasant summer evening chatting about life, reminiscing about the past, and dreaming about the future is one of the most enjoyable times of relaxing and living a full life. As we think about the stories told, we also realize that there are some people who are living a story that will not end well. Such is the case in the story that we are continuing with today in Proverbs Chapter 7.

The title of the story we began 2 days ago is…

Another Warning about Immoral Women

Yesterday we left off on our story with a simple, naïve young man, who lacks common sense, heading down a path that was not good for him. He started off with a group of his equally naïve friends, but apparently when he crossed the street, he went alone. We find him continuing down this street at dusk attracted to the nightlife. As mentioned yesterday, he made two conscious choices that led him to his current situation. One, he went out as night was approaching seeking fun, and two, he crossed the street to an area of town that was not a good environment to be in. Let’s continue on to see how the story unfolds in Chapter [7:10]-20. We will break it into shorter segments to adequately cover the passage.

· Chapter 7

¹⁰ The woman approached him,
    seductively dressed and sly of heart.
¹¹ She was the brash, rebellious type,
    never content to stay at home.
¹² She is often in the streets and markets,
    soliciting at every corner.

The description in these three verses would indicate that this woman knew exactly how to dress and act to attract young naïve men. She was probably very attractive and would easily catch the wandering eye of anyone in the area. It is also evident this was not her first night on the streets. She was a professional at her craft. She had a rebellious heart, and a rebellious heart is the beginning of a wayward life. Let’s continue on.

¹³ She threw her arms around him and kissed him,
    and with a brazen look she said,
¹⁴ “I’ve just made my peace offerings
    and fulfilled my vows.
¹⁵ You’re the one I was looking for!
    I came out to find you, and here you are!

This woman knows all of the ways both physically and with her words to make herself very attractive to any man but especially to young men seeking adventure and pleasure. This is compounded by the fact that this young man was simple, naïve, and lacking common sense. She flatly lies to him. She was not looking for this man, but anyone who was naïve enough to believe her lies. She attempts to make her lies more believable by tying religious acts into her preparation through peace offerings and vows. The man might have thought, “Wow, it must be ok she is religious, plus she was looking just for me.” How foolish men can be at times when they think with their bodies and not their minds. She continues to seduce him.

¹⁶ My bed is spread with beautiful blankets,
    with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
¹⁷ I’ve perfumed my bed
    with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning.
    Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,
¹⁹ for my husband is not home.
    He’s away on a long trip.
²⁰ He has taken a wallet full of money with him
    and won’t return until later this month.”

If there was any doubt in this young man’s mind up to this point, she is making it very clear what her intentions are. Her bed was ready, she was ready, and there was no chance of them getting caught. She indicated that she was married but that her husband would be gone for a long time. If she was paid for her services, she wanted the young man to know that she was available for many nights and that he did not have to worry about an angry and jealous husband finding out. What a dangerous trap is being set. If the young man were wise, he would flee as quickly as possible. This young man should have followed the advice of Paul in his 2^nd letter to Timothy in 2:22, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”

Tomorrow we will discover the decision that he made. Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Certainly he was, but it was clearly because of the choices he made before this. Yet, if he really desired to, he could escape even at this point.

Temptation to any type of sin can draw all of us in. As moths are drawn to our campfire, all of us are prone to be drawn to sin’s fire. We must prepare in advance and not wait to be caught in the flames of passion, alcohol, drugs, food, or laziness. Instead, let us pursue right living, faithfulness, love, and peace through the companionship of those who have the same desire. Every sin first begins in the mind, and if we allow it to grow it will break through our minds into action.

Tomorrow we will continue to see how the story of this naïve and simple young man plays out. Will he run, or will he stay?  We will continue with Chapter 7 verse 21.  So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

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Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!