⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. ⁸Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, ⁹Or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one; ¹⁰And strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; ¹¹And you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; ¹²And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! ¹³I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors! ¹⁴I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

Whether Solomon wrote this warning later in life out of his own experience, or whether he wrote it earlier but failed to apply it in his own life, the teaching is poignant coming from a man with so many wives and pseudo-wives (concubines). His motif of writing as a father to “my sons” suggests he was old enough to have multiple grown children, and therefore he probably wrote it out of his own experience.

He laid out the consequences of falling into adultery, echoing the refrain of Ecclesiastes, “All is vanity,” which he also authored (Eccl. 1:1-2, etc.). Anything we pursue apart from God fails to produce the fulfillment we desire. Falling to the temptation of illicit sex provides a poignant illustration this, in the broader context of temptation to live foolishly rather than wisely.

The wise way to deal with enticement of the flesh is to stay as far away from it as possible. If we think we can get close to temptation (“near the door of her house”) without sinning, then foolishness has already set in. The stakes are too high to underestimate the power of foolishness to deceive and draw us in.

The consequences are absolutely tragic. Those who fall into adultery often say, “If I had only realized beforehand the pain and suffering that giving in to a moment of fleshly pleasure would cause, I would have stayed far away from the temptation.” Oh, that we would believe the wisdom of Proverbs and not have to learn, like Solomon did, from our failed experiences!

Giving in to the temptation of sexual sin wastes the energy that should be spent bonding with a spouse on something that does not bring unity and oneness but heartache and brokenness. What a waste—all for a moment’s pleasure! Over time, promiscuous sex leaves a person with profound emptiness, for the vigor is spent and the pleasure is squandered, and it leaves a person destitute of real satisfaction and full of regret. The experience of living without sexual restraint will prove the wisdom of Proverbs, for all who enter the house of temptation will, in the end, admit the foolishness of ignoring the warnings. Jesus said, “Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Matt. 11:19), or as the NKJV translates His words, “Wisdom is justified by her children.” This application to sexual temptation carries a certain irony that we should not miss, for sex at its core involves producing children!

We note in verse 14 that the confession of failure to listen to wisdom has a person saying, “I was almost in utter ruin…” suggesting that all is not lost. This teaching is about a person who comes to his senses, like the prodigal son who returns home to his father after squandering all the inheritance. There is hope even for the young man who gives in to the temptation of sex, provided he comes to admit his failure. There is hope for anyone who has chosen foolishness if, in the end, there is humble confession of failure to live by wisdom. But there will be significant loss; the results of foolishness can’t be erased.

As the apostle Paul wrote, this wisdom carries into the spiritual realm of salvation. As believers, we may choose to live unwisely by not building on the foundation of Christ; we will not lose our salvation, but we will certainly lose our rewards:

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:12–15)

To put it bluntly, we may be secure in our eternal salvation, but it is just plain stupid to live however we please. How much better to live by the wisdom of God, with Proverbs providing the practical blueprint and the person of Christ providing the spiritual foundation, for He is the wisdom of God!

Lord, I confess that Your wisdom is greater than my perspective on what will bring fulfillment and joy in life. Help me stay far away from foolishness in all its forms.