²⁰For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress and embrace the bosom of a foreigner? ²¹For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths. ²²His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. ²³He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.

Sexual sin is exhilarating, no question about it. A case could be made that Solomon was obsessed with chasing that feeling, having what today might be called an addiction. Certainly, he epitomizes a person who experienced no limitation in this area of sinful behavior. But that doesn’t preclude his wisdom in evaluating its terrible consequences. In fact, God uses Solomon’s considerable “insider’s” knowledge of the subject to teach us that the pursuit of illicit sexual ecstasy blinds a person to its enslavement, until its unbreakable vice-like grip brings him to the point of complete destruction. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon uses his various pursuits in life to find fulfillment and purpose only to discover that without the fear of the Lord they all lead to vanity. Essentially, he writes, “Been there, done that, not a smart thing to do!” Here in Proverbs, his magnum opus on wisdom, this trailblazer into unfettered self-indulgence focuses on one particular vanity: forbidden sexual pursuit. God uses Solomon’s sexual addiction to teach us about wisdom.

Hyperbole? Not in the least! Relevant for today? Absolutely! How else can we explain the increasing acceptance today of immodesty, the ubiquity of pornography, the prevalence of unfaithfulness, the superficial callousness to guilt, the utter self-loathing of shame, and the enormous consequences of exposure? The consequences are enormous, and like Scripture, we must not shy away from the dire warnings of those who have dipped their toes into this sin and found themselves sliding farther and faster than they thought it would take them.

The exhilaration of sexual sin lies not just in the temptation; it is fully experienced in the touch of human intimacy. In the previous verse 19, we saw the father straightforwardly teaching the son, “Let [your wife’s] breasts satisfy you at all times.” (Note: God is not embarrassed by frank talk about sex.) Here the father warns the son against such enjoyments with someone who is not his wife (“But why should you, my son … embrace the bosom of a foreigner?”).

Why would a person give in to the temptation when the stakes are so high? Believers know that God is watching; the smart thing would be to remind ourselves when we take the first wayward step, before it turns into a stride, that God is right there with us, wanting us to turn back. But foolishness suspends the significance of His presence so that we march on toward sin. Wisdom tells us that sin’s path leads to slavery, which is the complete loss of self-control. Each dive into it becomes easier; each becomes more costly. The movement forward is not upward but downward, leading to further imprisonment by our own foolishness. The well-known saying is true (attributed to a variety of authors):

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Someone has suggested the addendum: “… and affect more people than you will ever know.”

Foolishness powerfully rivals wisdom for our souls. The NT describes the battle as a struggle between the spirit and the flesh (see Rom. 7:14-24). The apostle Paul gives us the only key to winning this constant struggle; the fulcrum for choosing wisdom over foolishness comes through Christ, in whom we trust:

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24–25a)

Lord, the struggle for our souls is real. By faith, I submit my emotions and passions to Your wisdom. Thank You that there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).