This whole Proverb is an admonition and warning against, as the bible calls her,\u00a0(7:5)\u00a0the strange woman.<\/strong>\u00a0Previous Proverbs have dealt with her, but not in its entirety like Proverbs 7. I’ll be honest. I’ve managed to stay away from it because there are other things in those Proverbs to cover. But now that we’ve got to Proverbs 7, there is no avoiding it. You say\u00a0Why do you want to avoid it?<\/em> It’s such an ugly topic: adultery and fornication. And it is such a sad topic. It’s sad because (7:26)\u00a0She hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong\u00a0men<\/i>\u00a0have been slain by her.<\/strong><\/p>\n This writer of this Proverbs tells how the\u00a0strange woman<\/em> seduced a man. The writer says these things of the man: (7:7) Beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding.<\/strong><\/p>\n The bible asks (Proverbs 1:22) How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?<\/strong>\u00a0So, being simple in this context is not a good thing. It means to be naive<\/em>. It’s on the same plain as scorners and fools, for this verse goes on to ask\u00a0And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?<\/strong> The bible does not excuse naivety. It instead accuses the simple of willful ignorance, for they\u00a0love<\/em> their simplicity. They’re proud of it. Simple is\u00a0not<\/em> innocent. The strange woman is pretty bad, but all the blame does not go to her. The simple are vulnerable, yes. But they are also culpable. A little fawn that can’t keep up with his mother is vulnerable, and if the poor thing gets caught at the back of the herd by a lion, it’s not his fault; he is not culpable. But the simple love their simplicity.<\/p>\n Nowdays, in most context,\u00a0simple<\/em>\u00a0is considered desirable. Simple<\/em> is synonymous with\u00a0user-friendly<\/em>. But in the Word of God, simple<\/em> is a bad word. It’s used 22 times in the King James Bible and there isn’t one time that it is used in a positive sense. For example (Psalm 119:130)\u00a0The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.<\/strong>\u00a0I had read this before and thought that it must be good to be simple<\/em>, because you are given understanding.\u00a0But that’s not how it works. That\u00a0simple<\/em> doesn’t mean\u00a0cute\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0humble<\/em> or somehow blessed with understanding.\u00a0It means you are a\u00a0dumbo;<\/em>\u00a0an\u00a0ignoramous.<\/em>\u00a0When the light turns on, and you are given understanding, you cease to be\u00a0simple.<\/em> You don’t want to stay simple.<\/p>\n When I read this, I get the impression that the writer is narrowing things down. So, first he looks at the simple ones, and then among the simple ones there is another category within the simple: The youths! So there’s a hierarchy to these descriptions; kinda like a file directory structure. You got this file called\u00a0simple<\/em>. And if you opened up this file, you’ll find another one called\u00a0youth.<\/em> In other words the simple\u00a0may be or may not be young. But the young will always be simple. What are you saying, Preacher? I’ll just say it. Young people are dumb. Now don’t get mad. I love young people. I got seven of them under my roof that I love very much!<\/p>\n Let’s just tell the truth. Between the age of 15 and 25, you think you know just about everything. You have no idea how dumb you are. Grant it. There’s a few wise ones out there. But I wouldn’t put any money on it. The bible says that (Proverbs 22:15)\u00a0Foolishness\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0bound in the heart of a child;\u00a0but<\/i>\u00a0the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.<\/strong>\u00a0And when do children get corrected? They’re out in school for nine hours, on their cell phones for three, and watching television for three, and asleep the other nine. When does foolishness ever get driven?<\/p>\n (Psalm 51:5)\u00a0Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.<\/strong> I’m no outsider looking in. I once was young. And boy was I dumb; a simpleton indeed. And even now, at the age of 43, as the years pass by, you learn more and more that you know less and less. Without the Word of God and the grace of God, I’d surely be on Proverb 7:27 ground; the way to hell.\u00a0(1 Corinthians 10:12)\u00a0Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.<\/strong> And this one:\u00a0(Romans 12:3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think\u00a0of himself<\/i>\u00a0more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n Now here’s the one thing that will save the youth;\u00a0understanding<\/em>. So this is the one thing I understand about understanding<\/em>. Understanding is not cheap.<\/p>\n It requires time<\/em>. You don’t just wake up with it. It requires concentration<\/em>. Everything else cannot have your attention. It requires an earnest interest<\/em>. That means intense effort. It takes a vested interest<\/em>. There’s got to be a personal stake. It takes practice<\/em>. You don’t get it the first time, or the second, or the third. It requires instruction<\/em>. That means you need a teacher. It requires review<\/em>. That means you better use it or lose it.<\/p>\n This goes for just about anything. Most all people are very capable of gaining understanding in whatever area they see fit. But most people are not willing to pay the price to get it. Therefore, they are void<\/em> of it. You look at the first three verses of this Proverb to see the matter in which we should have\u00a0understanding<\/em>; My words… My commandments… My law…<\/strong> Men, your susceptibility to the strange woman is inversely proportional to how much time, concentration, interest, practice, instruction, and review is being spent on the Word of God.<\/p>\n These warnings of the strange woman bring to mind (1 Corinthians 10:13)\u00a0There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear\u00a0it<\/i>.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0According to Proverbs 7, that way<\/em> is the Word of God. And if we are\u00a0void<\/em>\u00a0of understanding it, what hope do you have? The Proverbs says (7:4) That they <\/strong>(My words… My commandments… My law…) may keep thee from the strange woman… <\/strong>The Word of God will keep you from the strange woman; from the way to hell!<\/p>\n There’s your\u00a0vested interest<\/em> right there. This ox wants to stay away from the slaughter. This fool wants to stay out of the stocks. This bird wants to stay out of the snare. (Psalm 119:9)\u00a0Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed\u00a0thereto<\/i>\u00a0according to thy word.\u00a0<\/strong>I think that’s some good advice for a middle-age man too; an old man too for that matter.<\/p>\n That word\u00a0void<\/em> means empty. There’s just nothing there. There’s just no understanding in there. This is what comes to mind: I don’t know how exactly the Old Testament Saints gained their understanding back then. I’m often baffled at things sometimes. David delighted in the law of the Lord, was a man after God’s own heart, and the\u00a0strange woman<\/em>\u00a0still tripped him up. Then Paul explains in Romans that he also delights in the law of Lord, but with his flesh he serves the law of sin. Apparently, even the best of God’s people have some voids that need to be filled. Paul said (Romans 8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:\u00a0<\/strong>Praise the Lord for His Son!<\/p>\n And Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit. For he is the void filler indeed. (Ephesians 5:18)\u00a0Be filled with the Spirit. <\/strong>If it’s understanding that we need,\u00a0(John 14:26) He shall teach you all things.<\/strong>\u00a0James gave us a pretty good lead (James 1:5)\u00a0If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\u00a0men\u00a0<\/i>liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.<\/strong><\/p>\n The way to hell? We need some real grace in these days. The bible says that the\u00a0strange woman<\/em>\u00a0(7:11) is loud<\/strong> and (7:12) lieth in wait at every corner<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Put your faith in God. (Psalm 145:18,19)\u00a0The LORD\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth… He also will hear their cry, and will save them.<\/strong>\u00a0(Psalm 91:3)\u00a0Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0from the noisome pestilence. Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.\u00a0Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daynight","category-wednesdaywisdom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/WednesdayWisdom.jpg?fit=716%2C536&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7qg4l-D1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2419"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2540,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions\/2540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Simple<\/h2>\n
Young<\/h2>\n
Void of Understanding<\/h2>\n
Final Remarks<\/h2>\n
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"