Chapter 5 is a poem with two subjects:
1. A married woman tempts a man who is not her husband.
2. Evil things are like this woman because sometimes these things attract us. But evil things offend God. We must obey God, and refuse to do evil things.
Solomon discusses both subjects at the same time. This is similar to Proverbs 2:16-19. The actions of the woman show us how evil ideas can attract us.
Verses 1-6
v1 My son, listen to my wisdom!
Hear my knowledge!
v2 Then you will know how to behave.
You will know what to say.
v3 A married woman may tempt you.
Her lips are sweet like honey.
Her speech is attractive, as oil is smooth.
v4 However, soon her lips will taste bitter.
Soon she will cut you, as with a sword.
v5 She will cause your death.
She will lead you to your grave.
v6 She does not think about the way of life.
She does not know that she has wandered from God’s ways.
Commentary
Solomon begins his lesson in the usual way. He reminds us why we need wisdom and knowledge. With wisdom and knowledge, we can avoid danger.
A married woman attracts a young man. She seems so beautiful. When he kisses her, her lips seem to taste like honey. When he listens to her, her words are so attractive. He does not think about the woman’s husband. He does not think about God’s law. He does not even think about the results of his actions. He only thinks about her.
Sometimes evil ideas attract us. These ideas might seem sweet and pleasant. Sometimes it seems easy to do the wrong thing, and it seems hard to do the right thing.
We should not do evil things. We should say, ‘This offends God. It might hurt other people. It could place me in danger.’ The devil offered bread to Jesus when Jesus was hungry. (Matthew 4:1-4) Jesus refused. He said, ‘Man does not live by bread alone. A man must live by God’s instructions.’ (Deuteronomy 8:3). We also must refuse to do evil things.
Evil ideas may seem attractive, but they are really terrible. When the man kissed the woman, even her lips tasted sweet. Later the taste in his mouth will be bitter. Later he will know the results of his actions. At first, the woman’s speech was attractive. Later she will be like a sword. She will attack him and hurt him.
Evil things are often like this. Evil behavior always causes pain and trouble. The devil uses evil ideas to try to destroy us.
If our behavior is evil, then the result, in the end, is death. Solomon’s son might die if he follows the married woman. Solomon does not say how his son could die. The woman’s angry husband may kill the young man. The woman herself might be a murderer. Or the whole town might punish the son for his evil actions.
Occasionally, evil actions lead straight to death. Usually, the process is slower, step by step. Every evil action brings death nearer because our evil behavior takes us away from God. We can only receive true life if we trust God.
When the Bible speaks about death, often this does not mean the death of our bodies. Often the Bible means the death of our spirits. If your spirit is dead, then you will go to hell. If your spirit is alive, you will go to heaven. ‘Jesus became alive again after he died, by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, then your bodies will also live again.’ (Romans 8:11) The result of our evil actions is death. But God brings life to our bodies and spirits by his Holy Spirit.
Again, Verse 6 compares life to a journey. Sometimes a person, like this woman, refuses to hear God’s law. The woman lives in the way that she chooses. She does not care about what is right or good. She lives by her emotions. She has forgotten God. She does not know where her life will lead. She does not even know that her actions are wrong.
We have heard God’s law. We know what is wise. We must trust God. We must not copy people like this woman.
Verses 7-10
v7 Now, my sons, listen to me!
Do not turn aside from my words!
v8 Choose a path that does not go near this woman’s house!
Keep away from her door!
v9 Do not waste the strength of your youth!
Do not give your best years to someone who is cruel!
v10 Do not let other people enjoy your wealth!
Do not work like a slave to make another man wealthy!
Commentary
Solomon advises that his son should not even meet the married woman. Solomon’s son must be very careful. He should not enter her house. He should not even walk near her door.
If the son walks near her door, then he might enter. If he enters, he might listen to her. Her speech is attractive (verse 3). She will tempt him. If he listens to her, he might want to have sex with her.
Solomon’s father, David, had a similar experience (2 Samuel 11-12). From a distance, he saw a beautiful woman. She was having a bath, naked.
David did not look away. If he had looked away, he would have avoided many troubles.
Instead, David watched the woman. He sent a servant to call her. She was a married woman, but she came to David. David talked with her. They had sex. They even had a baby together.
David tried to hide his actions. He even caused the woman’s husband to die in battle. Then David married the woman.
God knew what David had done. David’s older sons fought David, because of his evil deed. The baby, who was David’s youngest son, died.
God did not kill David for his evil deed. This was because David turned to God. David asked God to forgive him. His prayer is in Psalm 51.
Later, David and the same woman had another son. This second son was Solomon, who wrote the Book of Proverbs.
A young man should not waste his strength with another man’s wife. He should use his strength wisely. When he marries, perhaps he will have his own family.
We must all be careful with our strength. We should use our strength for good things, not for evil things. Our energy is precious. Our time is valuable.
Verses 11-14
v11 When you are old, then you will be sad.
When your body is weak, then you will speak.
v12 ‘I was very stupid.
I hated discipline. And I refused correction.
v13 I did not obey my teachers.
I did not learn my lessons.
v14 Suddenly I suffered great shame.
My wrong actions have ruined me in public.’
Commentary
These verses teach us the result if we live for our desires. In the end, our wrong desires will ruin us. They will bring us to despair.
Solomon warns his son. He explains what will happen to a foolish son. The son will become an old man one day. Then the son will ask himself what his life achieved. He will see that he achieved nothing. He ruined his life because he did not serve God. Instead, the foolish son served his emotions and desires. He wasted his energy on cruel people (verse 9). His strength brought wealth to another man’s home (verse 10).
We should think about our lives. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 7:24-27. A wise man built a house on rock. When the storms came, the house was strong. A fool built his house on sand. When the storms came, the house fell down.
We should be like the wise man in Jesus’ story. We should build our lives on a strong base. That base should be God. When problems come, God will protect us. And he will help us.
If we build a house on something weak, the house will fall down (Matthew 7:26-27). In the same way, our lives need a strong base. Our emotions are not a strong base for our lives. If we trust our emotions, we shall become very weak.
Let us build our lives in God’s way.
Paul wrote about sex in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. He said, ‘Your body does not belong to you. Jesus bought your body, for a price.’ (Paul means the price of Jesus’ death for us. We belong to God.) ‘Therefore, use your body to give honor to God.’ (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20)
Verses 15-20
v15 You should drink water from your own taps!
And you should be loyal to your wife.
v16 Do not have sex with another woman.
And do not let your water pour into the street!
v17 Your wife, like your water, should be yours, only.
Do not share your water with other men!
v18 Enjoy your own water!
And enjoy your own wife always!
v19 She gives love and grace, like a deer (a beautiful wild animal).
Her breasts always satisfy you. Her love always attracts you.
v20 My son, do not get close to another man’s wife.
Do not allow her to tempt you to do a wrong action.
Commentary
Solomon talks about water. In dry countries, water is valuable. Clean water is very precious. You should not waste water. It should not flow into the streets. It should not pour out, into the town. Your family and your animals should drink it. You should water your crops. Use it wisely!
Think about your own life in the same way. You should use your strength wisely. If you follow your emotions, you will waste your energy. You should have sex with your husband or wife, and not with anyone else. Our lives belong to God. God has shown us how we should live. He will be kind to us when we obey his instructions.
As your own taps belong to you (verse 15), so a husband and wife belong together. Marriage is God’s gift. A husband and wife should give themselves to each other. They should enjoy their marriage. They should love each other. They attract each other, and this is good.
Verses 21-23
v21 God sees everything that you do.
He watches all your actions.
v22 Evil actions are like a trap for an evil man.
His own evil deeds are like an enemy who ties up the evil man.
v23 An evil man will die because he has no discipline.
He wanders because he is a fool.
Commentary
Perhaps, like David, we do some wrong things in secret (2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12). A woman might tempt a man. They might think that nobody knows. They are wrong because God knows. He sees our secret actions. He knows everything that we do in private. Like David, if we have done wrong things, we should turn to God. David’s prayer in Psalm 51 will help us to understand why we must ask God to forgive us.
The evil man is foolish. He thinks that he is free. But his evil behavior will make him into a slave. He can hide his actions from other people. But he cannot hide from God (Numbers 32:23). This man’s evil behavior will destroy him. This man should invite God into his life. This man needs to ask God to forgive him. God will save the evil man, but only if the man trusts God.
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