What temptations have you faced already today? Anger? Pride? Dishonesty? Lust? Laziness? Proverbs is ready to help us wisely face these with warnings as well as assurance that we are not alone.
Proverbs 6 is a list of various temptations that we will face and warnings not to fall prey to them. The warnings include helpful advice to flee temptation, lessons that God has put for us in nature, a severe reminder that God hates sin, and a warning about lust.
As we meditate on these truths, turning them around in our mind to help direct our hearts toward the right path, certain powerful ideas come forward to help us fight temptation.
1. These warnings are grounded in a relationship.
This chapter begins with, “My Son,” reminding us that these are the words of a father who loves his child and wants to see his child succeed and flourish. These warnings are a necessary part of the curriculum of truth he is teaching his child, and the reason he expects his son to listen is that they have a relationship, one built on mutual love and respect.
Scripture holds many warnings for us, and God’s message is always centered on a relationship with Him. We saw this in the very first chapter of Proverbs. We can also see it in passages like Hebrews 11:
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
We must have faith in God’s existence and His goodness if we are going to successfully follow Him. If we believe these things, then we will trust that His commands are for our good.
2. God has given us examples and other people to encourage us as we fight temptations.
We are never alone. We stand in a line of millions of saints who have battled temptations through their faith in God (another theme we can see in Hebrews 11, the famous “Hall of Faith” chapter).
Here, even nature can serve as an example to us as we look below us at the ants, working so hard without anyone telling them what to do. We also have the spiritual mentors in our lives who have acted like the mother and father mentioned in this chapter:
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
Proverbs 6:20-22
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
3. Christ came down to provide us with a perfect example for battling temptation.
He didn’t take the easy or comfortable path but chose to obey the will of His Father. He was confronted directly by the tempter, just as our first parents were, but rather than listening to Satan’s rationale and doubt-sowing questions, He responded intentionally and decisively with scripture.
He follows the advice here in Proverbs to be led by the truth His parents had taught Him. He is the living embodiment of wisdom, and He followed the directions of His heavenly Father. We can look to His example, and even learn from it by comparing it with the examples of Adam and Eve or the nation of Israel in the wilderness. These are all recorded for our benefit (I Cor 10:1-13), and we ought to meditate on the very different responses, knowing that when we are tempted, we are tempted in the same ways.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I Corinthians 10:13
Today, we should consider the temptation of Christ, comparing it to the temptation of our first parents, and also to the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. It is very encouraging how Christ’s actions parallel and then exemplify how we all should respond to temptation.
Temptation
In a garden of variegated beauty,
Through a desert or wild place.
It matters not whether God forbids,
Or gives,
Or even refuses to eat.
In any case, there is a place
Where temptation approaches.
“You deserve more than this,” the tempter says.
“Do you know He’s refusing to give?”
“You’ve earned more than this,
With all your back-breaking work.”
“You’re starving, and you need variety.”
We have listened, again and again, to this pied piper’s song.
Running to a feast, rodents following a beast.
A snake that will turn and feed.
There is One, however, who refused.
He didn’t plug his ears to the siren’s song;
He answered the questions one by one.
He said no and gave reasons.
He said no while starving.
He said no to this feast of death.
We find ourselves in the same place.
Let us follow, abide, and agree with the One.
Not, “You are what you eat” but
“I am more than bread or meat.”
I have a spirit, and far more worth,
I live on words, not merely earth.
This article is part of a series through the book of Proverbs. You can read more meditations on Proverbs on other pages of this site. Also, please consider joining the Proverbs Reading Challenge!
Beautiful poem! Praying for you all!
Thank you so much!