Proverbs Chapter 7

• Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 
• 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 

They bring eternal life to as many that will believe and keep the commandments of God. 

• Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

Although the first two verses of Proverbs 7 were speaking of a good father's commandments, it reflects the heavenly Father's eternal commandments that we are to keep to have a right to that tree of life. God had to remove the tree of life after the fall of Adam and Eve to keep them from living forever in their sinful state. A redemption had to occur brought by the death and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus the Messiah, for man to be reconciled back to God and be able to inherit eternal life again.

• Proverbs 7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 
• 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: 
• 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. 

I believe this strange woman represents anyone with evil intentions that cause us to stray from the paths God sets before us. Even though Solomon was the writer of most of the Proverbs, his weakness was in beautiful women. He didn't take his own advice. He later allowed women to cause his heart to stray into idolatry. If this could happen to Solomon who was the wisest man in the world, how much more could it happen to us. We need to pray diligently and keep the word of God in our hearts that we might not sin against the Lord. 

• Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

Yet God gives us through Jesus Christ the ability to keep from sin. The Holy Spirit is given to all who receive Jesus and obey Him.

• Proverbs 7:6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 
• 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 
• 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 
• 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 
• 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. 
• 11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 
• 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 
• 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 
• 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows. 

This woman pretends to be religious and is claiming to have made offerings and paid vows. This makes one feel justified to sin. I've done my thing, I went to church, I made confession so I can be free to sin again. She is saying, it is okay because I made things right with God first. This is even more dangerous than just ignoring God and going ahead into sin. To pretend to be right with God and sin anyway is to lead others to follow the same thinking. If we take the whole bible in context and not just use a few favorite pet verses, we will not be able to teach that one can sin continually and still be saved for eternity. 

We are saved by faith in Jesus and also we are saved from sin. Some teach that we are saved from the condemnation of sin which is true but that is not all the bible teaches. We are saved from the condemnation of past sins. If we return to sin willfully then refuse to repent, it would be a sign of unbelief similar to the Israelites who thought God had abandoned them in the wilderness and wanted Aaron to make them a calf to worship.

The bible says that if we believe in the name of Jesus, we would be saved. Naturally if we stopped believing, how can we be saved? I don't mean temporarily having doubts and misgivings but actually turning away from God and abiding in unbelief. It would lead us back into sin. Israel in the wilderness was our example to learn from. 

Sin is transgression of the law. If we transgress the law and do not repent and trust in Christ to take away the sin, how then can we be saved? We will die for our own sins if we do not forsake the sin and trust in Christ to save us from sin. We must leave the sin behind now by trusting in Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection to save us from sin and grant us eternal life.  Sin is willfully doing wrong when we know it is wrong. It is not making mistakes like accidently going over the speed limit or getting angry at someone who hurt us. Continuing in the anger and not allowing the Holy Spirit to help us get over it may lead to sin but getting angry when someone does something stupid is not actual sin but can lead to it. Sin is transgression of the law of God.

• Proverbs 7:15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 
• 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 
• 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 
• 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 
• 19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 
• 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 
• 21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 
• 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 

This is a good description of someone yielding to temptation to sin. To commit adultery is a good example because we see that the woman was unfaithful to her own husband like those that stray from God are unfaithful to Him. This an example of those that forget the right way because of the temptation to give into temporary pleasure instead of remaining steadfast refusing this temptation.

Yielding to temptation for short periods of pleasure, will destroy us and bring torment and suffering in the long run. Real joy and happiness is found only in obedience to God. To have the Holy Spirit abiding within us to be our constant companion is what we call joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

• Proverbs 7:23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 
• 24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 
• 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 
• 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 
• 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Sin leads to early death and eternal death in hell. There is no other way to put it. Ignore God's plan of escape and freedom from sin and hell awaits. God does not want any to perish in this way. That is why He sent Jesus Christ. He saw that we had no strength in ourselves to keep the law. Sin cannot enter heaven so He had to send us help. Through Jesus and faith in Him, we can be born again by the spirit of God and be cleansed from sin. We can escape the judgment of God for sin and enter eternal life in Heaven. To neglect this is to neglect life eternal and escape from hell.