Proverbs 2:16-19 – Putting God First
Here is painted another picture of the evils of this world. Wisdom not only helps us fight the tempter. It not only keeps us from straying off the path of Godliness. It helps us fight the adulterous woman. Wisdom, hidden in the heart, will keep us from giving in to our sinful desires.
The woman pictured here does not symbolise just adultery, but any thing we love more than doing what God says. It could just as easily be a picture of the love of money, the love of being popular, the love of power, or the love of pleasure. These things may not be wrong in and of themselves, but when they pull us away from serving God and loving Him, when our desire for them causes us to break the promises that we have made to God, it is as though we have committed spiritual adultery. We are being unfaithful to God. Throughout the Bible God portrays the love of other things more than Him as being like adultery. When we trust in God, it is as if we have entered into a marriage relationship with Him. If we put anything in His place or before Him, it is as though we are adulterers. And there are many servants of Satan in the world who try to seduce us away from God. They try to take away our time and our desire for God. How can we resist this? By seeking after wisdom. When we are focused on obedience and love of God, we have no time to be unfaithful.
Where does the love of other things more than God lead? Death. And after death Hell. There is no lasting joy or contentment or security to be found in people, money, power, achievement, or good health. Only when we put God first in our lives can we properly enjoy all the other blessings He gives us.
Questions
- What does the adulterous woman symbolise?
- How can we keep God first in our life?
- What is the end result of putting other things before God?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would put God first in all we do.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.