Proverbs 5:5-6

Proverbs 5:5-6 "Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them."

Although Solomon wasn’t a prophet, he had the ability to see down the road.  It wasn’t some gift of prophecy that gave him this long-term vision – it was the gift of wisdom that gave him an eye for the future.  Wisdom is what allowed Solomon to see where people were heading and what their end would be.  In this passage, he was able to see what no one else could see – the direction and end of the “strange woman.”  Even though her ways are hard to know, Solomon knew that they led to death and hell.

When God gave Solomon wisdom in Gibeon, He gave Solomon tremendous insight into the souls of men and women.  Solomon’s relationship insight was the fruit of accepting wisdom from above.  This wise man didn’t have to learn about people the hard way.  He didn’t have to get hurt in order to detect the selfish nature of mankind.  He didn’t have to go to college for eight years and study psychology to learn about the behavior of people.  He didn’t need a lifetime to learn what wisdom could teach him in a moment of time.  Wisdom allowed Solomon to see beyond the exterior.  It gave him eyes that penetrated the surface.  It helped him see what the average person couldn’t.

All of us, but especially the young among us desperately need wisdom.  When it comes to intimate friendships and romantic relationships, wisdom is a must.  Without it, the young will become prey to the selfish nature and appetite of some evil soul.  The “strange woman” of the text is not looking to ruin lives as much as she is looking to use lives to get what she wants.  As a general rule, human nature will sacrifice anything to get what they want.  Embedded into our nature is a thirst for pleasure at any cost, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.  The woman of Proverbs 5 represents the unbridled soul who will use anyone and everyone to get what she wants.  She is very good at getting what she wants, especially with her smooth words.  Her true motive is nearly impossible to see and her harm is equally as difficult to detect.  Wisdom will allow a young person to see beyond the sweet words and attractive disguise.

It's critical to a person’s success that they see the motive and direction of a person that they are emotionally vulnerable to.  Make careful note of Solomon’s insight about this “strange woman” as she intentionally changes her ways so as to not be detected.  She is hard to figure out.  Her behavior is difficult to pinpoint.  One day, she seems to care about you and another day, she seems to care less about you.  One day, she seems interested in God and another day, she seems entirely uninterested in God.  Just when you think you’ve got her figured out, she changes her ways.  Why does this woman act that way?  According to the wisdom of Solomon, she intentionally changes her behavior “lest thou shouldn’t ponder the path of life.”  Because this woman is bent on getting what she wants, she has to keep everyone else from figuring her out and ultimately, from moving on from her.  Selfish people who are willing to use people to get what they want and they don’t want people to “ponder the path of life,” lest they make the right decision and move on from them.

Without wisdom, this adaptation of behavior will keep someone from seeing the selfish motive of the “strange woman.”  Men who want women in their lives only for self-satisfying reasons will intentionally “make changes” every so often at the ideal moment just to keep those women in their lives.  Women without wisdom won’t see how bad these evil men are for them.  Women who want men in their lives only for self-serving reasons will consistently give these men reasons to think they’re sincere so as to not lose their supply of financial, social or emotional pleasure.  Someone whose ways are “moveable” is someone who makes insincere changes with the intention of keeping others from detecting their selfish motives.  This is the person who doesn’t want anyone to “ponder the path of life” and make the wise decision to move on from them.  

So as to keep yourself from heading down the wrong friendship path or the wrong relationship path, get wisdom.  Wisdom will help you determine which behavior is sincere and which behavior is insincere. Wisdom will help you determine if someone really cares about you or if they only care about themselves.  Wisdom will help you discern the difference between someone telling you that they love you and someone showing you that they love you.  Wisdom shines a bright light on what most can’t see.  Wisdom pulls the curtain back and shows you the reality of things.

Wisdom is that virtue that asks the questions necessary to detect dangerous relationships:
Does your boyfriend want you to make the right moral decisions or the wrong moral decisions?
Does your girlfriend want you to come to church or not go to church?
Does your boyfriend want you to be what God wants you to be or does he want you to be what he wants you to be?
When you’re with your friend, are you tempted to compromise your faith?
When you’re with your friend, are you drawn to God or are you drawn away God?
Does your friend encourage you to read the Bible more or do they make you feel bad for reading it?
Does your loved one see Christianity as a threat to their relationship with you?  
Do they see the Church as a problem for their relationship with you?
Does your boyfriend want you to give serious thought to “the path of life?”
Does your girlfriend want you to pray about whether or not God wants you to be with her?
Does that person really want the best for you or do they want what’s best for them?

Without wisdom, you’ll never be able to determine the real motive behind someone, especially when a person intentionally adjusts their behavior to hide their motive.  Is that person you love leading you down a path that leads to darkness and disappointment or are they leading you down a path that leads to happiness and holiness?  You don’t need to be a prophet to determine the answer to that question – you only need wisdom to discern the motive of the person you love.