NOTES for Pro 5:1-23
Once again we hear a warning against becoming infatuated with other men's wives, and we are already prepared to interpret it broadly as a warning against becoming infatuated with pagan false spirituality. Yet it is also worth taking these words literally and remembering how important it is to be able to recognize the treasure close at hand. What lies elsewhere may seem more attractive than what is always before our eyes and therefore becomes scarcely noticeable or even unattractive. Wisdom, then, can also manifest itself in the ability to see more than what lies on the surface. The reminder that the iniquities of the wicked ensnare him once again emphasizes that God's retribution is unlike the punishments practiced by human beings. The Lord does not desire evil; He warns us of the dangers that inevitably lie on the paths of sin. Yet we continue blithely to charge where we should not go and then become indignant that no one stopped us. We could have stopped ourselves; we had been warned...