Prov 6:26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
How often do our short term decisions override our long-term benefits? The weight of this proverb is really hard to avoid. Today, in our culture neither choice would seem like a good choice.
However, I think that at its heart this proverb is signposting us to the sanctity of marriage. I love how Job says in Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at young women.”
Wendy and I know that we have to be very intentional about keeping our marriage strong and healthy. When all the children were still quite young we would sneak out to Macca’s buy two coffee’s, drive to the shore (which only took 2 minutes then) and sit in the car park with our coffees and have our “date night”. We could have focused on all the things we could not do, but instead, we focused on what we could do. Yes, we went back to chaos, and the laundry still needed to be done, and all the other things. But in those moments we reminded ourselves of our love for each other, our shared adventure and partnership in facing the challenges that life was providing in those seasons.
We learned that we had to fight for time to be with each other, as the busyness of life could easily strain that out.
Even today with no young kids, but with busy jobs caring for others, and studies we are committed to, we could easily slide into missing our time together. However, we recognise that we can’t afford to do that.
So, we go for walks together most days and as we walk we talk and we reflect. We intentionally plan time together.
Every day is a day worth fighting for your marriage.
KNOWLEDGE
We live in a culture where short term decisions are being sought after by powerful sales and marketing forces. The latest vacuum cleaner grabs our attention – oh it will do such a perfect job, we are never even seen in the picture, six easy interest-free payments – we are reaching for the phone as they talk on the TV.
If we can line up our short term decisions with our long term ambitions we may well be able to steer a path through the rocks of impulse that would sink us daily.
If loneliness is hostile and solitude is hospitable – let’s practice being alone with God, listening to his heart and following his paths?
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word for “hunt” in Hebrew is pronounced as “sud” and carries the meaning of to hunt, to stalk, to ensnare, to stalk for the reason of oppression or capture. What a picture, you are being stalked by the enemy of your soul who will use whatever is available to take you out and degrade and destroy you, your future, and your family.
WISDOM
What short term decisions are you making in your life that are harming your long term prospects, and the call God has on your life?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Developer – you intentionally want the best for others, and you will work with whatever you have to see others win. When they win, you win.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [For the benefit of using a sexually immoral woman costs only a loaf of bread, but using another’s wife, ensnares into oppression a precious soul].
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to make great choices in all the small and big issues of life. Thank you, Jesus.
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