Proverbs 9:13-18

“The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
‘You who are simple, turn in here!’
And to those without sense she says,
‘Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’
But they do not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Seen in the context of the discussion about wisdom, personified as a woman, Solomon continues with his analogy of “women” as impersonal attributes. Thus, we need to remember that he isn’t talking here about some woman who is foolish (or stating that only women are foolish), but rather comparing foolishness/folly with wisdom. (Matthew Henry agrees: “Folly herself, in opposition to Wisdom . . .”).

The thing is, the emphasis here is on self-indulgence, self-fulfillment, self-desires. Sweetness. Pleasure. And while the scriptural emphasis is often upon sexual desires, we know that lust is more than simply sex. In the NT, the word “epithumia” is often translated “lust” but the connotation is far greater than simply sexual desire: “desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden.”

“But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15 NRSV).

Desire for what is forbidden. There are many things that are forbidden, but as Christians, we don’t really want to focus on those things. We want to focus on the fact that we are free, that we have freedom. And yet, outside of that freedom, many things are still forbidden. Forbidden by secular law, forbidden by good sense, forbidden by God.

One of the things forbidden to believers is the practice of self-indulgence, of listening to the demands of our bodies (our desires, our cravings, our lusts, our emotions) and giving into them. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians:

“Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified” (9:25-27 NRSV)

• Exercise self-control
• Punish my body
• Enslave (my body)

We often forget that self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Strong’s defines it as “self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites).” When I think of self-control, I think of saying no to myself, even when I have the ability to say yes. I can afford it, but why? If it doesn’t promote the kingdom, should I add it to my life? We need to learn to say no to ourselves in easier situations so that, when presented with difficult situations, we have the strength of habit behind our resolve.

I’m dieting. Not just a change in eating, but a massive cut in calories. And as I researched various diets, one thing I learned. The most successful diets—regardless of their content—have one thing in common: journaling. When you write down what you eat, you are more honest about when you cheat! And it’s true. I’m careful about my choices because I know that, at the end of the day, they all have to be recorded in my diet journal.

I think that Christians would be well-served to have lust or sin journals, places where we write down our sins in order to take a good look at them. Many Christians I know blanket their sins in their prayers (“forgive me my sins”) without recounting them. Yet, 1 John 1:9 tells us to “confess our sins.” Not to confess that we are sinful, but rather to confess our sins. Plural. Vine’s defines “confess” as “to declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts.” I think that listing out one’s sins would have a profound impact on the things we choose (and the sins we hide). Sin cannot exist in the open air of God’s grace, but flourishes in the hidden recesses of darkness (and forgetfulness). If we drag our sins out into the light of the Spirit, I think we would be on a better course to root them out of our lives.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).