Proverbs 6:20-35

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 106:1-5
• Prayer of Invocation
• Congregational Prayer
• Pastoral Prayer
• Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:20-35
• Sermon
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: The Devastating Consequences of Adultery

Scripture: Proverbs 6:20-35

I. Preparations from the Parents Concerning the Adulterous Woman

A. In Proverbs 6:20, both mother and father instruct the son — a shift from the father alone speaking in earlier chapters B. The parents' instructions are to be bound on the son's heart and carried with him wherever he goes C. The purpose of parental instruction is stated in verse 24: to "preserve" the son from the evil woman and the smooth tongue of the adulteress D. Application: Never assume children simply know what is right

1. Children are sinners stepping into a fallen world filled with sexual temptation
2. Parents must continuously repeat and reinforce instruction — never assume prior knowledge is retained

II. Protection of the Eyes from the False Beauty of the Adulterous Woman

A. Proverbs 6:25 commands the son not to desire the adulteress's beauty or be captured by her eyelashes B. The Hebrew word for "desire" is the same word used for "covet" in the tenth commandment — Exodus 20:17

1. This is a specific command to heed the tenth commandment
2. The son must not covet a married woman's outward physical beauty C. The seductress adorns herself to lure her prey; her beauty is a false and deadly bait D. Contrast with the beloved in Song of Solomon 1:6-7: a working woman, sun-darkened, not adorned — yet the king's heart clings to her because of her character and chastity
3. True beauty is found in purity, goodness, and chastity
4. This is the kind of woman daughters should aspire to be, and the kind sons should seek

III. Personal Responsibility for Falling into the Trappings of the Adulterous Woman

A. The son has been amply warned; he has no excuse B. Adultery is depicted as the height of foolishness and mindlessness

1. Proverbs 6:27-29: carrying fire next to one's chest, or walking on hot coals — consequences are inevitable
2. One night of physical pleasure is a fool's game, reducing a man to acting like an animal rather than a human being C. While the woman lures, the man bears full personal responsibility for giving in
3. He cannot plead seduction as an excuse
4. He acted as a mindless fool and will receive his just deserts D. Application to our culture: heavy temptation does not excuse sin
5. Satan whispers that God will give a pass because temptation is so overwhelming
6. The anti-hero of modern entertainment normalizes sexual immorality
7. Proverbs 6 rejects this lie: the temptation in no way excuses the behavior

IV. The Price to Pay for Pursuing the Adulterous Woman

A. Proverbs 6:26 contrasts the prostitute and the married adulteress

1. The prostitute costs only a loaf of bread; the transaction ends there
2. The married adulteress hunts down a precious life — the consequences are far greater because she belongs to another man B. In Israel, adultery carried the death penalty — Deuteronomy 22:22 C. Even apart from death, the adulterer faces wounds, dishonor, and disgrace that cannot be wiped away (Proverbs 6:33)
3. Public punishment from the courts
4. Permanent disgrace before the community D. The jealous husband's rage cannot be satisfied — Proverbs 6:34-35
5. No compensation, however generous, will appease him
6. The adulterer faces an unquenchable jealous fury E. Summary application: cf. Matthew 16:26 — what does it profit a man to gain one night of pleasure and forfeit his life, family, name, and reputation?