Wise Living - The Consequences of Sexual Folly (Proverbs Ch 6:20–35, Ch 7)

Greeting, brother or sister in Christ, let us gather around the blessed Word and carefully study the profound truths laid out by Pastor Sam Merigala in his sermon on the consequences of sexual folly from Proverbs chapters 6 and 7. Pastor Merigala’s sermon addresses the massive significance of sexuality in life. Our sexuality matters greatly because romance originates from God and reveals Him; ultimate reality is God's romantic, hot passion for us. Marriage is a divine creation that points to the "mega-romance of Christ and the church". This is not merely an ethical treatise on right and wrong, but a deeply practical warning concerning the very "way of life".

The Commandment, the Light, and the Practical Path to Life

Before detailing the consequences of adultery, the sage counsels his son to keep his parents' commands and teaching. These truths must be "bound on your heart always" and "tie them around your neck". This binding of the Word to the heart is crucial, as the heart is the "wellspring of life" (Prov. 4:23 NIV).

Pastor Merigala underscores that the Word of God serves as a lamp, the teaching as a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the path to life itself (Psalm 16:11). This counsel is given explicitly "to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress". The heart of wisdom dictates that when a man observes a beautiful woman who is not his wife, he must refuse to entertain the desire in his heart, recognizing her beauty as "irrelevant" and mentally removing himself from the scene. The warning is extended to control the neck, so one does not turn their head to look at a beautiful woman with lustful intent (Matthew 5:27–30). The fool, however, lacks these necessary categories of thought.

Pastor Merigala warns that "walking in darkness" inevitably leads to losing God’s Word and a gradual deterioration of Christian character. We are reminded that disaster is not always ugly; rather, like "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14), temptation can be magnificently appealing. Wisdom, therefore, counsels immediate retreat, for to commit adultery is likened to carrying fire next to one's chest or walking on hot coals - scorching and burning are inevitable (vv. 27-28).

The Heavy Toll of Adultery: Inevitable and Unsatisfiable Pain

Pastor Merigala focuses intently on the high and inevitable price of committing adultery. The sermon stresses that this instruction is practical, focused on real-life consequences, rather than simply an ethical debate. The consequences are manifold, touching every sphere of life:

1. Loss of Life and Health: The adulterer is depicted as one who "hunts down a precious life". The sermon warns that in our present age of sexually transmitted diseases, the adulterer risks his/her health and life. Furthermore, those who commit sexual folly inevitably get burned; Pastor Merigala states he has never heard anyone claim that adultery improved their life.
2. Loss of Wealth and Enjoyment: Those who succumb to this folly lose their wealth, facing degradation to the lowest level of poverty, being "brought to a piece of bread". If adultery results in scandal, lawsuit, and divorce, the financial price is staggering. While sex is a good gift from God, like fire, if it gets out of control, it becomes destructive. What starts as a "warm" experience quickly becomes a "burning experience". Adultery is also stealing - transgressing and defrauding one's brother.
3. Loss of Good Sense: Sexual sin strips a person of common sense. King David, a brilliant strategist, lost his judgment entirely when he gazed at his neighbor’s wife and lusted for her, descending into murder to cover his transgression.
4. Loss of Peace and Reputation: The offender loses his peace, for the anger of the offended husband is fierce and vengeful. A loving husband would rather have his money stolen than his wife, and his jealousy is "unyielding as the grave," burning "like blazing fire". No amount of money offered to the husband will be accepted, and the offender risks physical punishment and loses his reputation. Adultery attacks the offended husband’s home, marriage, honor, and manhood.

Pastor Merigala teaches us a solemn truth: the pain of sexual folly is inevitable, and the offense committed is unsatisfiable. Even if a man repents and is restored to God through Christ, the disgrace of having stolen another man's wife "will not be wiped away"; a memory remains in the family history.

The Strategies of Temptation and the Simple Fool (Proverbs 7)

Proverbs 7 vividly charts the steps leading a naive young man to destruction. Solomon calls the youth to treasure God’s commandments, and to call wisdom an intimate friend, thus guarding against the forbidden woman.

God is honest with us about the consequences of sexual folly. The father in the sermon observes three phases of temptation: the approach, the speech, and the destructive impact.

1. The Young Man Tempts Himself (The Approach)

The victim is described as "simple" (petî), meaning he is "open" and uncommitted, still "exploring life". This simpleton, feeling restless, deliberately takes a walk near the place of temptation - a certain part of town or perhaps certain internet sites. He walks "in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness," convinced he can handle sin. He did not heed the counsel: "Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house". Pastor Merigala notes that many who indulge in sexual sin suffer greatly because they willfully placed themselves into the place of danger, failing to make a covenant with their eyes or to flee temptation like Joseph.

2. He is Tempted by the Woman (The Speech)

The woman who meets him is "dressed as a prostitute," loud, wayward, and deceitful, described as "wily of heart" - unguarded in dress but guarded in her core self, unable to give her heart away. She seizes him, kisses him, and uses flattering, smooth talk to compel him.

Her seductive speech involves three appeals:

• Religious Pretext: She claims to have paid her religious vows and has extra-special sacrificial meat waiting - suggesting a special, luxurious occasion.
• Luxurious Setting: She appeals to his ego and imagination, describing her bed spread with expensive, colored linens from Egyptian linen and perfumed with costly spices like myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. He thinks he is "hitting the jackpot".
• The Lie of Secrecy: She assures him that her husband is on a long journey and will not return until the full moon, giving them plenty of time. Pastor Merigala warns that the offer of "sin-with-no-regret" is Satan’s ancient lie. When someone promises that "Nobody will ever know," that person is essentially proclaiming that "God does not exist".

3. He Tempts the Lord (The Impact)

The young man, compelled by smooth talk, follows her on impulse "as an ox goes to the slaughter" or "as a bird rushes into a snare," utterly ignorant of the cost of his life. Pastor Merigala points out that the young man began acting like an animal, losing his privilege as a human made in the divine image. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); we cannot wish this consequence away.

When we deliberately disobey God and put ourselves into situations so difficult that only God can deliver us, we "tempt the Lord". This young man willfully disobeyed God’s law, and the Lord allowed him to indulge his sensual appetites and suffer the consequences, because we are warned not to tempt the Lord our God. If the youth had looked up to the Lord, looked within, and looked ahead to the terrible consequences, he would have fled. But for this simple man, it was too late; he joins the "mighty throng" of casualties of sexual folly that litter history's battlefield.

The Ultimate Remedy: Union with Christ

Although society encourages and even approves sexual sin, and though studies show pornography "rewires our brains with addictive power," there is redemption. The power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16) changes lives (1 Cor. 6:9–11).

Pastor Merigala brings us to the profound truth of the Gospel. The difference between the converted and the unconverted is not that one has no sins, but that the converted man takes part with a reconciled God against his hated sins, while the unconverted takes part with his cherished sins against a dreaded God.

We must seek the love we long for through complete union with the Lord. The believer's body belongs to God, and while joining oneself to a prostitute makes two into one body, joining oneself to the Lord makes two into one spirit. Becoming a Christian requires trust and surrender, giving ourselves entirely to Christ - an intimacy likened to sexual union.

We are joined to the Lord Jesus Christ, both in body and spirit, through His finished work on the cross. By grace, He gives Himself completely to us, and by faith, we give ourselves completely to Him. Every fiber of our being, from head to toe, becomes of Christ and for Christ, including our sexuality, because we are married to Him. This union of spirit is described as more profound, more intimate, deeper, and richer than the union of flesh. Christ loves us to this full extent, standing ready as our ally against our sins. We must therefore lay our sins at the foot of the cross where forgiveness and renewal are promised.

Christ loves and redeems people no one else can love. He loves you to this full extent. Will you believe it, receive it, and open your heart to Christ today?