Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven (a paraphrase of Proverbs 23:4–5).

Friends, what are your aspirations? A bigger house? A nicer car? More luxurious vacations? This proverb teaches that money is fleeting, and what money can buy does not last.

Solomon writes clearly here. He teaches his son not to "toil" to gain wealth. He is saying that the pursuit of ever-greater wealth is not a wise use of his time and energy. In fact, Solomon tells him to stop thinking about it altogether.

Now, he does not tell his son to stop thinking about his financial responsibilities, for he also writes, "Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts" (Proverbs 22:26), and "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22).

So a distinction is made between responsibly acquiring the money needed for basic needs and the vain pursuit of more and more. The Bible does not clearly define the limits, but consider Paul's counsel: "If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content" (1 Timothy 6:8).

Paul says he is concerned only with basic sustenance — food and clothing. He does not even include a house or transportation in his assessment of his needs. How could he write this? It is so extreme! But then consider what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: do not be anxious, asking what we will eat, drink, or wear, for the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly Father knows you need them; but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (a paraphrase of Matthew 6:31–33).

This sounds even more extreme. Yet here we have a remarkable promise from the Lord: if believers simply seek God, God Himself will supply their basic needs. I believe it is on this basis that Paul writes, "If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." Paul is simply claiming God's promises. He is content with what God has promised to sustain him. So he also writes, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6).

In contrast to contentment with God's sustaining grace, consider the dangers of pursuing wealth: those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, and into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction; for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils, and some, craving it, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs (a paraphrase of 1 Timothy 6:9–10).

Paul says the pursuit of riches brings "many senseless and harmful desires" that lead to "ruin and destruction." He warns that some have even wandered from the faith. He certainly does not present the pursuit of wealth in a flattering light. His reasoning is the same as Solomon's: "we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world" (1 Timothy 6:7), just as wealth sprouts wings and flies away (Proverbs 23:5).

The contrast is between what is temporal, and therefore temporary, and what is eternal. Jesus made this point even clearer: do not lay up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasures in heaven, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (a paraphrase of Matthew 6:19–21).

So Solomon, Paul, and Jesus all commend the wisdom of putting our time, energy, and attention toward things that endure into eternity — the things that pertain to the will of God.

Friends, here is my counsel for us all. Let us simplify our lives as much as we can, so that more of our time, energy, and attention can be given to eternal matters. In other words, work in such a way that you can work less for money and have more time for the Lord's work. Simplify your life, possessions, and pursuits so they do not distract you from pursuing God's will. Then your focus will not be on getting more for yourself and your family, but on finding more time and resources to devote to the Lord's calling on your life.

I have been trying to do this for our family. I got rid of my iPhone; as useful as it was, it added little value to my life and was more of a distraction and cost than a true benefit. We recently got rid of cable TV, opting for a simple indoor antenna. Though our channel lineup went from 109 to about 10 basic network channels, we still get HD and less worldly junk to entice us — and we went from paying $66 a month to nothing. I scaled back from an Infiniti G35 to a Nissan Altima. I save a bundle on the car, have fewer car issues, and have cheaper maintenance.

By reducing distractions and costs, there is less competition for my child's attention, and she really seems to enjoy our daily time together singing praise songs, studying the Bible, and memorizing Scripture. Rather than mindless television, she is learning to enjoy drawing and doing crafts, learning to read with Daddy, and learning math with Mommy. I also don't have to worry as much about questionable commercials, even on children's cable channels. With free TV, we still have public television and children's programming for occasional TV time. And with less television, I have found more time to read good books.

Friends, these things are working for us as we seek to obey God's Word. I have asked before, but please share your stories with me as well. In this way we can support one another in making sure our generation and the next remain faithful to the Lord.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The image of wealth growing wings and flying off like an eagle (Proverbs 23:5) is one of Proverbs' most memorable, and it may have a specific background. Some scholars note that the surrounding section of Proverbs (22:17–24:22) closely parallels an Egyptian wisdom text, the Instruction of Amenemope, which also compares riches to geese that fly off to the sky. If so, Solomon's collection took a proverb known in the wider world and set it within the fear of the Lord — "that your trust may be in the Lord" (22:19).

The comment's balance between 23:4–5 and 13:22 is worth drawing out, since it shows the comment is not advocating carelessness about money. Proverbs praises diligence (10:4), foresight (6:6–8), and provision for one's family (31:15–21), while warning against the anxious pursuit of more. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 is similarly framed: the problem is not work or planning but worry and misplaced treasure. Christians differ on exactly where lines should be drawn (see #1787), but the comment's practical, gradual approach — simplifying what distracts, redirecting time toward family and the Word — reflects what these texts call wisdom.

Proverbs 22

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

The rod of discipline here is the device for driving folly away. This verse is correctly cited as well as chapter 13 verse 24, for corporal punishment but to keep 'discipline' in such a small box overlooks several references in Scripture to include lessons, training, and household lifestyles.

Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Just this passage says a lot, 'Love discipline.' If it is loved it is cherished, it is sought, nourished, shared, explored; discipline should be a broad system of building up one in knowledge. Leading one to wisdom, humility, and righteousness.

This requires persistence, it is required to be in the heart of the teacher (parent in this case); wisdom is required.

The cited passages in chapters 12 and 13 speak of loving and hating with discipline and the lack of it. There has to be a passion for it to be effective, that begins with the teacher/parent.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The contribution correctly observes that discipline in Proverbs is larger than a single response to misconduct. It includes instruction, correction, warning, practice, and the formation of judgment. Proverbs 12:1 connects loving discipline with loving knowledge because wisdom requires willingness to have one's present assumptions and habits changed. Applied to parenting, the goal is not merely obtaining immediate compliance. It is helping a child increasingly recognize and choose what is good.

The rod imagery belongs to the ancient setting of the cited proverbs and has often been read as physical punishment. Recognizing that historical meaning does not settle every question about faithful practice now, nor does it authorize injury, humiliation, uncontrolled anger, or coercive severity. The New Testament directly commands parents not to provoke or discourage their children (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). These instructions must govern Christian application along with the call to teach and correct.

Contemporary pediatric guidance supports discipline that teaches through clear limits, consistent expectations, modeling, and reinforcement of appropriate behavior rather than hitting or shaming. The American Academy of Pediatrics' guidance offers practical approaches consistent with that instructional aim. Such methods are not an abandonment of parental responsibility. They require attention, repetition, patience, and an understanding of what a child can presently comprehend and regulate.

The original emphasizes the teacher's passion for formation. That concern is valuable when passion means sustained loving commitment rather than emotional intensity at the moment of correction. A parent who is personally teachable can explain a rule, distinguish disobedience from immaturity or confusion, and apologize when the parent's own response was wrong. This models the willingness to receive correction that the child is being asked to develop.

A broad system of discipline therefore includes predictable household rhythms, opportunities to practice responsibilities, calm consequences connected to conduct, and recognition of genuine progress. It also includes listening: a repeated behavior may disclose a problem that punishment alone cannot identify. The measure of success is not that a child fears making any mistake in the parent's presence. It is that the child is gradually equipped to act wisely, tell the truth, repair wrongs, and seek help. Christian formation points beyond the parent's immediate control toward a life accountable to the Lord, whose instruction is truthful and whose care is patient.

A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well. She hides and waits like a robber, eager to make more men unfaithful. (Proverbs 23:27, 28 NLT)

Friends, according to Scripture, in terms of things that cause men to stumble, the most dangerous weakness of men is not drugs, alcohol or money. It is women and sex.

Do you remember how the whole earth became corrupt and was destroyed by the flood? It was when the "sons of God" corrupted their pure line with the "daughters of men," when godly Sethites intermarried with women from Cain's line (Genesis 6:1–2). Remember also, twenty-four thousand of Israel died because the men were seduced into having sexual relations with the idolatrous women of Moab (Numbers 25:1–9). Remember when Israel came into the Promised Land? It was not long before they became morally detestable, and the primary cause of this was their violating God's command to destroy everyone in the land and His command not to intermarry with the Canaanite women (Judges 3:5–7). Furthermore, when the monarchy was established under King David, David's worst experiences were precipitated by his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). Solomon fell and the kingdom was divided as a result of his marriage to the forbidden women of Canaan (1 Kings 11:1–11). Some of the most tragic devastations experienced on earth and by the people of God were precipitated by men succumbing to immorality. Women are already a strong influence on men. Combine that with illicit sex, and you have a most potent combination.

A disproportionate amount of attention is given in the Book of Proverbs to this issue. Right from the beginning, the young man is encouraged to pursue wisdom in order to escape the pitfall of immorality with women:

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave. The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life. (Proverbs 2:16–19 NLT)

These are very strong words: "The man who visits her is doomed" and "He will never reach the paths of life." Notice also that while men are usually portrayed as the strong ones, even willful in the way they sin against God, here they are portrayed as victims, helpless before the seductive influence of the immoral woman.

The entire chapter five of Proverbs is devoted to this matter:

For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it. So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved. Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings! Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. (Proverbs 5:3–14, 20–23 NLT)

There is no counsel in this proverb to resist or fight. The danger is so great that to retreat is no shame. The counsel is simply to "stay away from her! Don't go near the door of her house!" In the New Testament, the counsel is simply to "flee." Run away. Run as fast as you can. Don't even go anywhere near. For according to the Proverbs, if you go near, like a strong gravitational pull, you will be drawn into her trap without escape. Once there, you will eventually lose your honor, your wealth, your health, and your life.

In case the reader still does not perceive the magnitude of the matter, Solomon returns to the topic again in chapter six:

It (i.e. counsel of father and mother) will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself. He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased. For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size. (Proverbs 6:24–29, 32–35 NLT)

Here the emphasis is on the specific case of promiscuity in the context of adultery with another man's wife. Prostitution as a "profession" was forbidden in Israel, but that did not prevent its practice, since married women could prostitute themselves in secret. Again, the lure was strong ("smooth tongue," "her beauty," "her coy glances") but so were the consequences, as it would cost the man his wealth, health, honor, and life.

Solomon returns again to the topic in the very next chapter. Remember, anything in three's in Hebrew brings the matter to chief importance:

Let them (i.e. father's counsel) protect you from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman. While I was at the window of my house, looking through the curtain, I saw some naive young men, and one in particular who lacked common sense. He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house. It was at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell. The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart. She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home. She is often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, “I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows. You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are! My bed is spread with beautiful blankets, with colored sheets of Egyptian linen. I’ve perfumed my bedwith myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses, for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won’t return until later this month.” So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery. He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. So listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to my words. Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death. (Proverbs 7:5–27 NLT)

The Proverbs uses repetition, allegory, and graphic illustration to make the dangers of immorality absolutely clear. In Proverbs seven, the example given is not of an evil person but a "naive young man," "who lacked common sense." Once again, the man is not a willfull sinner, but a helpless victim. Such is the magnitude of the danger. Before sexual sin, even the most vile and willful sinner is but a helpless victim.

What is interesting here is that Solomon presents a scenario that removes the things that men might use as crutches to let down their guard. The event happens "at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell." So no one would see what took place. The guy only goes near to the area, where he must have heard there lived a promiscuous woman. So he's only inquiring out of curiosity. What is more, the woman comes to him and not he to her. What is more, she's offering free sex. So It will not cost him anything. What is more, she says that her husband will be away for a long time, so there's no concern about being "caught."

Solomon creates a scenario that most men today would think is a fantasy, a dream come true. But Solomon gives such a scenario so that the reader will understand that even in such an "ideal" scenario, the ends he has described are the same. Solomon says that even in such a scenario, the man would be "like an ox going to the slaughter," "like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce his heart," "like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life."

Solomon returns to his strong counsel to "Stay away!" He adds that "she has been the ruin of many; many (mighty) men have been her victims." I mentioned above King David, the man after God's own heart, and King Solomon, the wisest man in the world. If such are her victims, what makes us think that we can resist and prevail?

The New Testament is not silent about this danger either:

You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:13–20 NLT)

Some people think that because men were born with such strong sexual desires, it is only natural for them to fulfill them, even in immorality. Paul says, "Absolutely not!" He clearly says that God gave us our bodies not for sexual immorality but to honor the Lord. He says that when we commit immorality with a prostitute, we defile not only our bodies but also our union with Christ, so that even if one thinks immorality is "natural,' it is clearly not spiritual. Furthermore, in keeping with the counsel in the Old Testament, the New Testament counsel is the same: "Run from sexual sin!" This is very strong, for even against Satan, believers are commanded to "Resist the devil, and he will flee" (James 4:7), but here believers are the one commanded to "flee from sexual sin." That is to say that such sin is more dangerous than Satan, who is described as "a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Again we read this:

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 NLT)

Friends, especially my male friends, today's sharing is particularly for you. This is a weakness shared by all of us. There is not one man among those I know well, whether laymen, pastor, seminarian, teacher, or otherwise, that have not failed in one way or another with respect to women and sex. When I was looking into this matter with earnest during my seminary years, when those that I respected the most were suddenly en masse being found to be caught up in these sins, I asked a Christian counselor/teacher at the seminary just how pervasive was this kind of sin among men. He said that he thought it touched about 95% of all men in the United States, including Christian men. I was astonished. But then he added, the number is probably greater, because a good proportion of the remaining men in the survey were likely lying.

As pervasive as this danger is among men, there are very few ministries to address it. It is probably because it is such a secretive and shameful matter. What men probably fear more than the sin itself is exposure. What is more, because pastors, teachers, and Christian leaders are among those caught up in these sins, their even greater fear of exposure probably inhibit such ministries as well.

Some of you know that I have been praying for God to raise up someone to lead such a ministry. Just among those that have confided in me tells me that there is a great need at Global Harvest Church. Please pray with me in this matter. Remember how God answered our prayers with respect to a leader for the women's discipleship ministry. I believe He will raise up a leader for a men's sexual accountability ministry as well.

Just a word to the women, I encourage all of you to be undertsanding, patient, and not express shock or over-disappointment with your men, if somehow or other you discover they are in one way or another trapped in such sins. If you are supportive, it is more likely that GHC can be among the first to make significant progress in this area. Just as we are among very few churches to have such a large percentage of our members reading the Bible on a regular basis (last year survey showed 40% reading daily and 60% reading at least twice a week), I believe we can also be an example in this area as well.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The repeated warnings in Proverbs 2 and 5–7 treat sexual betrayal as more than a private indulgence. The imagery of a pit, fire, a trap, and a path to death exposes consequences that desire minimizes. In Proverbs 7, seductive speech constructs a supposedly safe opportunity: the husband is absent, the setting is prepared, and the invitation appears flattering. The narrative then reveals the young man's failure to perceive where that path leads. Wisdom interrupts the story desire tells before action makes its cost unavoidable.

The warnings address a male learner, which explains the recurring figure of an adulterous woman. That literary perspective should not become a claim that women as a class are the greatest danger to men or that men lose moral agency in the presence of attraction. Proverbs 5:22 explicitly says the wicked are captured by their own iniquities, and 6:32 identifies the adulterer as one who destroys himself. The learner is repeatedly commanded to listen, avoid, refuse, and choose. These commands presume responsibility, not helpless innocence. Sexual sin can involve people of either sex, and coercion or exploitation must be distinguished from consensual wrongdoing.

The historical examples also require precision. The Sethite interpretation of Genesis 6:1–4 is one debated reading, not an explicitly named genealogy in that passage. First Kings 11 describes Solomon's many foreign wives from several peoples, not only Canaan. Second Samuel 11 portrays David using royal power to take Bathsheba and then arrange Uriah's death; it does not depict Bathsheba as a seductress who made an otherwise helpless king act. Keeping agency clear is essential if the examples are to teach repentance rather than transfer blame.

Paul grounds sexual holiness in the body's belonging to Christ and its future resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:13–20). The command to flee is a practical rejection of avoidable exposure, not proof that sexual temptation is metaphysically more powerful than Satan. First Corinthians 10:13 gives hope for faithful endurance, and 6:11 reminds the church that cleansing and transformation are real. Warnings of severe consequences should therefore not be turned into a declaration that someone who has failed can never repent or be restored.

The original's call for a ministry of accountability addresses a real pastoral need, but its prevalence estimates and church statistics are reported anecdotes, not independently established measurements. Effective care requires trained and accountable leadership, honest confession, clear boundaries, and attention to those harmed. A spouse's shock, grief, or anger is not a failure of support, and the spouse should not be made responsible for preventing the other's misconduct. Where abuse or coercion is involved, protection and appropriate reporting cannot be replaced by a private promise to improve.

Faithful accountability aims at more than avoiding exposure. It asks what patterns, secrecy, entitlement, and opportunities sustain the behavior, and what concrete changes demonstrate repentance. Grace provides reason to tell the truth; holiness gives that truth a direction. The goal is a life in which desire is governed by love for God and neighbor, and those affected by wrongdoing receive care rather than another burden of silence.

Don't withhold discipline from a child — using appropriate physical correction won't harm them, and may in fact rescue them from a far worse path (a paraphrase of Proverbs 23:13–14). This came up recently at dinner with a New Song Church member, who was surprised that any second-generation Korean-American family would still endorse physical discipline in raising young children — she'd assumed the more "American" we became, the less likely we'd be to practice corporal punishment. Opinions on this run the entire spectrum, from those who'd strike their children for almost any reason to those who practice no discipline at all, physical or otherwise, in the name of love. I believe both ends of that spectrum are unbiblical. Writing about the LORD's discipline, the author of Hebrews quotes Proverbs directly: don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't lose heart when He corrects you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as a son (a paraphrase of Hebrews 12:5–6, quoting Proverbs 3:11–12). Hebrews goes on to say we should endure hardship as discipline from the Lord, since it comes from His love — and that being disciplined is actually evidence that God accepts us as His genuine children; if we were never disciplined, we wouldn't really be His children at all (a paraphrase of Hebrews 12:8). The purpose of discipline is to produce righteousness and a life of peace. No discipline feels pleasant in the moment — it's painful — but afterward, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it (a paraphrase of Hebrews 12:11). We need to model this kind of godly discipline with our own children. We discipline them because we love them and want them to live lives of righteousness that glorify God — and that kind of godly discipline results in a life of peace for those trained by it. Discipline without love produces resentment, hatred, and rebellion. Love without discipline tends to produce the same result. Just as the Bible calls us to speak truth in love, it also calls us to discipline in love.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The specific balance this comment strikes — rejecting both extremes of the spectrum rather than picking a side — is worth noting as consistent with how Hebrews 12 itself frames discipline: never as an end in itself, but always tied explicitly to love and to a stated good purpose (righteousness and peace). That framing matters regardless of which specific disciplinary methods a family chooses, since Scripture's actual concern in this passage isn't a particular technique, but the motive and outcome behind it — discipline detached from love, whatever form it takes, produces exactly the resentment this comment warns against, while love without any correction produces a different but equally real kind of harm. Christian traditions differ on which specific practices best embody "discipline in love" for children today, but the underlying test this comment names — is this motivated by love and aimed at the child's genuine good — applies across that range of views.