Proverbs 5:9
"…or you will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one"
What is interesting about this proverb is that it rips the covers off of what happens when you chase after sexual pleasure. It is what you think you want. You think that you will be getting what you truly desire, but instead you will begin giving your energy and desire to others but not in a good sense – in a parasitic sense – until you realize that everything that you really wanted will not have happened. You will have wasted your years in service to the devil and your own lusts. Going after what you thought you really wanted has meant a completely different life than you wanted and that your potential suggested.
Young men, do not give in to lust. Don't chase it or let it catch you. Sexual desire is a prison that will hold you tight and not let you out. It will demand that you think its thoughts and obey its impulses even when to do so will jeopardize your job, your marriage, your family, your reputation, your freedom. If you begin to give in to the ideas and urges of sexual lust, it will redirect your life from its destiny to a different path.
vigor
This is the Hebrew word hod which means splendor, majesty, vigor, glory, honor. This is an interesting word to use here because it suggests that God has a plan for each person which includes their having dignity and honor and a level of majesty. Those who follow after lust, however, give away their dignity and splendor to others. The life that was to be yours becomes a sickening search for the next sexual pleasure. Sexual discipline is essential to the attainment of your fullest potential. If you want to enjoy the abundant life and plan God has for you, then learn to exercise discipline in this area. Save yourself for the lifetime commitment of marriage.
cruel one
This is the Hebrew word akzari which means cruel, cruelty, completely without mercy. Some would see this as a reference to the husband of the spouse you are committing adultery with. It would seem to be much more than this and refers to the being we would call the devil – the one who rejoices with each sin and seeks to increase wickedness. He seeks to own people ever more thoroughly through their addictions to sin. He has no mercy and does not let up. He continues to press the temptation until it is devoid of any meaning and you are his prisoner.
I encourage anyone who is struggling with this area of sexual temptation to take it seriously and get help. It is for this very reason that I wrote a book and produced a video series about the topic of overcoming sexual temptation. Mission Possible: Winning the Battle over Temptation and the free video course can be accessed by clicking HERE. Get the help you need.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz