Daily Devotional for Sunday, September 14

Reject My Words and Die

“For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death,” Proverbs 7:26, 27.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall” is a great metaphor because it is so easy to visualize. It is simple physics: the heavier the weight, the harder it hits when it lands from a fall. That helps us to understand the symbolic meaning. Usually, it refers to a person of some power, importance and influence who has been toppled from his position or caught up in some transgression that has caused him to be deposed. When he is removed, the repercussions affect far more than just the offender.

This proverb is very interesting. It was written from the vantage point of an observer who watched another man get caught up in a snare of lust and adultery. In the description, we see the sin from conception in the sinner’s mind to completion in the harlot’s house. But this is not necessarily just a warning about adultery here; this is a good description of the ease with which we can fall into sin so quickly. Another phrase I like fits here: “It’s not far from the penthouse to the outhouse.”

I am sure some of you think, “Not me! I am a faith warrior, deacon, teacher, super-saint!” That may be true; you may be all of those things. It makes me think of Elijah, who was on Mount Carmel facing off with the prophets of Baal one moment and cowering in fear the next. Our devotional verse warns us of this, showing us that not only the weak but also the strong are taken by this harlot.

Be wary of overconfidence.

JUST A THOUGHT

“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

Wally Fry