Stay In Your Lane

4/20/2023 (Written while incarcerated)

For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
And I saw among the naive,
And discerned among the youths
A young man lacking sense,
—Proverbs 7:6-7

In verses 7-9, the writer sees this young man who lacks sense. At first this man is simply

passing along the street near her corner. —Proverbs 7:8

It seems that he is just flirting with the idea of her. Letting his imagination run free.

But then we see him taking the road to her house in the twilight. His imagination has grown into intent. He is intentionally moving in her direction during the nighttime where they can meet in secrecy.

In verses 10-12, we find that — wonder of wonders — there she is!

And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.
She is boisterous and rebellious,
Her feet do not remain at home;
She is now in the streets, now in the squares,
And lurks by every corner.
—Proverbs 7:10-12

Dressed seductively.

And clever.

She uses coarse speech. Bold speech. She makes it clear that she is “open for business.” She has been pursuing him! In the street. At the store. Waiting at the corner. Waiting for him to notice her. Waiting for him to linger near her.

She's just working the bait, waiting for him to bite.

Then in verses 13-21, she jerks the rod and sets the hook.

So she seizes him and kisses him
And with a brazen face she says to him:
“I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows.
“Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.
“I have spread my couch with coverings,
With colored linens of Egypt.
“I have sprinkled my bed
With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses.
“For my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a long journey;
He has taken a bag of money with him,
At the full moon he will come home.”
With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him.
—Proverbs 7:13-21

She holds him.
She kisses him.
She convinces him that all of this is normal.
Nothing out of the ordinary.

She seductively tells him how comfortable he'll be. How pleasant his time with her will be.

She invites him to be intimate with her. She tells him that she wants it as badly as he does. And she convinces him that all is safe.

He won't get caught.

Suddenly he follows her —Proverbs 7:22

He is hooked.
No escape.

As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
—Proverbs 7:22-23

He is now completely under her control. He doesn't realize that she is leading him to destruction.

He follows blindly.
But his destruction is certain.
There is no other option.

He has started down a steep, slippery slope. At the bottom is death. And he is powerless to stop, or even to change course.

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
For many are the victims she has cast down,
And numerous are all her slain.
Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
—Proverbs 7:24-27

His only hope would have been to stay away from her corner in the first place.

He has to remain aware of his surroundings.

He must not allow himself to be in a position where he could mindlessly wander near her corner. Because her wake is littered with the corpses of her victims.

This!

This has been the trap that I have been lured into for over 50 years!

This is the first time I have ever noticed this passage in Proverbs. But it is spot on. This is exactly how it happened. Time and again.

I rarely got up in the morning with the intention of “acting out.” No! I would find myself foolishly wandering too close to her corner. Then I would be lured in.

God reminded me of the Israelites in the wilderness. And later in the promised land. How they stayed in a similar pattern; they would break God's commandments, God would send discipline, they then cry for deliverance, God rescues them, they celebrate their deliverance and vow to follow him faithfully, only to repeat their folly, and start the process again.

Exactly my life!

I have to find the exit ramp!

The road I've been on always leads me back to the same place. Death.

I've got to get off this road and stay off this road.

I’m reminded of a story:

A man walking down the road, didn’t see the hole and fell in.
The man walking down the same road, saw the hole, but still fell in.
The man walking down the same road, saw the hole, and went around it.
The man walked down a different road.

I believe I found the right exit. It's in pursuing the Kingdom of God with everything I have. But I need help to do it. Lots of help. And I have to take full advantage of the time I have in here to get myself as full of the word of God as possible. I need to establish this habit. And keep the habit for the rest of my life. I have to stay busy with the work of the Kingdom after I’m out.

God himself is my only hope for victory.