Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

When I first read this chapter as I was preparing to write these devotions, I thought, “Why did I end up with this chapter? A chapter about avoiding immoral women?!” While Proverbs 5 gives some invaluable wisdom on avoiding immoral women, I think we can also gain some wisdom on how sin in general can creep in and lead us down the wrong path.

Sometimes sin shows up in our lives looking like the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. It’s big, hairy, and ugly, and you know it is bad for you. But other times, that sin shows up looking more like Little Red Riding Hood’s Grandma. She looks sweet and innocent, but really, it is just that big, ugly wolf disguised as grandma to trick you and deceive you. Before you realize what is happening, it has swallowed you up!

Verses 3-5 show us what this can look like: “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.” Again, this passage is talking about avoiding immoral women, but it can also be a picture of how dangerous sin can be in our lives. It can lead to death!

When Little Red Riding Hood arrives at Grandma’s, she begins to notice some signs that this may not be her grandma: What big ears you have, what big eyes you have, what big teeth you have. It seems like those warning signs got bigger and more obvious the closer she came to realizing she had been deceived by the Wolf. I feel like that is how we are when that sin that was disguised so innocently takes over our lives. When we realize what has happened, we can’t figure out how we got there or how we missed the warning signs.

Verses 12- 14 express how that realization can make us feel: “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.” Did someone offer us wise, Godly counsel, and we ignored it? Did we look for wisdom in scripture to help us, or just try to handle it on our own?

It seems so obvious once you know the whole story: How did Little Red Riding Hood ever think this was her grandma? It was the Big Bad Wolf, but his disguise deceived her just long enough to draw her in. That’s what sin can do to us. It deceives us just long enough to draw us in, and then we end up in a place we never wanted to be, wondering how we could have missed such obvious warnings.

So, how do we avoid ending up like Little Red Riding Hood? Verses 1 and 2 show us how we can do that: “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.” Seek guidance from scripture and find someone who can give wise, Godly counsel to help us notice those warning signs and steer clear of those big, bad wolves.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
  
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
  
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
  
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
  
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.