READING FOR JULY 21, 2025: PROVERBS 5, 1 TIMOTHY 4, PSALM 70 PROVERBS 5 Once again Solomon seeks the undivided attention (put away cell phones) of his son. This it is for a man-to-man chat with his son that some of us are too squeamish to have. He frankly tells his son that women who are not his wife will be enticing to him. The problem is whatever initial excitement and pleasure they bring will be far outweighed by the bad end result. In fact, any seemingly charming such woman is unaware of the deadly impact of her behavior.
The best policy when encountering such a situation is to get out of it as fast as possible: “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness” (2 Tim. 2:22). To do otherwise will lead to a life full of regret on practically every level. Worst of all God Himself is witness to this great sin. Instead, men should stay faithful to their original wife, even rejoice in her. Solomon refutes the idea that first marriages need to grow stale but, if properly nourished, can remain meaningful and even physically exhilarating (e.g.,"Let your fountain be blessed”) throughout life.
Sadly, later on Solomon did not follow his own excellent advice to his son. He ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was proven right on one count, though. It ruined his life: “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (1 King 11:3-6).
1 TIMOTHY 4 Paul clearly warns that people can and will lose their salvation. WATCH OUT!Just because something sounds good doesn’t make it right. We must all be Bereans: “Now these people [Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Paul told Timothy (AND US) to stay close to the Bible, avoid worthless stories, be more concerned with spiritual discipline than bodily exercise, and work for God motivated by our hope in Him. He told Timothy, even though he is young, he can be an example to the church by his behavior, by exercising his gift, and by a spiritual growth that can be observed by others.
PSALM 70 There is much teaching about waiting on the Lord, yet here David obviously wants help from God in a hurry. Which is it? Keep in mind that David seems to be staring imminent death in the face. Recommending praying for patience when someone is seconds away from death might not be well received or even appropriate.
READING FOR JULY 21, 2025 CONTINUED: PSALM 70
The fact that David seeks God’s help at all in such a circumstance is rather amazing. Most of us have rarely been in such a spot, but perhaps if we were alert to the spiritual realities around us, we might share some of David’s urgency. Consider Peter’s warning “Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So, resist him” (1 Pet. 5:8-9).
Sandwiched between David’s urgent cries is another request that we know is God’s will for David and us based upon promises made by God in His word and verified by our own experience of Him: “May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And may those who love Your salvation say continually, “May God be exalted!” Let’s love and treasure the salvation we have in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. May our praise and our lives truly exalt the Lord before a world that needs to know Him.
