1 My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you; 2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend, 5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
REFLECTION:
This passage tells us the two best ways to stay away from temptation and fornication: First, you should treat God’s commandments as treasures, cherish them like your own eyes, and engrave them on the tablet of your heart, read the Bible daily and never forget. We should understand that the best way to prevent a good field from the spread of weeds is to plant the field with lush grains or beautiful flowers. God’s laws and regulations, His words and precepts should also be like the lush grains and beautiful flowers filling our hearts. Secondly, we must have a wise vision to see through the devil’s tricks to tempt us. We should stay away from the environment and friends that easily induce us to commit sins, and we should understand that the short-lived indulgence before us will often cause the destruction of tomorrow and bring extremely serious consequences. Think about whether you are now in a dangerous situation where you are easily tempted. If so, ask God to give you strength so that you don’t indulge in any sinful pleasures and stay away from any dangerous place.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you firm trust and be willing to obey God all your life and lead a holy life according to God’s commands; pray for God to make you diligent and persevering, read the Bible every day, and learn from God’s words to resist the temptation of the devil; pray that God will engrave His Words on the tablet of your heart so that you will never forget it, and it will give you the wisdom to see through the devil’s tricks in your life, and save you from all evil and dangerous places.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
REFLECTION:
This passage uses the diligence of ants as a metaphor—admonishing us to work diligently and not to lose the blessings given by God due to laziness and sleepiness. This is not to say that we cannot rest. In fact, God gave the Jews a Sabbath to let them rest quietly in God one day a week, so that both the body and the soul can regain strength. We often make the mistake of not working hard when we should work, and not taking a good rest when we should rest. This leads to physical and mental fatigue and delays many things that should be done earlier. Please think about whether you often delay things because of laziness? Do you have some important plans that often fail due to delays and poor time management? If so, hope you can draw strength from this passage and become a diligent person from now on, because God’s will is that you are diligent every day and never slack in your life, so you will receive many rewards from God.
PRAYER:
Ask God to give you the strength to free you from laziness and procrastination. Ask God to give you wisdom to manage your time efficiently, organize your work in all aspects in an orderly manner, and maintain a good balance between work and family life. Ask God to give you a heart to rely on Him, and practice diligently every day in the pursuit of faith and spiritual development, and not to lose the blessings God has given you.
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love. 20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? 21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
REFLECTION:
This passage admonishes us to remain holy in our marriage, to love and keep together with the spouse ordained by God, and to live to old age together. In this era of advocating the supremacy of personal freedom and hedonism, when people feel dull about marriage, there will be many opportunities to induce husbands or wives to abandon each other and seek joy and excitement elsewhere. However, as God’s people, we should understand that God’s ordained marriage is sacred, and only a couple joined in God’s will through marriage can have true love and satisfaction. Don’t abandon the best blessings God has given you. Entrust yourself to God and commit yourself to the spouse that God has given you and share the blessings. At the same time, we should also understand that chastity and loyalty in marriage does not make marriage lifeless and uninteresting. This is not what God intended. We should think of each other in marriage and share the joys of life with our spouse. Think about whether your marriage is still as happy as before. Do you give place to the devil in your heart? If so, ask God to forgive your sins and bless you and your spouse in your marriage so that you can experience a more fulfilling life.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your heart and keep you and your spouse pure in marriage; for God to save you from the temptation of the devil, not to be blinded by the vanity of the world, and not to be bound by the desires of the flesh and eyes. Pray for God to make you and your spouse please each other in marriage, create common interests in all aspects of life, and share the blessings that God has given.
