Proverbs 6:6-35
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: 7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, 8 provideth her bread in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest! 11 So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
12 A man of Belial, a wicked person, is he that goeth about with a perverse mouth; 13 he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 deceits are in his heart; he deviseth mischief at all times, he soweth discords. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly: in a moment shall he be broken, and without remedy. 16 These six [things] doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; 18 a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief; 19 a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.
Warning against Adultery
20 My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother; 21 bind them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck: 22 when thou walkest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thy heart, neither let her take thee with her eyelids; 26 for by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a loaf of bread, and another's wife doth hunt for the precious soul. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 They do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry: 31 and if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 Whoso committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and contempt shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance; 35 he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multipliest [thy] gifts.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 6:6-35
Commentary on Proverbs 6:6-11
(Read Proverbs 6:6-11)
Diligence in business is every man's wisdom and duty; not so much that he may attain worldly wealth, as that he may not be a burden to others, or a scandal to the church. The ants are more diligent than slothful men. We may learn wisdom from the meanest insects, and be shamed by them. Habits of indolence and indulgence grow upon people. Thus life runs to waste; and poverty, though at first at a distance, gradually draws near, like a traveller; and when it arrives, is like an armed man, too strong to be resisted. All this may be applied to the concerns of our souls. How many love their sleep of sin, and their dreams of worldly happiness! Shall we not seek to awaken such? Shall we not give diligence to secure our own salvation?
Commentary on Proverbs 6:12-19
(Read Proverbs 6:12-19)
If the slothful are to be condemned, who do nothing, much more those that do all the ill they can. Observe how such a man is described. He says and does every thing artfully, and with design. His ruin shall come without warning, and without relief. Here is a list of things hateful to God. Those sins are in a special manner provoking to God, which are hurtful to the comfort of human life. These things which God hates, we must hate in ourselves; it is nothing to hate them in others. Let us shun all such practices, and watch and pray against them; and avoid, with marked disapproval, all who are guilty of them, whatever may be their rank.
Commentary on Proverbs 6:20-35
(Read Proverbs 6:20-35)
The word of God has something to say to us upon all occasions. Let not faithful reproofs ever make us uneasy. When we consider how much this sin abounds, how heinous adultery is in its own nature, of what evil consequence it is, and how certainly it destroys the spiritual life in the soul, we shall not wonder that the cautions against it are so often repeated. Let us notice the subjects of this chapter. Let us remember Him who willingly became our Surety, when we were strangers and enemies. And shall Christians, who have such prospects, motives, and examples, be slothful and careless? Shall we neglect what is pleasing to God, and what he will graciously reward? May we closely watch every sense by which poison can enter our minds or affections.