Proverbs 7:24-27, “Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”

Proverbs 7 presents nine reasons why we surrender to temptation, and we have examined eight of them over the last two weeks. We yield to temptation because…

#1—We neglect God’s Word,

#2—We do not learn lessons from life,  

#3—We fail to make wise choices in advance.  

#4—We live on the edge.

#5—We are deceived by the darkness.

#6—We fail to recognize sin’s appeal.

#7—We fail to recognize the power of that appeal.

#8—We fail to see beyond the immediate.  

Today we learn reason #9, which is the failure to see the obvious. Here is what’s obvious from the scenario described in today’s text:

• Many are her victims (v. 26)
• Her house is the highway to hell (v. 27a)
• It leads to death (v. 27b)

All the above is the obvious and unavoidable end result of toying with temptation. Resist the temptation to avoid seeing the obvious. One means for doing this is by making excuses for an obvious evil. We are apt to rationalize sin, whether our own or the sins of certain others. This particular issue seems to be prevalent today.  

Please do not mistake this or any of the other eight in the list as “negative Christianity.” Yes, the list has been presented from the negative, but that does not equal negativity or legalism. To be wise one must learn, not only from the wisdom of others but from the foolishness of others as well. In this life there are many things to which we say “Yes” and there are many things to which we must say “No” (Titus 2:12). Get wisdom and understanding in order to consistently give the right answer at the right moment.