#WISDOMSample

Not What It Looks Like

The phrase “this isn’t what it looks like” has been used as an excuse as long as any of us have been alive. Usually the person saying this has been caught doing something that is EXACTLY what it looks like.

A kid with his hand in the cookie jar – I didn’t do it.

Proverbs 5 addresses a situation where a young man is drawn to a woman for specific, ahem, purposes. Of course, this is just an example. This kind of thing happens in the reverse (woman drawn to a man) all the time. This isn’t a gender thing; it’s a human thing.

The human drive for physical intimacy is really a desire to satisfy things that we don’t feel are getting satisfied.

Oh, did I mention that the man in this proverb is likely married already?

The reason this is a great place for wisdom to step in is because wisdom helps us make the healthy, holy, and hopeful decision in situations of temptation and distraction.

Because it isn’t what it looks like.

Proverbs 5 says, “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.” (Proverbs 5:3-4)

In other words, “Here’s what you think it’s going to be: someone who satisfies that need that the person you’re with won’t satisfy. You think it’s something that will take away that empty feeling you have inside. It isn’t what it looks like, though.”

It seems like the romantic affair is the more popular route, but in the words of the Proverbs, the popular route isn’t healthy.

Wisdom helps us here by pointing to the end result – you’re going to chase this thing, and it may look really nice and beautiful, but in the end it’s going to blow up in your face.

It isn’t what it looks like.

Instead, Proverbs teaches us to build up the good and honorable parts of our lives (Proverbs 5:9-10), listen to the direction of God and people we trust (Proverbs 5:12-14), and take care of the people and privileges God has given us (Proverbs 5:15-20). These are the ways that lead to life and hope.

They may seem boring, but they aren’t what they look like, either.