Guarding the Heart from Distraction
Proverbs 5
“For the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a double-edged sword.”
—Proverbs 5:3–4 (CSB)
Sin never shows its true face first. It comes wrapped in sweetness. That’s why Solomon’s words in Proverbs 5 feel so urgent. He isn’t condemning desire itself; he’s warning against the kind that leads us away from God, from peace, from truth.
The danger isn’t just “out there” in the world; it’s in every heart that’s tempted to wander from what’s holy.
Solomon describes temptation as something that sounds good, looks right, and feels harmless… until it isn’t.
Her words drip like honey. Her voice is smooth as oil. Yet the sweetness turns sour; the path that looked easy ends in ruin.
The “forbidden woman” might not always be a person. It might be anything that draws our affection away from God, such as pride, comparison, comfort, control, success. The pattern is the same: attraction, deception, destruction.
Temptation always overpromises and underdelivers.
In verses 15–18, Solomon shifts from warning to wisdom: “Drink water from your own cistern… let your fountain be blessed.”
Faithfulness is painted as both beautiful and freeing. God designed covenant love, whether in marriage or in relationship with Him, as something life-giving, not restrictive. Wisdom calls us to contentment, to stewardship of what God has entrusted.
When our hearts are rooted in gratitude, we stop chasing what isn’t ours to have.
The final verses remind us that “a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord” (v.21). Nothing is hidden from Him, not the secret thought, not the quiet compromise. But this isn’t meant to terrify; it’s meant to rescue. God sees us completely, and still chooses to love, correct, and restore us.
Where sin ensnares, His mercy invites us back to freedom.
Proverbs 5 urges us to guard not only our actions, but our affections. Every temptation begins as an invitation to forget who we are and whom we belong to. But wisdom reminds us: we are already loved, already seen, already satisfied in God.
When the world’s promises start to sound sweet, remember: they are only imitations of what God freely gives in abundance.
Lord, keep my heart faithful to You. When the world’s lies sound appealing, remind me of the bitterness that follows. Teach me to be satisfied with the gifts You’ve given, and to delight in Your truth more than temporary pleasure. Guard my heart, my thoughts, and my steps in Your wisdom. Amen.
