Proverbs 2:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;

NIV: who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.

NASB: Who leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God;

CSB: who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;

NLT: She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.

KJV: Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

NKJV: Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God.

Verse 16 used the metaphor of a strange, "forbidden," seducing woman to show the dangers of sin. This verse outlines what sin causes to happen in our lives. The adulteress leaves her rightful companion, when instead she ought to be righteous (Leviticus 20:26), and forgets the covenant of God (1 Peter 1:16). Sin is not only enticing to begin with, it is compounding. Once we begin to sin, it gets into our thought life and begins to cause us to doubt. Then, we start to justify our sin, claiming it is acceptable. This is why the Apostle Paul warns us not to give Satan a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

Solomon tells us of the destruction awaiting us if we allow sin to enter into our lives. We will slowly forget the promises of God. Many Christians today wonder how Israel, God's chosen people, could time and again fall away from the Lord after they had seen His wondrous miracles of deliverance. This verse summarizes the answer: sin entered into the camp of the Israelites, and they forgot their Deliverer (Psalm 106:21).

Proverbs 2:16–22 focuses on the virtue philosophers such as Plato refer to as integrity, which is better labelled as temperance. This virtue is more than doing what is right even when no one is looking, which is how we often define integrity. Rather, it is also keeping ourselves from situations where we might be tempted to do wrong. In the modern sense, integrity is marked by what you do, while temperance is marked by using other virtues to avoid negative situations. For instance, Paul warns how being drunk leads to debauchery (Ephesians 5:18). A person exhibiting temperance might restrict or eliminate use of alcohol, thereby avoiding drunkenness and therefore, avoiding debauchery. This can be stated succinctly as a man mastering or controlling himself (James 3). This passage contrasts the outcome of not controlling oneself against the benefit of living with integrity.

In Proverbs chapter 2, Solomon highlights various virtues, as well as provides encouragement to live a virtuous life. As in chapter 1, specific concepts wil reoccur, and are used in certain ways. Here, these are ideas such as courage, integrity, wisdom, and justice. The gist of this passage is the positive effect that virtue—including these various aspects—will have on one's life. In contrast, those who pursue non-virtuous living will suffer dire consequences.

The overarching theme of Proverbs chapter 2 is the relationship between virtue and discernment. As described here, virtuous living is moral living. As a person strives to live a moral life, he or she develops a greater ability to discern right from wrong. Further, beyond simple matters of right and wrong, as virtue grows within a person, he or she becomes more proficient at discerning trickier situations. Real life predicaments often present two or more seemingly valid options. Discernment, then, also includes determining which of many different options is actually best. Likewise, many life situations appear to offer only a variety of bad options. There, discernment is once again required, to determine which option presents the correct choice, or to recognize where a ''good'' option has been hidden.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.

Accessed 4/29/2024 3:55:49 AM