For A Mans Way Is Before The Eyes Of The Lord

PROVERBS 5:15-23
“Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5:15-23‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.5.15-23.NKJ

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This passage is picture of faithfulness in marriage.
In Old Testament times it was considered a crime to steal water from someone else’s well, just as it was a criminal offence to indulge in sexual relations with another persons spouse.
Today, adultery has become “normal” in society, like it’s ok as long as I’m not the victim; it must be ok because everyone is doing it. But God’s Laws haven’t changed. Adultery destroys lives including the lives of the children and is totally unacceptable.
This passage urges couples to view marriage as a life-long commitment; for life-long companionship; and for life-long mutual satisfaction.
If you allow your marriage to become dull or boring, temptation will come to entice you to find excitement and pleasures elsewhere. It’s just a matter of time, which is why so many marriages fail.
Indeed, 1 CORINTHIANS 7:5 tells us, “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
But what about our relationship with Christ; are we believers not His bride?
Many Christian marriages fail because of lack of intimacy or over money and control.
Just as many deprive their spouse in marriage, so many are guilty of depriving Christ.
We come together once a week on Sundays, sing a few songs to Him, giving lip service, but much of the time, our hearts are not in it.
“Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Christ is the head of His church, as a man is the head of his wife (EPHESIANS 5:22). Just as the every believer, the bride of Christ is subject to Christ, so every wife is subject to her husband as to the Lord (EPHESIANS 5:22).
If the bride does not respect her husband and submit, whether in our relationship with God or in our physical marriages, we can expect the marriage to fail.
If one is to look toward another with lust outside of marriage, his or her spouse has every right to divorce; just as when a believer worships another God, so our God has everyone right to divorce, and He is a very jealous God (EXODUS 34:14).
If we are to deny our spouse intimacy, whether we deny Christ within church or our spouse in our physical lives, we can expect our marital relationships to break down.
Marriage is not supposed to be boring or dull and neither is our relationship with Christ.
If our hearts are not in it, there is no intimacy.
Intimacy is not just about sexual relations; it is quality time together, conversation, a touch on the back of the hand, or a loving word, it’s is coming together appropriately with heart felt love.
Just as It takes effort to keep our marital relationships alive and exciting, so it takes effort to keep our relationship with Christ alive and exciting.
Intimacy is not coming together once a week because one thinks he ought, simply going through the motions for self satisfaction or to be seen as righteous.
Genuine heart felt intimacy with Christ, just as heart felt intimacy with one’s spouse, is selfless heart felt giving and sharing, even when it doesn’t suit us at the time. It is selflessly giving without expectation, and is key to a marriage that will withstand the test of time.
Relationship takes two, Christ has done his part and continues in perfection; are you doing your part?
Christ does not hold back from you, therefore don’t hold back from Him.
Make time for heart felt prayer and worship every day, and come together in assembly often.
In the same way, do not withhold from your spouse, make time for each other every day, and come together often.
Just as every individual part of the body of Christ must make time for Jesus every day, so we must make time for our spouse every day.
Just as we believers have become one in Christ, a man and a woman become one in marriage (MATHEW 19:6).
To abuse one’s spouse is to abuse one’s self. To cheat one’s spouse, is to cheat oneself. To withhold from your spouse, is to withhold from oneself. So why do it?
“And whatever you do to least of God’s people, you do to Christ (MATHEW 25:40), and whatever one withholds from the least of Gods people, you withhold from Christ (MATHEW 25:45).
The man is head of his wife and must lead her through life, as Christ is the head of His church and must lead His bride through life.
But the rebellious wife who refuses to submit to her husband is a picture of the rebellious church that has been operating for last 2000 years by the leading of man.
One Pastor, vicar, or minister taking charge of the whole congregation with his own fleshly plotting to raise funds and please the people. Not just ignoring the words of God that He speaks through His Prophets, but rebuking them like a rebellios wife. This church is dead and the new is here. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is time to submit to our Lord and Saviour and allow Him to have His way, and lead His bride in His righteousness to serve according to His plans and purposes.
No matter how it feels good, it if it’s not according to God’s leading, it is rebellion and fruitless. Fake fruit is tasteless and has no good nutritional qualities.
In the same way, a wife must submit to her husband as to the Lord and let him have his way as he faithfully leads her through every aspect of life and service to God. To refuse to submit is rebellion against not just one’s husband, but against God, and shall not produce nutritious fruits.
Jesus died to free us from the wages of sin; having been set free, we cannot continue in it.
Therefore, whatever your needs, drink only from your own well and live righteously before the Lord, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Finally my beloved, in all our relationships, continue to show deep love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (1 PETER 4:8). It is a weapon of mass destruction against our enemies.
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.