Family And Friends

"Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words" (Proverbs 7:4-5).

It sometimes takes family and friends to help us through difficult times in life. When it comes to the temptation of the "forbidden woman," we are to also look to our family and friends.

In this Proverb, we are told to call wisdom our "sister" and insight our "friend." In the real world of sexual temptation, wisdom and insight are our family and friend. Because a sister is considered an intimate relationship, the Old Testament sometimes uses "sister" as a synonym for wife. You can find examples of this in the Song of Solomon.

It is, therefore, good for us to keep wisdom as close as a wife or sister as we face the smooth and tempting words of the adulteress. Just as important is our closeness to insight or understanding. We must be intimate friends with understanding if we want to avoid the trap of sexual sin.

How intimate are you with wisdom? Are you as close to wisdom as you are your own sister? That positive relationship could be what keeps you from the negative relationship associated with adultery. How intimate are you with insight or understanding? Are you as close to insight as you are to a best friend?

In the end, our closeness with our family and friend (wisdom and insight) could be the difference between overcoming or falling to temptation.