Death By Lack Of Discipline

⏱️ 5 minutes.

Hello friends,

Today let’s take a look at Solomon’s advice to his son concerning the dangers of adultery:

He will die for lack of discipline,
And in the abundance of his folly he will stumble in intoxication.
— Proverbs 5:23

In this chapter, the wise king gives very focused advice on how to deal with adultery. Towards the end of the chapter, Solomon highlights the consequences of adultery, ultimately leading to death.

As he shares this advice with his son, we see some interesting points that reframe the sin of adultery along with sexual immorality in a way that can be helpful for a believer to learn from.

Solomon says that this death will come from adultery due to a lack of discipline. This is an interesting association between adultery and lack of discipline.

The discipline being talked about here is not in the sense of self-control but rather in the sense of chastening or correction. In other words, the association suggests that adultery runs rampant to the point of death when there’s no disciplining, no correction, or chastening.

The discipline and correction the king speaks of is related to wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom and knowledge are needed to correct or discipline a person. We see this is how he opens this chapter:

My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my discernment;
That you may keep discretion
And that your lips may guard knowledge.
— Proverbs 5:1-2

In the book of Job, we also see this phrasing relayed slightly differently while retaining this idea of death being the end result when there’s no wisdom and knowledge:

Is not their tent-cord pulled up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.
— Job 4:21

But if they do not hear, they shall pass away by a weapon
And they will breathe their last without knowledge.
— Job 36:12

In this way, when Solomon later says this death comes by lack of discipline, it’s not so much that there were no attempts to discipline and correct the person. Rather, there’s a sense of rejection and ignoring of the correction and disciplining that was offered. We can tell that the correction was clearly offered as seen throughout the chapter:

So now, my sons, listen to me
And do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,
— Proverbs 5:7-8

Furthermore, we see that it is the negative response towards the instructions and warnings given to flee from sexual immorality that led to death. While the instructions were clearly given, they were rejected, and still, one chose to follow down the path of immorality:

And you say, “How I have hated discipline!
And my heart spurned reproof!
I have not listened to the voice of my instructors,
And I have not inclined my ear to my teachers!
— Proverbs 5:12-13

The other half of this proverb reiterates this idea in terms of stumbling. It says, “And in the abundance of his folly he will stumble in intoxication.” Here, he paints the sin of sexual immorality as intoxication. This is how he would address it a few verses prior:

So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a strange woman
And embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?
— Proverbs 5:20

This counteracts the clear instruction this father gives his son to enjoy the wife of his youth and not fall into adultery with a strange woman:

As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be intoxicated always with her love.
— Proverbs 5:19

This is a call for contentment with the wife that he already has instead of going out to get what does not belong to him. Such is the nature of most sin. A lot of sin simply stems from one lacking contentment for what the Lord has ordained for them. Wanting more than what is allocated to them leads to the folly of sin. Examples include how lusting for more money leads to the sin of theft, gambling, lying, etc. Lusting for other people leads to coveting and sexual immorality. Lusting for power can lead to anger, murder, strife, and envy. And this goes on and on.

The correction or discipline offered to this young man is to be content. Such is the knowledge and wisdom needed to overcome the temptation of sin. This echoes the words of the apostle Paul to the Philippians:

Not that I speak from want, for I learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
— Philippians 4:11

Solomon states, “And in the abundance of his folly he will stumble in intoxication.” The abundance of this folly he speaks of is when the nurturing of this lack of wisdom, lack of knowledge, and lack of discipline continues time after time, leading to a slow decline into death.

Let’s remember:

• Let’s be alert not to ignore the clear and present dangers of sexual immorality and other sins.
• Let’s understand that ignoring sin will lead us to death.
• Let us not despise discipline; it is meant to rescue us from death.
• Let’s remember that the best antidote we’ve been blessed with by God is contentment. Let us remember that it is God who ordains what comes to pass; let us not lust for more than what has been ordained for us.

I pray this word reminds us to remain content and remember discipline.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul