7 Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
11 And you groan at your [d]final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction!
And my heart spurned reproof!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
14 “I was almost in utter ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
As Solomon continues, we see several consequences of the ill-fated decisions from the previous passage. All could have been avoided if the hypothetical person here had only listened to their teachers and instructors. While it is possible to find plenty of bad instruction and teaching in our world today, the root often comes back to us.
Why do we believe bad teachings and twisted truth? Because we want to, because it tickles our fancy, and it is what our “itching ears” want to hear. That is, it is because those half-truths soothe our conscience and lull us into thinking we’re not doing half bad. Newsflash, even a glass of water with a quarter poison is not fit for drinking, let alone half or all.
Again, we cannot blame false teachers for our bad decisions. We made them, fair and square, deceived or with eyes wide open, when we give in to selfish desires and the cravings of our flesh, destruction is not far behind. Ironically, these self-serving actions do just as Solomon described. Instead of satiating our cravings, our strength is spent trying to hide the lie, doing favors for others to cover up our own failings.
We are not in control when we enter the door that seems so enticing. Truthfully, we are not capable of being “in control”. We either yield that control to our flesh, and thus to others, and weave a tangled web of deception, the illusion of control–because they aren’t in control any more than we are… Or we yield control to the voice of truth, the only One who actually has our best interests at heart.
Instead, seek godly counsel, and dig into His instruction. As Solomon notes, there are plenty who will help you walk the straight path. This person was in the midst of the assembly and congregation, yet almost in utter ruin. That only happens when we are selfish, and sloppy, and lazy. We all give in and “go with the flow” too often.
Yes we need each other, but “do the homework” yourself, do not relegate responsibility for your soul to anyone else, but trust God’s words to lead you home. Then you will find good teachers, you will know the sheep from the wolves, and iron will sharpen iron, as you follow God together.