I am the first to say that the night is for rest and romance and dreams and chirruping crickets and night birds and shooting stars and full moons. At the end of each day I notice the lengthening shadows, drop in temperature and golden blush of the setting sun and I breathe deep, thankful for the promise of all the wonderful things of the night. Like everything, however, there are two sides to the coin and the night time is also when vampires and vermin and thieves and witches are busy. Skulduggery, unfaithfulness and activities that people want to keep secret occur in the hidden corners of the darkest nights.
“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.” Proverbs 7 verses 6 to 10 We read here of a chap, not doing anything wrong just yet. If we could only call out to him, though – before the enticing and seduction. “Sir! Don’t go near that corner! Avoid that path! It’s getting dark, go home!” In verse 23 it goes on to say that he was as one hunted. His inquisitiveness and his disregard for the Words of Life placed him in a most vulnerable position. His pushing of the boundary cost him his life! All of a sudden, when the promises of pleasure, gain and satisfaction were at their peak, he was as a bird caught in a snare. No time to escape. Just when he thought he could have whatever he wanted, when it was dark and nobody else was looking, it was all over.
I was jogging this morning and at one point I briefly turned back to check if a car was coming. In that split second I had landed in a hole. I recovered and carried on, but that is how fast we can go from a place of strength to our downfall. Verse 26 says that “all who were slain by her were strong men.” My heart pounds with the seriousness of this message. There is so much to lose. We may feel strong and powerful and attractive and successful, but there are corners we should not go near and paths we must not tread. Flirting with evil and corruption or whatever it is we would like to conceal is dangerous territory. We cannot think that we will just dabble. We must not imagine how we will run and hide if we need to. Apparently, like a deer shot through its liver, the one eating forbidden fruit will suddenly drop, lifeless eyes turned to glass. The warning is clear. We cannot play with fire and not get burnt.
This is not strict admonishment from a harsh disciplinarian. God is not out to ruin our fun. He is our Good Father who puts boundaries in place and gives warnings to keep us safe as we live the life He has set before us. He is a God of love, abundance and peace and He wants us to walk on firm highways, free of snares and pits and curses and spells and sudden ruin. Like any good game, the journey of life has rules. On a sport’s field nobody questions being blown for a foul and we are grateful for the boundary lines to play within. Living life is not much different; abide by the rules, keep His commandments and live.
Genesis 3 verse 8 says “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” When night falls and we are tempted to set foot where we should never go, to test the limit and just take a little peep perhaps, rather let us head into the garden where God is. When all the conditions are right for clandestine behaviour, run from the dark corners and ask God to show you where He is walking. He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1 verse 5). We always have a choice. There is always an invitation to draw near to Him. Adam and Eve were hiding whilst God walked. When He calls, dear hearts, and the evening breezes are blowing, let’s not be found doing the same.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13
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