Proverbs 6:20-35
From the beginning of this book, immediately following upon "the fear of the LORD", the young Christian has been reminded of his very first duty: to listen to his parents and to obey them (Proverbs 1:8-9). Vv. 20-22 return to this important subject to give the teaching of father and mother the same place as that accorded in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 to the words of God Himself (see also Proverbs 23:22). To obey one’s parents is then to obey God. It is a thing which is not only "right" (Ephesians 6:1), but also "well pleasing unto the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). May this obedience be seen in Christian homes, and particularly the more so as it is rapidly disappearing in the world today! (2 Timothy 3:2). In direct opposition to the influence of the family altar, once again we have that of the strange woman who personifies sin (Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 5:3; Proverbs 5:20; then Proverbs 7:5). Do not be surprised by these repeated warnings to be on our guard. We know by experience that temptations repeat themselves. But they will be all the more seductive when they encounter unjudged impurity in our thoughts or our habits.
Idleness, too, opens great opportunities for carnal lust, as we learn from the history of David and his terrible sin (2 Samuel 11:1-27).