The chapter is a father’s warning to his son. He is educating him on the wisdom of avoiding the temptations of an adulteress. He concludes with the condition of the soul of the man who gives himself to the adulteress. That man is wicked and has committed an evil deed (22). “The cords of his sin hold him fast.”
The Father tells his son that if he marries and then has sexual relations with another then it is his own great folly (23). If he has not yet married and has sexual relations with another man’s wife, then that too is an evil act. The act of adultery is the fault of the person who does so. Evil is no one else’s fault but our own. Adultery is death due to our own lack of discipline (23). Adultery leads to eternal death.
Hope exists for those who have committed adultery, whether mentally or physically. Once religious elders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus to trap him. (John 8:3-6) They quoted the law of Moses saying the woman should die for her evil act. Jesus’ reply to the woman is hope for the adulterer. He said to the woman, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus forgives, gives direction and strength to start over again, and most amazingly gives life to those who are dead because of their act of adultery and lack of discipline.
