Proverbs 5:20-21

Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.

The famous J.C. Ryle wrote about this passage in his book, Thoughts for Young Men. He states emphatically, “How many things are done continually, which men would never do if they thought they were seen! Yes; men entertain thoughts in private, and say words in private, and do acts in private, which they would be ashamed and blush to have exposed before the world. The sound of a footstep coming has stopped many a deed of wickedness. A knock at the door has caused many an evil work to be hastily suspended, and hurriedly laid aside. But oh, what miserable folly is all this! There is an all-seeing Witness with us wherever we go. Lock the door, pull down the blind, turn out the light; it doesn’t matter, it makes no difference; God is everywhere, you cannot shut Him out, or prevent His seeing.”

It’s amazing that despite the pinpoint accuracy of this commentary, most Christians live their lives as if it were just an old wives’ tale. People seem to put more stock in Santa’s naughty & nice list than in the ever-present knowledge of the Creator of Heaven and Earth. For the unbeliever, that “full view of the Lord” will lead to their eternal damnation if they do not repent…but what about the Believer in Christ? What danger is there in God’s on-going “examination of our paths”?

First, there is the danger of the consequences of sin. Yes, God has already forgiven us because of Jesus’ blood, but that does not shield us or our loved ones from the fallout. Secondly, our sinful ways cut us loose from His immediate blessings and dull our sensitivity to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Finally, and perhaps most disturbing, our wayward path makes it seem like the power of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection has lost its grip on our heart…as if His sacrifice never really happened in the first place. May it not be so.