Proverbs 6:27-28 - “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?” These verses speak to the factual nature of God’s instruction. In context, Solomon has been warning his son about being drawn in by an adulterous woman, “for by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life” (Prov. 6:26, NKJV). In v. 27-28, Solomon teaches that v. 26 is as guaranteed to happen as a man getting burned who walks across coals.

Rejecting God’s wisdom guarantees trouble in our lives just as surely as touching a hot plate guarantees pain in our fingers. Our problem is we don’t believe that. Even when the waiter warns us the plate is hot, we touch it anyway because we don’t think the waiter knows what “hot” is. When we get burned we feel like fools, but we just had to touch it to make sure! Brethren let us trust God when He tells us what not to touch. God knows what “hot” is and He knows what “sin” is, so let us not touch it “just to make sure” because it will surely bring us pain.

Brian Messerli