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Proverbs 9:17, 18 - The Walking Dead.

Proverbs 9:17, 18 (NIV) "Stolen water is 
sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!" 18 But 
little do they know that the dead are there, that 
her guests are in the depths of the grave.  

Proverbs 9:17, 18 (MSG) Steal off with me, 
I'll show you a good time! No one will ever know 
- I'll give you the time of your life." 18 But 
they don't know about all the skeletons in her 
closet, that all her guests end up in hell. 

INTRODUCTION

Something is hypnotic and intoxicating about 
wickedness. One sin leads to another; sinful behavior 
seems more exciting than the Christian life. That 
is why many people put aside all thought of 
Wisdom's sumptuous banquet (9:1-5) in order to eat 
the stolen food of Folly. Don't be deceived - 
sin is dangerous. Before reaching for forbidden 
fruit, take a long look at what happens to those 
who eat it. (See the chart in chapters 21-22, 
pp. 1040-1041.) [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Proverbs tells us righteousness brings 
life while wickedness leads to death. This may be 
literally true. Many of the behaviors promoted in 
Proverbs - marriage, work, prudence, emotional 
self-control - are associated with longer life spans. 
Accept what I say, and the years of your life will 
be many" (4:10). However, usually "life" and 
"death" refer not to length but to quality of life. 
Sometimes "to live" refers to having loving 
relationships (15:27) or to the psychological well-being 
of a "heart of peace" (14:30). And sometimes it 
means the spiritual life that is fellowship with 
God (21:21). 
   To miss out on true life, then, is to 
enter the realm of death before your physical life 
on earth is ended. To live a life cut off from 
God, with ever-increasing spiritual blindness, 
brittleness, and hardness, is to becomes spiritual 
corpse. Folly's guests reside deep in the realm of 
the dead. So we must choose life (Deuteronomy 
30:19). 
   Have you really grasped that having 
biblical wisdom is a matter of life or death? 
   Father, before I put faith in Jesus I was 
outwardly alive but inwardly dead in sin (Ephesians 
2:1). Now, though physically I weaken, inwardly 
I'm becoming more and more alive (2 Corinthians 
4:16). I need to remember what true life and true 
death are, especially when I face the inevitable 
challenges of sickness, injury, and age. Amen. [Gods 
Wisdom for Navigating Life by Timothy Keller with 
Kathy Keller] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - Focus on What Will 
Last Forever. 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240209-0823.html 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - We Never Lose Heart 
Looking Beyond the Gloom to The Glory. 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210917-0856.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/