Immoral Women and Discipline

Just as there are bad men in the world, so there are bad women.

Unlike many churches today, Scripture doesn’t shy away from speaking clearly about sinful women. Proverbs 5 is a prime example. There, the wise father warns his son about the seductive and sexually immoral woman—a warning we would do well to echo in our own day.

But what is it that ultimately destroys the young man in Proverbs 5? It’s not the immoral woman herself. She is the means, not the cause. The real problem is internal: the young man’s lack of discipline.

Note verse 12—his future regret:

“How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!”

And verse 23 says it plainly:

“He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.”

The immoral woman may entice him, but it is the man’s failure to govern himself that leads to his downfall.

A disciplined man, by contrast, listens to the wisdom of his elders (vv. 1–2), steers clear of sexual temptation (vv. 3–14), and remains faithful to the wife of his youth (vv. 15–20). He is rooted, restrained, and righteous. He enjoys the long-term rewards of godly self-control.

Discipline, over time, yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Lack of discipline leads to disgrace, regret, and ultimately, destruction.