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The Dishonorable Marriage

Proverbs 5:14 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
¹⁴I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”

I am at the brink of utter ruin: The Hebrew (rǎʿ) ruin is literally “in all evil.” The sense for the term here is a calamitous event, which resulted in a great loss and misfortune. Here the young man has been so inundated with foolish behavior that he has now become the victim one can suffer: dishonor, disgrace, terrible public shame, even possibly death. Under the Mosaic Law, some sexual immorality could lead to the death penalty. Under the law of Christ, the penalty for unrepentant sexual immorality is total, eternal destruction, death.

When one lives life to the world’s idea of the fullest extent of looking for nothing more than one avenue of pleasure after the other, it will eventually come to the “if only” syndrome. If only I had listened to my father, to the teachers, to the instructors. If only I had taken other paths in life. If only I had paid attention to the wise advice I had received. However, this is too little too late because this foolish one who sought pleasure, immediate gratification above all else had ruined his life and his reputation is stained. It is vital that we ponder the high price of sexual immorality before we are immersed by it!

In the assembled congregation: The two words assembled (Heb. qā·hāl) and congregation (Heb. ʿē·ḏā(h)) mean the same thing, a group of people who are gathered together, usually for religious purposes. In this case, it is the community of this man, who have gathered together to examine his sexually immoral offenses.

Immorality or sexual misconduct can seem like the greatest thing in the beginning, until it becomes public knowledge. The family, the community, and the congregation now know, and your shame is unbearable, you are in utter ruin!