Proverbs 5:4 RA Bitter As Wormwood

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 5:4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Bitter As Wormwood R Aylor I used to really be into vitamins and herbs… I even owned an herbal store for a while. The herb known as Wormwood is a very bitter shrub. I grew some for a few years and sampled it a number of times… If I remember correctly it’s used to get rid of parasites, to flavor and preserve meats and… And I believe American Indians used it for a number of different things… But like I said it is extremely bitter. Bitter herbs like wormwood can make one think of misery and are actually used by Jews in observance of the Passover where they remind the Jewish people of their bitter days in Egypt. They spent over 400 years in Egypt and much of that time was in bondage as slaves. This was the disagreeable experience that bitter herbs like wormwood reminded them of. In today's text Solomon is referring to the forbidden woman as he calls her… He compares her to wormwood. Why? The forbidden woman will not make your life sweet and pleasant but rather extremely bitter. She will cut you with deep wounds which likely will scar your life permanently. She may even injure or sever a great many relationships in your life. She burns bridges that led to a productive and purpose filled life. She promises instant satisfaction but what follows instead is ongoing bitter chains of misery. Sin, oh what a great liar! As Ravi Zaccharias says: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”