❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
Seeing the world through a lattice window
(Proverbs 7:1-9)
Andy Nagahara
We are in chapter 7 today in our series on Proverbs. We are going to read the first nine verses.
1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman; 5 they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
6 At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.
8 He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
1. From idol worshipper to God worshipper
The following passage describes how this foolish young man ended up in ruin. We won’t read that part today, but you can read it for yourself. However, it should be noted that, as always, this part is portrayed from a male-centric perspective.
The story features a woman who disguises herself as a prostitute and seduces a young man while her husband is away traveling, but the teaching is not that women are inferior to men, stupid, or lustful.
Unfortunately, the writings in the Bible are subject to the influence of the era and culture in which they were written. Even the Apostle Paul, who revealed the fundamental ideas of Christian faith, made many statements that were more influenced by the unconscious misogyny that had developed in society than by God’s principle of human creation, that all people were created in the image of God.
On the other hand, Jesus was faithful to God’s principles of creation. He was remarkably free from the many prejudices common to society at that time. Some have argued, “Then why were all of Jesus’ apostles men?” The reason is simple. At that time, if he made a woman an apostle, no one would listen to him.
However, it is clear from the Gospels that he had many substantial female disciples. Moreover, at key points, those women played more important roles than the 12 apostles. For example, when all 12 apostles fled in fear from Jesus’ crucifixion and, when questioned, vehemently denied their involvement, it was those women who were at the foot of the cross. On the morning of the resurrection, while the apostles hid in fear, it was a woman who went to the tomb and was the first to see the resurrected Jesus.
There may also be men who seduce women using the same tactics as in verses 10 and following. Some women succumb to the temptation and follow him. Sexual temptation is destructive regardless of gender.
But today’s text has more to teach us than just sexual seduction. As I mentioned last time, the essence of adultery is idolatry. And the essence of idolatry is not the worship of images made of wood or stone, but turning one’s heart to something other than God.
The idol that can easily become the most troublesome for us is “desire.” It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have desires. In fact, the desire for greater happiness has driven the development of the world.
On the other hand, desire can easily turn into greed, wanting to obtain something even if it means taking it from others. That is why God said in the Ten Commandments that we should not covet what belongs to others. However, if someone still follows their own greed, then desire is no longer their master, but their own, and they becomes an idolater. Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent to follow their forbidden desires and become idolaters.
And we are all their descendants. As long as we remain idolaters, we will easily fall into the depths of temptation and head down the path to destruction. It is too optimistic to think that society’s good sense and common sense will protect us. That is underestimating the power of temptation. As proof of this, every day we see news of horrific scandals involving educators, religious leaders, politicians, and civil servants who are supposed to be the ones spreading common sense.
This idolatry does not stop at a personal level. Since the economic collapse of socialist countries, capitalism has essentially become the only economic principle in the world, but it has become so over-inflated that it can be described as greedy, with wealth concentrated in the hands of a small number of wealthy individuals and the gap between rich and poor widening. Reckless invasions and tariffs are also manifestations of greed. Pursuing a “me first” or “my country first” mentality is not the way to follow Jesus. It is the path of following idols. The whole society is heading down the path of idolatry.
Jesus came so that we might once again go from idolaters to worshipers of God, not headed for the chamber of death, but walking life with him toward the kingdom of God. This is why I want you to become “followers of Jesus.”
2. Seeing the world through a lattice window
There’s one more thing I want to share with you today. That keyword is the title of today’s message. It’s recorded in verse 6 as “At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice”.
Apparently lattice windows were common on the street-facing sides of houses in Jerusalem. Lattice windows make it difficult to see inside from the outside, but allow you to see outside clearly from inside. Although the shape is different, distinctive lattice windows can often be seen in old townscapes all over Japan. The narrator of the Proverbs, observing the events unfolding on the street through the latticed windows of his home, warns of the dangers of falling into temptation.
In verses 1-5, the father uses every word to admonish his son to carefully follow God’s wisdom, an exhortation to view the world through a lattice window. There are two advantages to looking outside through a lattice window.
One is that you can look at what is happening outside objectively, rather than as a party involved.
Another thing is that being inside protects you from the dangers that come from outside.
What is it that allows us to understand the world correctly and safely, like this lattice window? I believe that is the role of the church community. We must also keep in mind that the essence of this community is the “Body of Christ.”
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the question, “What is a Christian church?” I had a long summer vacation, but even during that time, I couldn’t get this question out of my head. I also found some books that gave me some ideas for thinking about this. At the church I attended while staying there, I was asked what “salvation” means.
The church, the body of Christ, is the entity that offers people “salvation.” If the church does not know true “salvation,” it cannot offer it as God intended. This is not just something that concerns us at Your Church, but a very important issue that we must address.
Is Your Church a functioning latticed community?
Are we providing the “salvation” that God intended?
Are we seeing the world through our latticed windows?
Are we offering safety from temptation, from idolatry, to each person who joins us here out of love for Jesus?
That doesn’t mean this building has latticed windows. In reality, we’re only here for about two hours a week. There are 168 hours in a week. If the latticed windows are in this place, then we spend the other 166 hours a week on the streets, full of temptations and dangers.
However, followers of Jesus are protected by a latticed window wherever they are and can see things calmly, as if through a latticed window. Because wherever we are, we are part of the church. As part of the body of Christ, we see as Jesus sees, hear as He hears, speak as He speaks, and do as He does. Of course, it’s not something that can be done perfectly. Probably not even halfway there. There will be days when you look back on your day and think it was a complete failure. But it’s important to keep that mindset. Try one or two “Be Like Jesus” exercises.
And let us encourage everyone to live not like the young people behind the latticed window who are drawn down the path to destruction, but as people who know Jesus and have latticed windows in their hearts.
(Prayer)God, thank you that you came to us when we were following the path that led to destruction through our desires, and taught us the way of life.
Thank you for warning and guiding us about our sinful nature and our tendency to succumb to temptation and turn away from you.
Thank you for providing your body, the church, so that we may follow you and not our own desires.
Please help us to continue to see things calmly and correctly through the lattice window, and to be able to determine what should and should not be done and act accordingly.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
We cannot live without being tempted. However, we can avoid or resist temptation. The way to do this is to see and act correctly, with God’s help, on the events that are happening in front of us. What makes this way of life possible is living with Jesus. It is living as part of the body of Christ, the church.
For Discussion
1. What is the nature of idolatry?
2. What does it mean for us to look out through a latticed window?