NOTE: Beginning in August 2022, Trinity Reformed Church worked through Proverbs 29 verse by verse for our confession of sin during our liturgy. This post is the third in a series of short articles based on those homilies.
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
Proverbs 29:3
This proverb does something unusual. It makes an economic case against prostitution.
So what does prostitution promise economically?
It promises pleasure with no work and no fruit.
Having a spouse takes work. Getting a spouse takes work! And having a spouse produces fruit, with children being only the most visible. Another sweet fruit of marriage is companionship.
So if prostitution is pleasure with no work and no fruit, let’s apply this to our own lives.
Friends, we all live in Vanity Fair. Our culture is soaked through with entertainment and folly. More than that, entertainment has become the prophet, priest, and king of our sordid culture.
By itself, the occasional movie or diversion is pretty harmless. Scriptures do not allow me to outright condemn entertainment.
But this culture of entertainment does not want you to merely watch a movie. It does not want you to just enjoy a TV program, or watch the game, or read a book. This wicked culture wants to be your companion. It wants to stick closer than a brother — so it’s closer to your wallet.
Here’s the warning: Anything that you find pleasurable that would tempt you to live in some other world and shirk your responsibilities to your family, your church, and your Lord can become your own personal prostitute. When you succumb to that, you are squandering your time, your talent, and your wealth.
We can broaden the category to include things that are actually valuable, like a wife spending time with her friends, or a husband spending time with his books. If those pursuits become a closer companion to you than your own spouse, you are squandering the wealth of your marriage.
So saints, make your Father glad. Love wisdom. Do not squander your wealth. Don’t be a companion of prostitutes.
Photo by Francisco Andreotti on Unsplash