Happily Married

Read Proverbs 5:1-23

1. My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3. For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
5. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6. For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it. . . .
15. Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife.
16. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?
17. You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers.
18. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:1-6, Proverbs 5:15-18

In America, 95 percent of all adults eventually marry. In a country where arranged marriages hardly ever happen, these couples marry because they want to. No one forces them to get married; there are no penalties for staying single. But there is one problem for many of those couples who marry—individuals can still change their minds. Some will no longer want to stay with their spouse, or they might desire another companion.

Proverbs 5 gives advice on how to have a happy marriage, as well as good reasons why we should avoid infidelity. This chapter prohibits sex outside of marriage, but it encourages enjoyment of sexual pleasure within marriage. This reading also includes lessons on the consequences of adultery.

“Drink water from your own well” (Proverbs 5:15). In desert lands, water is incredibly precious, and a family’s very survival depends on a well or cistern. In Old Testament times, it was considered a crime to steal water from someone else’s well. In the sexual context of this passage, the message is clear: don’t take what doesn’t belong to you, especially someone else’s husband or wife.

To a thirsty person in a hot, dry land, water satisfies like nothing else. If you’re thirsty, you should go to your well and drink. God wants married couples to look only to each other for lifelong satisfaction and companionship. That is his provision. That is his desire. Enjoy.