Session 7 · Ch 7 · Avoid the corner; write the rule
Avoid the corner; write the rule
What it means (summary)
Proverbs 7 portrays temptation creeping in through routine and timing — a person drifting near the corner at the wrong hour. Wisdom calls you to keep instruction visible, pre-commit safer routes and times, and avoid the places and moments that make you weaker.
Scripture (KJV) with Explanation
Note: Always read these verses in your own Bible and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. The summaries and explanations here are a supplemental guide and are generated with the help of technology; please weigh them against Scripture itself and wise counsel.
Proverbs 7:2–3
“Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”
Explanation: Keep instruction close and visible — something you can touch and see before choice moments.
Proverbs 7:6–9
“For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, And beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner;
and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.”
Explanation: The downfall begins with drift — walking near the corner and in unguarded hours.
Proverbs 7:21–23, 27
“With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; …
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
Explanation: Flattery bends the will, and following it unexamined leads to loss and shame.
Bridge (Scripture → Practice)
Wisdom protects by visibility and planning. Writing a clear rule where you will see it, and choosing a safe route or time, lets you avoid some battles entirely instead of fighting them every day.
Application (practice)
- Write & bind: post a short rule (lock screen, card, or note) where you will see it today.
- No-corner: name one route, channel, or time you will avoid today.
- Safe path: choose a public or healthy alternative (place, friend, or habit).
Action (SMART)
Before 6:00 p.m., (1) place one visible rule, and (2) keep one no-corner plan once in a real situation.
Examples:
- “No private chats after 9 p.m.; keep all conversations public today.”
- “Avoid that hallway or route; take the well-lit main path.”
- “Leave the phone in another room after 10 p.m. and go for a short walk or read a Psalm instead.”
WIIFM
- Today: fewer close calls and a clearer conscience by night.
- Habit you’re training: threshold integrity — pre-commitment plus visible cues.
- Future you: trustworthiness that feels natural, with less inner arguing around temptation.
- Roll-up: Relationships (R) integrity; supports future repair, not repeated regret.
- Tags: TH, R, FR.
Comparative Reinforcement
Aristotle explains temperance as steering desire by choosing routes and times that support your aims; wise people limit where they walk and when.
Right Intention notes that visible rules and pre-decisions prime better choices when willpower is thin; the cue guides you before impulse does.
Socratic practice invites you to name your “corner” precisely, because clearly seeing the danger is half of avoiding it.
Evening Check
Rule visible? Y/N · No-corner plan kept once? Y/N · Peace → 0 / 1 / 2