Matthew Henry~~ Those who read David’s psalms, especially those towards the latter end, would be tempted to think that religion is all rapture and consists in nothing but the ecstasies and transports of devotion; and doubtless there is a time for them, and if there be a heaven upon earth it is in them: but, while we are on earth, we cannot be wholly taken up with them; we have a life to live in the flesh, must have a conversation in the world, and into that we must now be taught to carry our religion, which is a rational thing, and very serviceable to the government of human life, and tends as much to make us discreet as to make us devout, to make the face shine before men, in a prudent, honest, useful conversation, as to make the heart burn towards God in holy and pious affections.

Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

I. Who wrote these wise sayings, v. 1. They are the proverbs of Solomon. 1. His name signifies peaceable, and the character both of his spirit and of his reign answered to it; both were peaceable. David, whose life was full of troubles, wrote a book of devotion; for is any afflicted? let him pray. Solomon, who lived quietly, wrote a book of instruction; for when the churches had rest they were edified. In times of peace we should learn ourselves, and teach others, that which in troublous times both they and we must practise.

2. He was the son of David; it was his honour to stand related to that good man, and he reckoned it so with good reason, for he fared the better for it, 1 Ki. 11:12. He had been blessed with a good education, and many a good prayer had been put up for him (Ps. 72:1), the effect of both which appeared in his wisdom and usefulness. The generation of the upright are sometimes thus blessed, that they are made blessings, eminent blessings, in their day. Christ is often called the Son of David, and Solomon was a type of him in this, as in other things, that he opened his mouth in parables or proverbs.

3. He was king of Israel—a king, and yet it was no disparagement to him to be an instructor of the ignorant, and a teacher of babes—king of Israel, that people among whom God was known and his name was great; among them he learned wisdom, and to them he communicated it. All the earth sought to Solomon to hear his wisdom, which excelled all men’s (1 Ki. 4:30; 10:24); it was an honour to Israel that their king was such a dictator, such an oracle. Solomon was famous for apophthegms; every word he said had weight in it, and something that was surprising and edifying. His servants who attended him, and heard his wisdom, had, among them, collected 3000 proverbs of his which they wrote in their day-books; but these were of his own writing, and do not amount to nearly a thousand. In these he was divinely inspired. Some think that out of those other proverbs of his, which were not so inspired, the apocryphal books of Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon were compiled, in which are many excellent sayings, and of great use; but, take altogether, they are far short of this book. The Roman emperors had each of them his symbol or motto, as many now have with their coat of arms. But Solomon had many weighty sayings, not as theirs, borrowed from others, but all the product of that extraordinary wisdom which God had endued him with.

Pro 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

II. For what end they were written (v. 2-4), not to gain a reputation to the author, or strengthen his interest among his subjects, but for the use and benefit of all that in every age and place will govern themselves by these dictates and study them closely. This book will help us, 1. To form right notions of things, and to possess our minds with clear and distinct ideas of them, that we may know wisdom and instruction, that wisdom which is got by instruction, by divine revelation, may know both how to speak and act wisely ourselves and to give instruction to others. 2. To distinguish between truth and falsehood, good and evil—to perceive the words of understanding, to apprehend them, to judge of them, to guard against mistakes, and to accommodate what we are taught to ourselves and our own use, that we may discern things that differ and not be imposed upon, and may approve things that are excellent and not lose the benefit of them, as the apostle prays, Phil. 1:10. 3. To order our conversation aright in every things, v. 3. This book will give, that we may receive, the instruction of wisdom, that knowledge which will guide our practice in justice, judgment, and equity (v. 3), which will dispose us to render to all their due, to God the things that are God’s, in all the exercises of religion, and to all men what is due to them, according to the obligations which by relation, office, contract, or upon any other account, we lie under to them. Note, Those are truly wise, and none but those, who are universally conscientious; and the design of the scripture is to teach us that wisdom, justice in the duties of the first table, judgment in those of the second table, and equity (that is sincerity) in both; so some distinguish them.


Pro 1:3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

III. For whose use they were written, v. 4. They are of use to all, but are designed especially, 1. For the simple, to give subtlety to them. The instructions here given are plain and easy, and level to the meanest capacity, the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein; and those are likely to receive benefit by them who are sensible of their own ignorance and their need to be taught, and are therefore desirous to receive instruction; and those who receive these instructions in their light and power, though they be simple, will hereby be made subtle, graciously crafty to know the sin they should avoid and the duty they should do, and to escape the tempter’s wiles. He that is harmless as the dove by observing Solomon’s rules may become wise as the serpent; and he that has been sinfully foolish when he begins to govern himself by the word of God becomes graciously wise.

Pro 1:4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.


2. For young people, to give them knowledge and discretion. Youth is the learning age, catches at instructions, receives impressions, and retains what is then received; it is therefore of great consequence that the mind be then seasoned well, nor can it receive a better tincture than from Solomon’s proverbs. Youth is rash, and heady, and inconsiderate; man is born like the wild ass’s colt, and therefore needs to be broken by the restraints and managed by the rules we find here. And, if young people will but take heed to their ways according to Solomon’s proverbs, they will soon gain the knowledge and discretion of the ancients. Solomon had an eye to posterity in writing this book, hoping by it to season the minds of the rising generation with the generous principles of wisdom and virtue.


Pro 1:5 A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:



IV. What good use may be made of them, v. 5, 6. Those who are young and simple may by them be made wise, and are not excluded from Solomon’s school, as they were from Plato’s. But is it only for such? No; here is not only milk for babes, but strong meat for strong men. This book will not only make the foolish and bad wise and good, but the wise and good wiser and better; and though the simple and the young man may perhaps slight those instructions, and not be the better for them, yet the wise man will hear. Wisdom will be justified by her own children, though not by the children sitting in the market-place. Note, Even wise men must hear, and not think themselves too wise to learn. A wise man is sensible of his own defects (Plurima ignoro, sed ignorantiam meam non ignoro—I am ignorant of many things, but not of my own ignorance), and therefore is still pressing forward, that he may increase in learning, may know more and know it better, more clearly and distinctly, and may know better how to make use of it. As long as we live we should strive to increase in all useful learning. It was a saying of one of the greatest of the rabbim, Qui non auget scientiam, amittit de ea—If our stock of knowledge by not increasing, it is wasting; and those that would increase in learning must study the scriptures; these perfect the man of God. A wise man, by increasing in learning, is not only profitable to himself, but to others also, 1. As a counsellor. A man of understanding in these precepts of wisdom, by comparing them with one another and with his own observations, shall by degrees attain unto wise counsels; he stands fair for preferment, and will be consulted as an oracle, and entrusted with the management of public affairs; he shall come to sit at the helm, so the word signifies. Note, Industry is the way to honour; and those whom God has blessed with wisdom must study to do good with it, according as their sphere is. It is more dignity indeed to be counsellor to the prince, but it is more charity to be counsellor to the poor, as Job was with his wisdom. Job 29:15, I was eyes to the blind


Pro 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

. 2. As an interpreter (v. 6)—to understand a proverb. Solomon was himself famous for expounding riddles and resolving hard questions, which was of old the celebrated entertainment of the eastern princes, witness the solutions he gave to the enquiries with which the queen of Sheba thought to puzzle him. Now here he undertakes to furnish his readers with that talent, as far as would be serviceable to the best purposes. "They shall understand a proverb, even the interpretation, without which the proverb is a nut uncracked; when they hear a wise saying, though it be figurative, they shall take the sense of it, and know how to make use of it.’’ The words of the wise are sometimes dark sayings. In St. Paul’s epistles there is that which is hard to be understood; but to those who, being well-versed in the scriptures, know how to compare spiritual things with spiritual, they will be easy and safe; so that, if you ask them, Have you understood all these things? they may answer, Yea, Lord. Note, It is a credit to religion when men of honesty are men of sense; all good people therefore should aim to be intelligent, and run to and fro, take pains in the use of means, that their knowledge may be increased.


Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.


Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, here lays down two general rules to be observed in order thereunto, and those are, to fear God and honour his parents, which two fundamental laws of morality Pythagoras begins his golden verses with, but the former of them in a wretchedly corrupted state. Primum, deos immortales cole, parentesque honora—First worship the immortal gods, and honour your parents. To make young people such as they should be,
I. Let them have regard to God as their supreme.
1. He lays down this truth, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (v. 7); it is the principal part of knowledge (so the margin); it is the head of knowledge; that is, (1.) Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshipped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this. (2.) In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by the instructions that are given us unless our minds be possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every thought within us be brought into obedience to him. If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, Jn. 7:17. (3.) As all our knowledge must take rise from the fear of God, so it must tend to it as its perfection and centre. Those know enough who know how to fear God, who are careful in every thing to please him and fearful of offending him in any thing; this is the Alpha and Omega of knowledge. 2. To confirm this truth, that an eye to God must both direct and quicken all our pursuits of knowledge, he observes, Fools (atheists, who have no regard to God) despise wisdom and instruction; having no dread at all of God’s wrath, nor any desire of his favour, they will not give you thanks for telling them what they may do to escape his wrath and obtain his favour. Those who say to the Almighty, Depart from us, who are so far from fearing him that they set him at defiance, can excite no surprise if they desire not the knowledge of his ways, but despise that instruction. Note, Those are fools who do not fear God and value the scriptures; and though they may pretend to be admirers of wit they are really strangers and enemies to wisdom.


Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:


II. Let them have regard to their parents as their superiors (v. 8, 9): My son, hear the instruction of thy father. He means, not only that he would have his own children to be observant of him, and of what he said to them, nor only that he would have his pupils, and those who came to him to be taught, to look upon him as their father and attend to his precepts with the disposition of children, but that he would have all children to be dutiful and respectful to their parents, and to conform to the virtuous and religious education which they give them, according to the law of the fifth commandment.
1. He takes it for granted that parents will, with all the wisdom they have, instruct their children, and, with all the authority they have, give law to them for their good. They are reasonable creatures, and therefore we must not give them law without instruction; we must draw them with the cords of a man, and when we tell them what they must do we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, and therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Abraham will not only catechize, but command, his household. Both the father and the mother must do all they can for the good education of their children, and all little enough. 2. He charges children both to receive and to retain the good lessons and laws their parents give them. (1.) To receive them with readiness: "Hear the instruction of thy father; hear it and heed it; hear it and bid it welcome, and be thankful for it, and subscribe to it.’’ (2.) To retain them with resolution: "Forsake not their law; think not that when thou art grown up, and no longer under tutors and governors, thou mayest live at large; no, the law of thy mother was according to the law of thy God, and therefore it must never be forsaken; thou wast trained up in the way in which thou shouldst go, and therefore, when thou art old, thou must not depart from it.’’ Some observe that whereas the Gentile ethics, and the laws of the Persians and Romans, provided only that children should pay respect to their father, the divine law secures the honour of the mother also.

Pro 1:9 For they [shall be] an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

3. He recommends this as that which is very graceful and will put an honour upon us: "The instructions and laws of thy parents, carefully observed and lived up to, shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head (v. 9), such an ornament as is, in the sight of God, of great price, and shall make thee look as great as those that wear gold chains about their necks.’’ Let divine truths and commands be to us a coronet, or a collar of SS, which are badges of first-rate honours; let us value them, and be ambitious of them, and then they shall be so to us. Those are truly valuable, and shall be valued, who value themselves more by their virtue and piety than by their worldly wealth and dignity.


Pro 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out, and keeping in, the paths of wisdom, and that is to take heed of the snare of bad company. David’s psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon’s proverbs; for nothing is more destructive, both to a lively devotion and to a regular conversation (v. 10): "My son, whom I love, and have a tender concern for, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.’’ This is good advice for parents to give their children when they send them abroad into the world; it is the same that St. Peter gave to his new converts, (Acts 2:40), Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Observe, 1. How industrious wicked people are to seduce others into the paths of the destroyer: they will entice. Sinners love company in sin; the angels that fell were tempters almost as soon as they were sinners. They do not threaten or argue, but entice with flattery and fair speech; with a bait they draw the unwary young man to the hook. But they mistake if they think that by bringing others to partake with them in their guilt, and to be bound, as it were, in the bond with them, they shall have the less to pay themselves; for they will have so much the more to answer for. 2. How cautious young people should be that they be not seduced by them: "Consent thou not; and then, though they entice thee, they cannot force thee. Do not say as they say, nor do as they do or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them.’’ To enforce this caution,


Pro 1:11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
I. He represents the fallacious reasonings which sinners use in their enticements, and the arts of wheedling which they have for the beguiling of unstable souls. He specifies highwaymen, who do what they can to draw others into their gang, v. 11–14. See here what they would have the young man to do: "Come with us (v. 11); let us have thy company.’’ At first they pretend to ask no more; but the courtship rises higher (v. 14): "Cast in thy lot among us; come in partner with us, join thy force to ours, and let us resolve to live and die together: thou shalt fare as we fare; and let us all have one purse, that what we get together we may spend merrily together,’’ for that is it they aim it [at?].

Pro 1:12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
Two unreasonable insatiable lusts they propose to themselves the gratification of, and therewith entice their pray into the snare:-1. Their cruelty. They thirst after blood, and hate those that are innocent and never gave them any provocation, because by their honesty and industry they shame and condemn them: "Let us therefore lay wait for their blood, and lurk privily for them; they are conscious to themselves of no crime and consequently apprehensive of no danger, but travel unarmed; therefore we shall make the more easy prey of them. And, O how sweet it will be to swallow them up alive!’’ v. 12. These bloody men would do this as greedily as the hungry lion devours the lamb. If it be objected, "The remains of the murdered will betray the murderers;’’ they answer, "No danger of that; we will swallow them whole as those that are buried.’’ Who could imagine that human nature should degenerate so far that it should ever be a pleasure to one man to destroy another!

Pro 1:13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

2. Their covetousness. They hope to get a good booty by it (v. 13): "We shall find all precious substance by following this trade. What though we venture our necks by it? we shall fill our houses with spoil.’’

Pro 1:14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
See here, (1.) The idea they have of worldly wealth. They call it precious substance; whereas it is neither substance nor precious; it is a shadow; it is vanity, especially that which is got by robbery, Ps. 62:10. It is as that which is not, which will give a man no solid satisfaction. It is cheap, it is common, yet, in their account, it is precious, and therefore they will hazard their lives, and perhaps their souls, in pursuit of it. It is the ruining mistake of thousands that they over-value the wealth of this world and look on it as precious substance. (2.) The abundance of it which they promise themselves: We shall fill our houses with it. Those who trade with sin promise themselves mighty bargains, and that it will turn to a vast account (All this will I give thee, says the tempter); but they only dream that they eat; the housefuls dwindle into scarcely a handful, like the grass on the house-tops.

Pro 1:15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
II. He shows the perniciousness of these ways, as a reason why we should dread them (v. 15): "My son, walk not thou in the way with them; do not associate with them; get, and keep, as far off from them as thou canst; refrain thy foot from their path; do not take example by them, not do as they do.’’ Such is the corruption of our nature that our foot is very prone to step into the path of sin, so that we must use necessary violence upon ourselves to refrain our foot from it, and check ourselves if at any time we take the least step towards it.

Pro 1:16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Consider, 1. How pernicious their way is in its own nature (v. 16): Their feet run to evil, to that which is displeasing to God and hurtful to mankind, for they make haste to shed blood. Note, The way of sin is down-hill; men not only cannot stop themselves, but, the longer they continue in it, the faster they run, and make haste in it, as if they were afraid they should not do mischief enough and were resolved to lose no time. They said they would proceed leisurely (Let us lay wait for blood, v. 11), but thou wilt find they are all in haste, so much has Satan filled their hearts. 2. How pernicious the consequences of it will be. They are plainly told that this wicked way will certainly end in their own destruction, and yet they persist in it.

Pro 1:17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
Herein, (1.) They are like the silly bird, that sees the net spread to take her, and yet it is in vain; she is decoyed into it by the bait, and will not take the warning which her own eyes gave her, v. 17. But we think ourselves of more value than many sparrows, and therefore should have more wit, and act with more caution. God has made us wiser than the fowls of heaven (Job 35:11), and shall we then be as stupid as they? (2.) They are worse than the birds, and have not the sense which we sometimes perceive them to have; for the fowler knows it is in vain to lay his snare in the sight of the bird, and therefore he has arts to conceal it. But the sinner sees ruin at the end of his way; the murderer, the thief, see the jail and the gallows before them, nay, they may see hell before them; their watchmen tell them they shall surely die, but it is to no purpose; they rush into sin, and rush on in it, like the horse into the battle.

Pro 1:18 And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives.
For really the stone they roll will turn upon themselves, v. 18, 19. They lay wait, and lurk privily, for the blood and lives of others, but it will prove, contrary to their intention, to be for their own blood, their own lives; they will come, at length, to a shameful end; and, if they escape the sword of the magistrate, yet there is a divine Nemesis that pursues them. Vengeance suffers them not to live. Their greediness of gain hurries them upon those practices which will not suffer them to live out half their days, but will cut off the number of their months in the midst. They have little reason to be proud of their property in that which takes away the life of the owners and then passes to other masters; and what is a man profited, though he gain the world, if he lose his life? For then he can enjoy the world no longer; much less if he lose his soul, and that be drowned in destruction and perdition, as multitudes are by the love of money.

Pro 1:19 So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Now, though Solomon specifies only the temptation to rob on the highway, yet he intends hereby to warn us against all other evils which sinners entice men to. Such are the ways of the drunkards and unclean; they are indulging themselves in those pleasures which tend to their ruin both here and for ever; and therefore consent not to them.
Pro 1:20-33 Solomon, having shown how dangerous it is to hearken to the temptations of Satan, here shows how dangerous it is not to hearken to the calls of God, which we shall for ever rue the neglect of. Observe,

Pro 1:20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
I. By whom God calls to us—by wisdom. It is wisdom that crieth without. The word is plural—wisdoms, for, as there is infinite wisdom in God, so there is the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. 3:10. God speaks to the children of men by all the kinds of wisdom, and, as in every will, so in every word, of God there is a counsel. 1. Human understanding is wisdom, the light and law of nature, the powers and faculties of reason, and the office of conscience, Job 38:36. By these God speaks to the children of men, and reasons with them. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord; and, wherever men go, they may hear a voice behind them, saying, This is the way; and the voice of conscience is the voice of God, and not always a still small voice, but sometimes it cries. 2. Civil government is wisdom; it is God’s ordinance; magistrates are his vicegerents [viceregents?]. God by David had said to the fools, Deal not foolishly, Ps. 75:4. In the opening of the gates, and in the places of concourse, where courts were kept, the judges, the wisdom of the nation, called to wicked people, in God’s name, to repent and reform. 3. Divine revelation is wisdom; all its dictates, all its laws, are wise as wisdom itself. God does, by the written word, by the law of Moses, which sets before us the blessing and the curse, by the priests’ lips which keep knowledge, by his servants the prophets, and all the ministers of this word, declare his mind to sinners, and give them warning as plainly as that which is proclaimed in the streets or courts of judicature by the criers. God, in his word, not only opens the case, but argues it with the children of men. Come, now, and let us reason together, Isa. 1:18. 4. Christ himself is Wisdom, is Wisdoms, for in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and he is the centre of all divine revelation, not only the essential Wisdom, but the eternal Word, by whom God speaks to us and to whom he has committed all judgment; he it is therefore who here both pleads with sinners and passes sentence on them. He calls himself Wisdom, Lu. 7:35.

Pro 1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],
II. How he calls to us, and in what manner. 1. Very publicly, that whosoever hath ears to hear may hear, since all are welcome to take the benefit of what is said and all are concerned to heed it. The rules of wisdom are published without in the streets, not in the schools only, or in the palaces of princes, but in the chief places of concourse, among the common people that pass and repass in the opening of the gates and in the city. It is comfortable casting the net of the gospel where there is a multitude of fish, in hopes that then some will be enclosed. This was fulfilled in our Lord Jesus, who taught openly in the temple, in crowds of people, and in secret said nothing (Jn. 18:20), and charged his ministers to proclaim his gospel on the housetop, Mt. 10:27. God says (Isa. 45:19), I have not spoken in secret. There is no speech or language where Wisdom’s voice is not heard. Truth seeks not corners, nor is virtue ashamed of itself. 2. Very pathetically; she cries, and again she cries, as one in earnest. Jesus stood and cried. She utters her voice, she utters her words with all possible clearness and affection. God is desirous to be heard and heeded.

Pro 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?


III. What the call of God and Christ is. 1. He reproves sinners for their folly and their obstinately persisting in it, v. 22. Observe, (1.) Who they are that Wisdom here reproves and expostulates with. In general, they are such as are simple, and therefore might justly be despised, such as love simplicity, and therefore might justly be despaired of; but we must use the means even with those that we have but little hopes of, because we know not what divine grace may do. Three sorts of persons are here called to:—[1.] Simple ones that love simplicity. Sin is simplicity, and sinners are simple ones; they do foolishly, very foolishly; and the condition of those is very bad who love simplicity, are fond of their simple notions of good and evil, their simple prejudices against the ways of God, and are in their element when they are doing a simple thing, sporting themselves in their own deceivings and flattering themselves in their wickedness. [2.] Scorners that delight in scorning—proud people that take a pleasure in hectoring all about them, jovial people that banter all mankind, and make a jest of every thing that comes in their way. But scoffers at religion are especially meant, the worst of sinners, that scorn to submit to the truths and laws of Christ, and to the reproofs and admonitions of his word, and take a pride in running down every thing that is sacred and serious. [3.] Fools that hate knowledge. None but fools hate knowledge. Those only are enemies to religion that do not understand it aright. And those are the worst of fools that hate to be instructed and reformed, and have a rooted antipathy to serious godliness. (2.) How the reproof is expressed: "How long will you do so?’’ This implies that the God of heaven desires the conversion and reformation of sinners and not their ruin, that he is much displeased with their obstinacy and dilatoriness, that he waits to be gracious, and is willing to reason the case with them.

Pro 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
2. He invites them to repent and become wise, v. 23. And here, (1.) The precept is plain: Turn you at my reproof. We do not make a right use of the reproofs that are given us for that which is evil if we do not turn from it to that which is good; for for this end the reproof was given. Turn, that is, return to your right mind, turn to God, turn to your duty, turn and live. (2.) The promises are very encouraging. Those that love simplicity find themselves under a moral impotency to change their own mind and way; they cannot turn by any power of their own. To this God answers, "Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you; set yourselves to do what you can, and the grace of God shall set in with you, and work in you both to will and to do that good which, without that grace, you could not do.’’ Help thyself, and God will help thee; stretch forth thy withered hand, and Christ will strengthen and heal it. [1.] The author of this grace is the Spirit, and that is promised: I will pour out my Spirit unto you, as oil, as water; you shall have the Spirit in abundance, rivers of living water, Jn. 7:38. Our heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him. [2.] The means of this grace is the word, which, if we take it aright, will turn us; it is therefore promised, "I will make known my words unto you, not only speak them to you, but make them known, give you to understand them.’’ Note, Special grace is necessary to a sincere conversion. But that grace shall never be denied to any that honestly seek it and submit to it.

Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

3. He reads the doom of those that continue obstinate against all these means and methods of grace. It is large and very terrible, v. 24–32. Wisdom, having called sinners to return, pauses awhile, to see what effect the call has, hearkens and hears; but they speak not aright (Jer. 8:6), and therefore she goes on to tell them what will be in the end hereof. (1.) The crime is recited and it is highly provoking. See what it is for which judgment will be given against impenitent sinners in the great day, and you will say they deserve it, and the Lord is righteous in it. It is, in short, rejecting Christ and the offers of his grace, and refusing to submit to the terms of his gospel, which would have saved them both from the curse of the law of God and from the dominion of the law of sin. [1.] Christ called to them, to warn them of their danger; he stretched out his hand to offer them mercy, nay, to help them out of their miserable condition, stretched out his hand for them to take hold of, but they refused and no man regarded; some were careless and never heeded it, nor took notice of what was said to them; others were wilful, and, though they could not avoid hearing the will of Christ, yet they gave him a flat denial, they refused, v. 24.

Pro 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

They were in love with their folly, and would not be made wise. They were obstinate to all the methods that were taken to reclaim them. God stretched out his hand in mercies bestowed upon them, and, when those would not work upon them, in corrections, but all were in vain; they regarded the operations of his hand no more than the declarations of his mouth. [2.] Christ reproved and counselled them, not only reproved them for what they did amiss, but counselled them to do better (those are reproofs of instruction and evidences of love and good-will), but they set at nought all his counsel as not worth heeding, and would none of his reproof, as if it were below them to be reproved by him and as if they had never done any thing that deserved reproof, v. 25.

Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

This is repeated (v. 30): "They would none of my counsel, but rejected it with disdain; they called reproofs reproaches, and took them as an insult (Jer. 6:10); nay, they despised all my reproof, as if it were all a jest, and not worth taking notice of.’’ Note, Those are marked for ruin that are deaf to reproof and good counsel. [3.] They were exhorted to submit to the government of right reason and religion, but they rebelled against both. First, Reason should not rule them, for they hated knowledge (v. 29), hated the light of divine truth because it discovered to them the evil of their deeds, Jn. 3:20. They hated to be told that which they could not bear to know. Secondly, Religion could not rule them, for they did not choose the fear of the Lord, but chose to walk in the way of their heart and in the sight of their eyes. They were pressed to set God always before them, but they chose rather to cast him and his fear behind their backs. Note, Those who do not choose the fear of the Lord show that they have no knowledge.
Pro 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

(2.) The sentence is pronounced, and it is certainly ruining. Those that will not submit to God’s government will certainly perish under his wrath and curse, and the gospel itself will not relieve them. They would not take the benefit of God’s mercy when it was offered them, and therefore justly fall as victims to his justice, ch. 29:1. The threatenings here will have their full accomplishment in the judgment of the great day and the eternal misery of the impenitent, of which yet there are some earnests in present judgments.
Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
[1.] Now sinners are in prosperity and secure; they live at ease, and set sorrow at defiance. But, First, Their calamity will come (v. 26); sickness will come, and those diseases which they shall apprehend to be the very arrests and harbingers of death; other troubles will come, in mind, in estate, which will convince them of their folly in setting God at a distance. Secondly, Their calamity will put them into a great fright. Fear seizes them, and they apprehend that bad will be worse. When public judgments are abroad the sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness surprises the hypocrites. Death is the king of terrors to them (Job 15:21, etc.; 18:11, etc.); this fear will be their continual torment. Thirdly, According to their fright will it be to them. Their fear shall come (the thing they were afraid of shall befal them); it shall come as desolation, as a mighty deluge bearing down all before it; it shall be their destruction, their total and final destruction; and it shall come as a whirlwind, which suddenly and forcibly drives away all the chaff. Note, Those that will not admit the fear of God lay themselves open to all other fears, and their fears will not prove causeless. Fourthly, Their fright will then be turned into despair: Distress and anguish shall come upon them, for, having fallen into the pit they were afraid of, they shall see no way to escape, v.

Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

27. Saul cries out (2 Sa. 1:9), Anguish has come upon me; and in hell there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth for anguish, tribulation and anguish to the soul of the sinner, the fruit of the indignation and wrath of the righteous God, Rom. 2:8, 9. [2.] Now God pities their folly, but he will then laugh at their calamity (v. 26): "I also will laugh at your distress, even as you laughed at my counsel.’’ Those that ridicule religion will thereby but make themselves ridiculous before all the world. The righteous will laugh at them (Ps. 52:6), for God himself will. It intimates that they shall be for ever shut out of God’s compassions; they have so long sinned against mercy that they have now quite sinned it away. His eye shall not spare, neither will he have pity. Nay, his justice being glorified in their ruin, he will be pleased with it, though now he would rather they should turn and live. Ah! I will ease me of my adversaries. [3.] Now God is ready to hear their prayers and to meet them with mercy, if they would but seek to him for it; but then the door will be shut, and they shall cry in vain (v. 28): "Then shall they call upon me when it is too late, Lord, Lord, open to us. They would then gladly be beholden to that mercy which now they reject and make light of; but I will not answer, because, when I called, they would not answer;’’ all the answer then will be, Depart from me, I know you not.

Pro 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.


This has been the case of some even in this life, as of Saul, whom God answered not by Urim or prophets; but, ordinarily, while there is life there is room for prayer and hope of speeding, and therefore this must refer to the inexorable justice of the last judgment. Then those that slighted God will seek him early (that is, earnestly), but in vain; they shall not find him, because they sought him not when he might be found, Isa. 55:6. The rich man in hell begged, but was denied. [4.] Now they are eager upon their own way, and fond of their own devices; but then they will have enough of them (v. 31), according to the proverb, Let men drink as they brew; they shall eat the fruit of their own way; their wages shall be according to their work, and, as was their choice, so shall their doom be, Gal. 6:7, 8. Note, First, There is a natural tendency in sin to destruction, Jam. 1:15.
Pro 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.


Sinners are certainly miserable if they do but eat the fruit of their own way. Secondly, Those that perish must thank themselves, and can lay no blame upon any other. It is their own device; let them make their boast of it. God chooses their delusions, Isa. 66:4. [5.] Now they value themselves upon their worldly prosperity; but then that shall help to aggravate their ruin, v. 32.
Pro 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

First, They are now proud that they can turn away from God and get clear of the restraints of religion; but that very thing shall slay them, the remembrance of it shall cut them to the heart. Secondly, They are now proud of their own security and sensuality; but the ease of the simple (so the margin reads it) shall slay them; the more secure they are the more certain and the more dreadful will their destruction be, and the prosperity of fools shall help to destroy them, by puffing them up with pride, gluing their hearts to the world, furnishing them with fuel for their lusts, and hardening their hearts in their evil ways.
Pro 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

4. He concludes with an assurance of safety and happiness to all those that submit to the instructions of wisdom (v. 33): "Whoso hearkeneth unto me, and will be ruled by me, he shall,’’ (1.) "Be safe; he shall dwell under the special protection of Heaven, so that nothing shall do him any real hurt.’’ (2.) "He shall be easy, and have no disquieting apprehensions of danger; he shall not only be safe from evil, but quiet from the fear of it.’’ Though the earth be removed, yet shall not they fear. Would we be safe from evil, and quiet from the fear of it? Let religion always rule us and the word of God be our counsellor. That is the way to dwell safely in this world, and to be quiet from the fear of evil in the other world.

"Victory Over The World,
The Flesh, and The Devil"
TRADITION: To win over the enemies of your soul "You must (grit your teeth) and exercise additional will power and intestinal fortitude"
TRUTH: To win over the enemies of your soul you must allow God's power to be exercised by faith

For many who are struggling with the 3 enemies of the soul, the world, the flesh and the devil, it is a real battle that might seem to have no victory in sight, except we leave this world and go to be with the Lord. Unfortunately, many Christians have surrendered to the enemy and live hollow, empty lives not knowing the victory the Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for us through faith. However, if we, first of all, recognize the enemy for what or who it is, and secondly, utilize Biblical principles in the battle for our souls, we can have victory right now! In the next 3 newsletters we will study these 3 enemies and lay out a guaranteed victory plan for each one.

The first of these enemies, and the least vicious of the three I might add, is the world. The Scripture tells us: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."(I John 2:15,16) If the focus of our heart's desire is on these ungodly things, if we are consumed with worldly practices through the lust of the flesh, or worldly possessions through the lust of the eyes, and worldly position through the pride of life, we have surely fallen headlong into the hands of the first enemy of our soul! But, the Scripture also tells us that "the victory that overcometh the world" is our faith (I John 5:4). The same faith that saved us initially will also give us victory over the world and it's worthless and sinful allurements.

This truth is underlined by the Apostle Paul in the "Book for the Battle", the book of Ephesians. In chapter 6:10,11 he summarizes and outlines the entire book. He tells us we must first of all "Be strong in the Lord", literally, "be continually strengthened in the Lord" (by faith) which corresponds to our first enemy and summarizes the first 3 chapters of Ephesians. In these 3 chapters Paul records over 20 unchanging spiritual blessings that become the possessions of each individual Christian at the time they are born-again the Bible way! These possessions far outweigh any worldly possessions we might have now or even dream of ever having. And, therefore, if we are "continually strengthened in the Lord" exercising our faith and thereby realizing what is ours in Christ, the world will have no allurement, no attraction and no appeal to us who are in Christ Jesus!

The challenge to each of us is to become intimately familiar with the great and abundant blessings of being a child of God (Ephesians 1-3). If we do, our faith will be strengthened, we will be focusing on things above, we will be living in victory over the world and the Scripture again will be proven to be true for "Faith truly is the Victory"! But, we must remember that faith finds it's source in the Word of God.(Romans 10:17) And, the faith for victory over the world will find it's favorite source in these first 3 chapters of Ephesians! As we memorize and meditate on who we are in Christ, what He has done for us and what He promises to do in the future, we will rejoice in the victory that Christ alone can provide!

The second enemy of our soul is the "flesh". For victory in the battle with the flesh Paul commands: "Be strong...in the power of His might"(Ephesians 6:10). This pointed command summarizes Ephesians chapter 4:1-6:9. Literally, being continually strengthened in the power of God's might can be found only in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Five times in this section of Scripture Paul uses the word "walk" to describe our practical victory over the "flesh" by walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

First of all he commands us to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (4:1). A worthy walk can only be accomplished by the Person of the Holy Spirit for Jesus said: "Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). We can not in the strength of the flesh please God! Only Jesus can please God! Only as we yield to the ever present Power of the Holy Spirit will we be able to "walk" with our Lord demonstrating the worthiness of the vocation, the calling He has given us, as He commands! "This I say then, walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16)
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The second "walk" Paul emphasizes is found in (4:17) where he commands us to "walk not as other Gentiles walk". He then describes a multitude of flesh works in v.17-19 second only to his list in Galatians 5:19-21. The only possible way to have victory over the flesh works described here is by fully yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit. Being "continually strengthened in the power of His might" necessitates a full dose of the Word of God! We must digest the "living Word" by letting it "dwell in us richly" (Colossians 3:16). The result of memorizing and meditating on the Word of God will result in Colossians 3:16 "teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." This is the direct result of letting the Word dwell in us richly! It is also the direct result of being "filled with the Spirit"! (Ephesians 5:18,19) which are the key verses in this second section of Ephesians, Paul's Book for the Battle. It is significant that being filled with the Spirit causes the same result as letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord."(Ephesians 5:19)

The third "walk" mentioned is in (5:2) where Paul gives still another astounding command: "Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor." This command brings to mind the Lord Jesus' great love that only He could have demonstrated to us by His great suffering on the Cross of Calvary. We as lowly men and women could never perform such an act as this in our own strength, but, if we are "continually strengthened in the power of His might" we can walk in love as Christ walked or else the command to do it would never have been given! What a miraculous thought! We have the ability to walk in love as He walked if we "present our bodies a living sacrifice" to Him who alone can do these marvelous things through us by the power of the Holy Spirit!

The fourth "walk" continues to challenge us to give full control to the Holy Spirit as Paul gives still another command: "Walk as children of light" (5:8). Immediately following he underlines the necessity for demonstrating the "fruit of the Spirit" in order to fulfill this most important requirement. His emphasis centers on separating from all "unfruitful works of darkness" in the process we should do the positive thing and "reprove them." Here again the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is the means utilized to have victory by walking as children of light.

The fifth and final "walk" Paul commands us to perform is found in (5:15): "Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise" which directly leads into the closing passage of this section dealing with the second enemy of our soul the "flesh". This command is connected with wisdom and "understanding what the will of the Lord is." Unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit where all wisdom dwells providing us with His full knowledge of God's will we cannot expect to "walk" as we are commanded! We must digest the precious Word of God, allowing it to dwell in us richly providing the food the Holy Spirit thrives on! It is through this process of memorizing and meditating on the Word of God that we yield full control to the Holy Spirit allowing Him to "sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to the Lord" and thereby getting victory over the "flesh" the second enemy of our soul.

The ultimate command given by Paul in this vital section for victory over the "flesh" is the most important: "Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be (continually) filled with the Spirit." The result of the filling is not speaking in tongues, but "speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord". Please compare these two passages: Ephesians 5 :18,19 & Colossians 3:16,17-If you want to be filled with the Spirit get filled with the Word! Allow the Living Word, the Son of God to control your mind, and the Holy Spirit will control your attitudes and actions! Besides, it's the only Biblical way to have success and prosperity! (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2,3; I Timothy 4:15) The second enemy of our soul is soundly defeated if we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, walking by faith and obeying these simple instructions found in Ephesians 4:1-6:9. The faith necessary to believe and obey these walking-by-faith instructions will only come as we experience spiritual success through memory and meditation on the all powerful, living Word of God!

The last and most powerful of the three enemies is the author of all sin and wickedness the devil himself. Although he wields great power as "the god of this world", and can be transformed to appear as an "angel of light" and also commands a large company of vicious demons, we as born-again the Bible way Christians can have victory over him through our Lord Jesus Christ if we obey and follow the simple guidelines recorded in Scripture.

We must return to Paul's "Book for the Battle", the book of Ephesians. His summary and outline for the book is found in the commands of 6:10,11. The third of these commands gives us the ammunition we need for victory over the devil: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil". With this powerful enemy of our soul we must "stand against" him, "resist him steadfast in the faith" (I Peter 5:9), "resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). All of these significant commands of Scripture are rooted in the same greek word meaning "to take a position in the battle, to oppose, to fight with a great struggle".

How do we oppose, resist, stand against, taking a position in the battle as we fight the devil? By first putting on the "whole armor (literally: all the weapons) of God"! How do we put on the whole armor of God? By putting on the Lord Jesus Christ who is described here in the specific pieces of armor. It is an action of simple childlike faith! Through faith we must have "our loins girt about with truth" our vital spiritual lives protected by Him who is Truth (John 14:6), the Lord Jesus Christ! Then we must have "on the breastplate of righteousness" the righteousness of the One who is our Righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). Our spiritual feet must be "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" through Him who is our Peace (Ephesians 2:14). Taking the "shield of faith" the spiritual shield of faith is found in Him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The spiritual "helmet of salvation", only through Jesus can we have salvation for "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."(Acts 4:12)

In this next piece of armor lies the secret for the putting on of all that went before. The Sword of the Spirit is the very source of our faith, for "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."(Romans 10:17) The powerful Sword of the Spirit is the source of our faith and through it, we gain all that is necessary to perform the supernatural fetes of faith in winning the battle with the forces of darkness! This all powerful, liberating Word must be consumed and digested through memorizing and meditation, engrafting it into our entire being! The Lord Jesus gave us the key for victory in the very beginning of His earthly ministry when He quoted Old Testament Scripture to the devil during His temptations. He did not quote it once nor twice but three times He defeated the devil with precise quotations from existing Scripture to provide us with the supreme example for victory over our most formidable foe! Apart from utilizing the living Word of God in our battle with Satan there is no guarantee of victory, but if we obey the repeated admonitions found in the Bible to literaly hide the Word of God in our hearts, we can have victory through the Living Word, our Lord Jesus Christ!

The final piece of armor mentioned is the method whereby we commune with the King and put all the other pieces of armor in position by faith! Prayer, without it we would be still in our sin! It was prayer that brought us to the foot of the Cross, it was prayer that gave us the ability to cry out to God in repentance as we laid hold upon salvation by faith in what Jesus did to pay the penalty for our sin as He bled and died for us upon the Cross! Yes, prayer, the humble utterance of faith brought us to salvation and now brings us to Him who alone can save and deliver us from the presence and power of this evil author of sin! "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit".

If we are willing to follow God's specific formula for victory over each of the enemies of our soul we will by faith experience the peace of God that passes all understanding through Christ Jesus our Lord!

Can a Christian be affected by a curse?

There is much controversy and contention about many teachings in the Christian Church. The subject of curses is one of them. Can a Christian be affected by a curse or not? Is our belief concerning this subject essential as regards our salvation and fellowship with other Christians or is it a non essential topic where Christians who cannot see eye to eye on this subject should agree to disagree and live in peace?

This article is to help the believer form his/her own view and is not intended to dictate the issue. There is an article included by Jessie Penn-Lewis, which, although everything might not be agreed with, it gives some understanding of this subject.

The Bible says, “a curse undeserved shall not come” Proverbs 26 v 2 and also in Numbers 23 v 7 Balaam says “How shall I curse whom God have not cursed”
We remember the story of Balaam, where he tried to curse the Children of Israel yet God would only let him bless them. You cannot curse what God has blessed. However the story doesn’t end there, it is not long afterward that the curse that Balak asked Balaam to pronounce against the Israelites actually came to pass resulting in much slaughter throughout Israel. (See Chapter 25 of Numbers). Later still after God had mightily blessed them at the battle of Jericho, when it came to the small city of Ai, the people who were blessed came under a curse, or as God put it “they have made themselves accursed” Joshua 7 v 12. God’s people, who God had blessed had made themselves accursed. They had an accursed thing in their midst and therefore needed to repent and destroy it. So the people that God had blessed were now affected by a curse.

It is possible to curse a people who were under the blessing of God? The emphasis of course is that they ‘were’ under the blessing of God and therefore couldn’t be cursed but now they have made themselves accursed.
What about Christians?
In Revelation chapter 2 v 12 we have the letter sent to the angel of the assembly in Pergamos. Pergamos is a place we don’t hear much about, but it was the place where Satan had set his throne up. It is quite obvious that Satan is against the people that God is blessing, so right here in Pergamos he infiltrates the church with the same idea or spirit that was behind Balaam’s mischief. There were people in the Church at Pergamos who were doing the same thing as Balaam did, causing the people to lose the blessing of God and to ‘make themselves accursed’.
All the blessings of God are in Christ and received by faith. A curse cannot possible come to anyone who believes and puts their trust in Christ and walks by faith. Anything that is not of faith is sin.
If we walk not in faith but bring ourselves under the law or trust in the arm of flesh, then we are under a curse (see Galatians chapter 3 v 10). If we are deceived by Satan and become licentious in our living we ‘make ourselves accursed’.
This next portion is taken from “The Conquest of Canaan” by Jessie Penn-Lewis

CHAPTER IV

WE have already seen why the destruction of the Canaanites was to be so merciless. Brief reference has been made to the fact that Jericho was the accursed city, and that any of the Israelites touching anything in that city came under the curse that belonged to it. Now I wish to enlarge upon that thought, and from it proceed to show you what is meant by our Lord Jesus Christ bearing the curse on Calvary. Christ has indeed borne the curse for us, but in order to get a clear understanding of that far-reaching truth, one needs to compare Scripture with Scripture. With this in view we will turn first of all to the curse of Eden, as given in Genesis 3:14, "The Lord God said to the serpent, because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle".

The order of God's dealing with Adam and Eve and the serpent, is worthy of notice. First, He spoke to Adam, "The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, Where art thou?" Second, He called to the woman, "The Lord said to the woman. What hast thou done?" Third, He turned to the serpent as the first cause of sin, and said, "Cursed shalt thou be". This order is reversed when God pronounced judgment upon them. First the judgment was upon the serpent, who was cursed as the first cause, and the first in order; then He turned to the woman, and although she had been deceived, she was told she could not escape the consequent suffering; and lastly the man was told, "With the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread". The order in which God addresses the three, first the man, then the woman, then the serpent; and the reversal of it in the pronouncement of judgment, first the serpent, then the woman, then the man, is very remarkable and suggestive.

It is equally remarkable to notice that, because the woman was deceived by Satan, and was not a willful transgressor, she was chosen as the means of his defeat. Paul points out in his letter to Timothy that Adam's transgression was willful, that is, fully knowing he was doing wrong, and that there would be resulting consequences; he was not therefore chosen for the undoing of the serpent's work, but was given the part of toiling at the cursed ground for material sustenance. The woman who had been deceived innocently was chosen to produce the promised Seed, which should bring about the absolute defeat of Satan.

In this we may learn the lesson that God will turn the very devices of the enemy against His children into weapons for his defeat. Willful transgression brings the judgment of God upon it, even though the transgressor is forgiven, but every single thing in which Satan may have deceived you, as an innocent victim of his wiles, can become the very cause of his defeat. May God give you that comfort, through this glimpse into the fall in Eden, especially those of God's children who have been deceived by "supernatural manifestations" which they afterwards found were not of God; and who have fallen into depression, darkness and despair.

Eve was innocently deceived by the serpent, and then in His grace God promised that through her should come the very defeat of the one who had deceived her. Yes, God can turn the very devices of the enemy into a weapon of victory over him.
Again, in your past life, you may have taken some step which you afterwards discovered was the result of deception in guidance. You thought you were doing the will of God, but later you found that you had been misled by the enemy.
Be of good comfort, God can lead you back into His safe pathways, and He can use that very misleading for greater personal safety, and effective service.

I have in mind a true servant of God who is now in bitterness and darkness, because some years ago he believed that God planned to use him in a special way for some great blessing in a Mission Hall in which he was a worker. Alas! The enemy side-tracked him, and to-day he is in darkness, grieving that he missed the will and purpose of God in his life at that time. Children of God, do not grieve over any step which you now think to have been out of the will of God in past years; because, if you acted honestly, truly, sincerely believing that you were really following the Lord, and it was not until afterwards you found out that it was not the Spirit of God at all, but a deceiving spirit of Satan; instead of giving way to despair and depression, just take comfort that God will use you on that particular point to defeat the devil in his attempt to mislead others. When I learn from a soul of any such deception, and of the doubt and conflict which Satan brings to them as a result of it, how thankfully I tell that soul that the very point of deception will become a weapon for use against the deceiver in helping other souls out of danger.
Here you have it in the Scripture—Eve deceived, and then chosen to be the mother of the Seed that should bruise the serpent's head.

Yes, every single thing in the past, where you have been honest and true and sincere, and yet misled by the enemy, can be turned to his defeat. (See, for example, Luke 22: 31, 32.)

Now let us look at the curse which God pronounced in Eden. "The Lord said to Adam, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake." The curse was pronounced upon the serpent, and upon the ground. If we turn to Genesis 8: 21, we shall find a precious word in regard to the latter, where we see that, when Noah came to the new world, carried to it in an ark upon the waters of judgment, the Lord took away the curse from the ground. When Noah came out of the ark he built an altar, and it is written that "the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living as I have done". So apparently, in the new world, clothed with beautiful fresh verdure and brightness, the curse on the earth itself was removed.

Then there comes a painful story in Genesis 9: 25, of what happened in the new world to the very one who had led his family out of the old into the ark. Noah was drunk, and when he came out of his drunkenness, he said, "Cursed be Canaan". Into the ark with Noah had gone his three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and Canaan was the son of Ham, and the grandson of Noah. In one of the Minor Prophets there is a reference to Canaan (Hosea 12: 7, A.V.m.) as one who "loveth to deceive"—his very name "Canaan" meaning this, which seems to show that Canaan had something to do with the disgraceful condition of Noah, and that Ham "abetted".

In Habakkuk 2: 15, we read again, "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that putteth thy bottle to him and maketh him drunken also", the whole verse seeming to refer to the episode connected with Noah, and his son, and grandson. Both passages taken together, with the action of the sobered Noah toward his grandson Canaan, seems clearly to show that in some way Noah was deceived into the condition he fell into. Eve was deceived in Eden by the serpent; and now once more the arch-enemy of God and man gained a fresh advantage on the newly cleansed earth, by deceiving the man who was the head of the new government, through the agency of some in his family.

The curse came upon Canaan—the one loving to deceive—and through him upon the Canaanites, who afterwards were to be driven out of Canaan by the Israelites: "Canaan begat Zidon his first-born, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterwards were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad" (Genesis 10: 15-18).


Here we see the history of the enemies of Israel—the Canaanites, who came under the curse declared due to Canaan, by his grandfather Noah. Noah the patriarch was the head of God's new government for the new world, cleansed by the flood. Canaan, his grandson, apparently led him to drink, and when he came to himself, by the Spirit of God he pronounced the curse, declared to be on the serpent, as now coming upon Canaan; and from and through Canaan's descendants came the entry of the satanic forces in rampant power throughout the world. Or, we may say, that in the new world after the flood, Ham and his son Canaan, became the channel for the working out through men of the curse pronounced on the serpent, and all who identify themselves with him, by yielding to him to carry out his will.

The curse upon Satan has never been taken away. The curse that came upon the Canaanites was the result of their being given up to satanic powers, right from the time that Canaan had the curse pronounced upon him by Noah. Hence the condition of the Canaanitish races in the days of Joshua, who was commanded to drive them out from Canaan. The satanic powers wrought in them, and through them, from the days of their forefather Canaan.

Turning from the history of Ham and Canaan with their descendants occupying Canaan, we may trace the line of the godly seed of Shem, and find them gathered together at Sinai, where God gives them the law as a nation. Afterwards we find Moses commanded to recite to them the curse that would come upon them, if they broke that law; and THAT CURSE HAS NEVER BEEN LIFTED. It runs in a continuous line with the curses that precede it—first the curse pronounced upon Satan, then that curse running into that of the Canaanitish races, and manifested through their sorceries and spiritualism; and finally the curse of the law to be realized in Israel's disobedience, pronounced when God took the godly line of Shem, and gathering them at Sinai where the law of the Lord was given, rehearsed through Moses those awful curses upon all who broke His law (Deuteronomy 28, 29).

We find, therefore, three sets of "curses" in operation in the world; (1) the curse on Satan pronounced in Eden, and never annulled; (2) the curse on the Canaanites through their forefather Canaan, bringing upon them the judgment through Israel; and (3) the curse on all who broke the law of God, given at Sinai, which abides, as we shall see further on, until this day.

To the curse on the devil we say, "Amen, so be it"—may it be carried out to its end. To the curse of God upon all the works of Satan, manifested through all who identify themselves with Satan by dealings with familiar spirits, again we say, "Amen"; but there is the curse of God upon all who break His law—what shall we say to that? As you read these curses as set forth in Deuteronomy, you will do well to study them in the light of his message. Moses, representing God, had to stand before Israel, and pronounce God's curse upon all who broke the law given through him at Sinai. During that period of 1,500 years of Old Testament history which follows the events of Sinai, neither in any other period since—apart from the finished work of Calvary—has that curse ever been lifted. That "curse" stands to-day, as it stood in the days of the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the Galatians (ch. 3: 10):
"For AS MANY as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them".

In this passage we come further down the centuries and nearer to ourselves than Sinai. Note that the Apostle writes, "As MANY as are of the works of the Law," i.e., as many as rely upon their keeping of the law of God, "are UNDER A CURSE, for cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them". Is there a soul that will rise and say that he keeps absolutely, without one jot or tittle being broken, all God's law given at Sinai? If not, you are under the curse of that broken law, as stated in Deuteronomy 27. This was the way Paul brought souls to see their need of Jesus Christ, through conviction of the curse of the broken law.

In relation to these words, Paul says that God "shut up all. . . under sin" (Galatians 3: 22, R.V.), so that no one can find a way of escape which will enable him to say that he is not a sinner. James says if we offend in one point we are guilty of all, so that one single point of the broken law brings us under the curse of the law. What hope is there for Jew or Gentile? For Paul's readers, or for us? Here Calvary comes in— God's remedy. The apostle wrote, "CHRIST REDEEMED us FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US, for it is written. Cursed, is every one that hangeth on a tree".

All who do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute are under the curse of the law? Christ was made a curse for us on Calvary's tree, but the curse on Satan remains, and the curse of the broken law on all who stand on their obedience to it; but the CURSE is REMOVED AT CALVARY FOR ALL WHO WILL ACCEPT THE SUBSTITUTE PROVIDED BY GOD.

Calvary is the one and only spot where we get away from the curse of God. There is no curse there. You escape the curse of Satan, and the curse on sin—you escape in Jesus Christ.

You escape the curse of the broken law upon you by believing into Jesus Christ—into Jesus Christ, buried with Him, planted into Him, put into Him. Outside of Him you are under the curse of the law, in Him you are free from the curse; for the curse was on Him. Deeper still than this the words carry us, "Cursed is he that hangeth on a tree," for it shows us how the curse came upon the old creation. Will you say "Amen" to that curse upon the old creation which Christ carried to the Cross? He bore the curse for us, even God's curse of the broken law was upon Him, and in Him alone you are free from it. Christ was made a curse for us, and all are under the curse except those who are in Jesus Christ—planted in Him! The way of experimental freedom from the curse upon sin, is, of course, by our identification with Him who bore the curse of sin, as we reckon His death ours; and we obtain a victory over Satan, and his power, just as the Israelites did at Jericho, by not touching the "accursed thing".

Have you ever taken the position that is yours in Christ towards Satan, and his accursed doings, in which you may ask God to fulfil His curse upon them? When Satan attacks you, You may remind him that God's curse is upon him, and he will flee away. Do not forget that which is written about the serpent, "The Lord God said, Cursed art thou".

Let us turn to instances in the Bible where we may see clearly how God's servants, as His representatives, pronounced or declared the curse of God upon all actions that bore upon them the marks of the work of the enemy. First of all, there was Noah. When Noah awakened, and found what was done unto him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan," thus voicing the curse of God upon Canaan's deception of him, because its source was Satan. If you are "joined to the Lord", and truly standing with Him, and in Him, against the powers of darkness, if you deeply realize that God's curse is upon sin and Satan, you can, as united to Jesus Christ, voice His attitude to both.

Then we find Moses, the man of God, declaring God's curse on all who broke the Law of God, because he stood as God's representative against sin.

Then there is Deborah! What did she mean when she said, "Cursed be Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty" (Judges 5: 23). We read that Deborah "judged Israel" at that time (Judges 4: 4), and the men of Israel went up to her for judgment, because they saw that she had spiritual insight and discernment given to her of God. Why did she speak such words about Meroz? Because she saw that those in Meroz were taking the side of Satan—as the god of this world at the back of all sin and wrong—and she was only the voice to declare that "the angel of the Lord" had said that the curse would come on them; because by their apathy and inactivity in a time of crisis for Israel, they had practically taken sides with Satan, and not with God. It did not mean that Deborah "cursed" Meroz, but her utterance was the result of her spiritual insight, for she saw, what is really true also to-day, that in a time of crisis for country or Church, neutrality is not possible; and holding back "from taking sides" when enemies are at hand, is a selfish apathy which can only be instigated by Satan; and hence it must bring upon the souls who do it the curse belonging to Satan.

Because these "leaders" stood with God in righteousness, they had the view of God upon the real causes of things, and, of course, saw and spoke from God's standpoint. Noah foretold the curse coming on Canaan—carried out in truth by Israel; Moses had been shown in the Mount by God Himself, that all who broke the Law would come under the curse on the serpent, and so he had to declare it faithfully; and Deborah saw that the curse would come upon the people who shrank back from suffering for righteousness sake, when God needed them to stand with Him against the foes of His people.

Again, when Moses said that he was putting before Israel "blessing" and "cursing"—blessing if they would obey the Law and cursing if they broke it—it was not merely Moses pronouncing it. He was acting as God's representative, declaring what it would be, and the people, knowing this, said, "Amen"—so be it, or "so let it be". These very words have come to pass to the Jews as a nation, and they have been scattered, driven, hunted, and sent from place to place, and for the sole of their feet they have had no rest. Israel also as a nation confirmed the curse upon them at Calvary, when they said, "His blood be on us, and on our children," when they might have been set free from it, had they accepted Him who was bearing the curse as the One given of God, to bear the sin and the curse of the whole world.

These solemn facts are not clearly seen by many of us, and so we put the emphasis on love and forgiveness, and do not realize that these things are written in the Book by which we shall be judged; and that the only place for love and forgiveness is at Calvary. Judgment, cursing, wrath and terrible retribution upon sin and Satan must be faced, away from the place called Calvary.

Do you remember Elisha, and the bears and the children, when he "cursed them in the name of the Lord" (a Kings2: 24)? That was a strange thing! Was it not a lesson of rebuke to those who mocked the men representing God, that brought about this terrible dealing; a lesson not to trifle with the God who is at the back of those who speak in His Name?

Then we may think of Jeremiah, who said, "Cursed is the man that trusteth in man" (Jeremiah 17:5), and "Blessed is the man . . . whose hope the Lord is" (Jeremiah 17:7). Why not have said, "Poor man, that trusteth in man"? Why say "Cursed" be the man? Because in the light of God the working of the law was inevitable—the "curse must come on those who trusted in man instead of God, and God's blessing with His richness of life on those who made the Lord their trust". Upon whom, then, do you place your trust?

Was Jeremiah pronouncing a curse? No, he was only declaring what his spiritual vision showed him, that if man trusted in man, then the curse of God which rested on Satan would come on him, because of identification with Satan's own attitude of turning away from God, the very sin into which he beguiled the first Adam.

Again, Jeremiah said, "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently" (Jeremiah 48: 10); that is to say, badly, slovenly, carelessly. It simply means that no work that you can do "for the Lord" will He prosper to make up for laziness! The "curse" must work in connection with it, and a blight come upon it. God's will is done in heaven with alacrity and care.

He will not send the Holy Spirit to co-operate and bless what you do carelessly, and without your whole heart. You say that your work is only a trifle, so poor that it is not worth noticing; but there is no "trifle" in God's sight. If you are careless in small things you will be careless in great. There are many who are asking God's blessing who are too lazy to do His work thoroughly, and in a manner that will bring God's blessing. God works no miracle to spare us labour and toil (i Thessalonians 4: io-i2).

It has been said that "holiness and hard work" must succeed, and it is true. Holiness is necessary, and must be counted first in importance; but it needs hard work with it. If you want God's blessing, be absolutely faithful in that which is least, and do "the small things" as thoroughly as the great ones, for the small things may turn out to be the great ones in the end.

Turning to the Book of Malachi, we read, "Ye are cursed with the curse; for ye rob Me . . . in tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3: 8-9). Here we find the curse mentioned again (with the emphasized "the" of the Revised Version), this time in connection with the question, "Will a man rob God?" And the lesson again seems to be that there is a law of God operative since the time of the fall in Eden, that brings in sore judgment the working of the curse upon any wrong attitude to God. Was it Malachi pronouncing it? No, just as with all the other "prophets" or "representatives" of God, he declared what God revealed to him. Religious Israel was "cursed with a curse", because they robbed God by with-holding what was due to Him.

Turning to the New Testament for light for the Gospel dispensation, we have the remarkable passage in the eleventh of Mark where the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree, and the disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away" (Mark 11:21). And the Lord replied, 'Ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree . . . but ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou taken up ... it shall be done" (Matthew 21:21). The withering of the fig tree was the effect of the curse.

"YE SHALL NOT ONLY DO WHAT IS DONE TO THE FIG TREE!"
It is remarkable that this incident is mentioned in connection with some teaching on prayer: "Verily I say unto you . . . SHALL BELIEVE THAT WHAT HE SAITH Cometh to pass . . .therefore I say unto you all things, whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye HAVE RECEIVED them, and ye shall have them" (Mark n: 23-24). And "ye shall not only DO what is done to the fig tree!" The praying was described as "doing" when it accomplished mighty things, and the "speaking" was "doing" too. The Lord "cursed" the fig tree—it withered.

Was it that He co-operated with, or set in motion, so to speak, the law of the curse working in the world? At least the truth is clear: the believer is authorised by these words of the Master to say, in prayer, concerning everything that Satan instigates and works through, "May the curse of God come upon all things that have their source and inspiration from the god of this world", whether secular or apparently religious.

When you look out with clear spiritual vision, how much you see of work that will not stand, for it is only built upon the sand. Why not go to God, and say, "Oh, Lord, it is just like the fig tree, let it wither away!" Have you seen any religious "fig trees" with only leaves and no fruit? What have you done when you have seen them? Turned away, and said, "How sad!" Why have you not gone to the Lord, and said, "Lord, wither the 'tree', so that the workers are not deceived"? That is the thing to do. Not going to others, and talking about it, but going to your knees, and asking the Lord to wither what is there that needs to be withered, and to strengthen what is of God.

Pray as you go about, "Lord, strengthen what is of God, blight and wither whatever Thou seest can be withered!" The Lord said, "Ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree"—for that is really a small thing—later on you will see a "mountain!" If your faith has reached to the point which withers a fruitless fig tree, you will be able then to deal with the "mountain", and SAY, "BE THOU REMOVED . . . and it shall be done!" "If ye have faith and doubt not" (Matthew 21: 21)—if you know that God is at the back of the word, there will be no doubt in your heart.

Christ did not wither the fig tree out of vindictiveness, nor out of resentment, nor out of revenge; but He did it probably to show His disciples the working of a law. Neither are you to pray for the withering power of the curse to come upon "empty leaves", because they are a trial to you; but your prayer must arise from that spiritual purity which comes from union with the reigning Christ, so that you may do the works of Christ.

Further, we have just a glimpse of the same deep insight into the working of the curse, as declared by Paul, when he said, "If any man preacheth unto you any other gospel than that which ye received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED!" (Galatians 1:9). The Apostle had clear vision what would come to the man who turned aside from the Gospel of Substitution—the Christ bearing our curse for us. If they will not believe that Christ bore the curse for them, then they are bound to remain under the curse and be accursed; for they are under the curse of sin, and identified with the curse on Satan, because they are blinded by him, and taken captive by him.

What solemn words to speak, "If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED!" It is the revelation again of the law of the curse, and the only hope of escape at Calvary. If he will not have Christ as the curse for him, then he comes under the curse for himself. In truth the curse is already upon him, and it is only awaiting the outworking of its blighting results. Think of the man who preaches other than the gospel of the Cross of Calvary! It is a blight in itself to blight other people's lives with falsehood, which ends them in a hopeless eternity. It is a blight to have the Christians in other lands turning aside from the atoning work of Jesus Christ, because men in England preach "another gospel" than the gospel of Calvary. It is an awful thing for preachers and ministers to deepen the curse on men by failure to preach the one Divine gospel of the Cross of Christ. "Let him be accursed'." Let the curse he will not see is upon the Lamb, come to its fruition in himself! God's Word has declared it, and shows us that these things are working to-day, whether we see them or not.

Now we can understand why the Lord said, "Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41). In the description given in Matthew 25 of the judgment of the nations which shall take place when the Son of Man is come, now we can see beneath the surface of what is written, that their indifference to "the least of these My brethren", was not merely a turning away from the suffering and needy ones, but a turning away from their Lord, and a turning to and identification with the accursed one—the deceiver of the whole inhabited earth.

There will come an hour when "There shall be no more curse" (Revelation 22: 3). Satan will then be in the lake of fire. There will always be the curse amongst men as long as Satan is amongst them. Mankind cannot get rid of it until they get rid of him. There is nothing said in this Book that warrants the idea that he will be redeemed. Do not delude yourselves with that lie of Satan's. There is no hope given that the curse upon him will end in anything else than the lake of fire, with the false prophet and the beast he has energised. If any of you believe that Satan will be redeemed, you are believing a lie that has come to you from deceiving spirits—a lie from the pit. The many doctrines that are abroad to-day must be brought to the standard of the Word of God.

When your eyes have been opened to see what the devil has done from Eden downwards, and is doing in the world to-day, there will rise from the depths of your spirit—where God dwells—nothing less, nothing else—than an "AMEN" TO THAT CURSE pronounced in Eden upon Satan, and all his hosts of darkness. Those of you who know what the attacks of the powers of darkness mean, if you would use a mighty weapon against them, say—as you stand on the ground of Calvary—"one thing is certain, and it is that you are under the curse of God". Thus you would seize an effective weapon to wield against them. Say, "IT is WRITTEN . . . CURSED SHALT THOU BE!" Part of the fulfillment of that curse is on the horizon, for the hour is drawing nigh when the prince of darkness, "the old serpent," "he that is called the devil and Satan," "the deceiver of the whole inhabited earth,"* shall be cast into the pit.

What we need at this time is an infallible weapon for victory. That available weapon, blessed be God, is first to be found in the Gospel, that you escape from the curse in Calvary's Cross, and as you avail yourself of it you can say to the powers of darkness, who are under the feet of the ascended Lord, "In the name of Jesus, I say 'Amen' to God's curse on you. 'Get you hence'."

Servants of God, go back to your place of battle, and clothed in the whole armour of God, strengthened with might by the Spirit of God, use the truth. Lay hold of the weapons of war prepared for use, and stored in the armoury of the Written Word; that "by them thou mayest war the good warfare" (1 Timothy 1: 18); and through the Scriptures inspired of God, be "furnished completely unto every good work".

Praise God for Calvary! Christ hath redeemed us! Yes, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us" (Galatians 3: 13). f "Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death" [Revelation 12: 11). (From, Conquest of Canaan by Jessie Penn-Lewis)

This next portion is from Andrew Murray

"The Cross and the Curse are inseparable (Deuteronomy 21: 23; Galatians 3: 13). To say our old man has been 'crucified with Him', 'I have been crucified with Christ' . . . means this: I have seen that my old nature, myself, deserves the curse; that there is no way of getting rid of it but by death: I voluntarily give it to the death ... I give my old man, my flesh, self, with its will and work, as a sinful accursed thing, to the Cross. .
"The way in which this faith in the power of the Cross, as at once the revelation and the removal of the curse and the power of the flesh works, is very simple. ... I begin to understand that the one thing I need is: to look upon the 'flesh' as God does: to accept of the death warrant the Cross brings . . . to look upon it, and all that comes from it, as an accursed thing. . . ." (The Spirit of Christ. Rev. Dr. Andrew Murray.)

In conclusion I would say that sickness and disease are all part of the curse. To say a Christian cannot be affected by the curse is to say that a Christian cannot get sick. That is living in an ideal world, Christians can and do get sick for many reasons. What triggers the curse in a persons life can also be many reasons. Paul warns Christians to have put on, once for all, the whole armour of God, therefore we must never, ever neglect it. Peter warns them that their adversary the devil walks about seeing whom he may devour.

Is it right then to ask God to remove or break the curse over a persons life who is sick?

If I feel sickness attacking my body I will often say, “sickness you have no right to me, I plead the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed on Calvary’s tree. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, redeemed from the curse of the law, you can have no part of me. I rebuke you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”. This is similar to asking God to break the curse on someone’s life. Many people use different methods based on the same truth.

Jesus Christ dealt with the symptoms directly and in dealing with the symptoms He automatically dealt with the cause.

Paul had a problem (thorn in the flesh) that he asked God to remove. However there was a reason that God allowed it to stay, but He said “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in your weakness”.

I believe people do go to extremes with every subject in the Bible, however there is also a correct balance that we need to find otherwise we will be guilty of also going to extremes, the opposite extreme.

Generational curses is one aspect of this subject that I was going to leave alone, for everyone to make their own decision. However as it is one of the most contentious aspects of the subject I have decided to add a few thoughts.

My first instinct is that generational curses can have no effect on Christians. When we are born again and ‘in Christ’, we become a brand new creation, old things are passed away, all things are become new and all things are of God (2 Corinthians 5 v 17-18). Diseases that run in the family have no right to touch a child of God. Just because a parent or grand-parent suffered from a certain condition does not mean that it automatically has the right to inflict the child. If a child is born again then the affliction has no right to touch the child.

We must however take into account certain scriptures. Jesus said in Matthew 12 v 43-45, that when an evil spirit goes out of a man, it eventually returns to see if it is possible to re-inhabit its old home. If it finds it swept clean but empty it finds seven spirits worst than itself and repossess its home.

I imagine that curses can be similar. Proverbs 26 v 2 says, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come”. This gives the impression that curses are like birds that flutter and fly around hoping for a place to land, if there is no place to land they wander round. When a child of God has swept the place clean, the ‘birds’ scatter, but soon they return to see if there is anywhere to settle.

Temptation also comes round at certain times to see if it can get the Christian to fall and become discouraged, allowing the enemy to oppress him and eventually open the door for the curse. When a Christian sees the improvements in his life and feels at last he is growing strong and has now got beyond that old sin that easily beset him, that no longer is he affected by it, then sure enough the old temptation makes a comeback. If we resist then it will eventually go away for a season. I do say eventually and not immediately and for a time only. Until Jesus Christ returns and our bodies are redeemed then temptation will keep coming back to try again. God has given us a safety net for these times, 1John 1 v 9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Also 1 John 1 v 7 tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. Revelation 12 v 11 says that they overcame him (the accuser of the brethren), by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

Why is temptation allowed to come back to try us again? Well, for whatever the reason, one thing we must know is that when sin aboundeth, grace overabounds or, does much more abound. At times like this we need to lean on and trust in God, asking for the power of His Holy Spirit to strengthen and support us. Then we trust in His grace, that His grace IS sufficient and that He will see us through.
I think when we are tempted we realize how weak we are and how much we need God to keep us.

I hope this article helps the believer to come to their own understanding, but above everything else that they put on the whole armour of God and put their trust and faith in God who is able to keep them from falling.

http://www.christian-truth-ministry.com/can_a_christian_be_affected_by_a.htm