How To Steer Clear of Trouble
Proverbs 5:8 NKJV
8 Remove your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
From what I recall of my driving classes, the best way to avoid an accident is to be looking far enough down the road to anticipate a problem before it happens and adjust. This was not information taken from my Driver's Ed class in high school, but the classes I had to take to have tickets erased when I was in sales. But the principle is still the same: the best way to survive trouble is to never enter into it.
This same wisdom is conveyed in our verse for today. A father is warning his son about immoral women. Just to be fair, the same principle applies to immoral men. Someone who would lead you down the wrong path is someone to be avoided. And that is the wisdom of this proverb. Stay away. Remove your way far from her or him. Don't go near their house.
There is a whole boatload of trouble and sin that can be avoided if the proximity rule was adhered to. If you don't go near, temptation is not as severe. But if you are hanging around, you'll go down.
We know this to be true when it comes to developing good eating habits. If there are no Oreos in the pantry and Blue Bell in the fridge, then the temptation to overindulge on sweets is reduced. If you are battling with any form of addiction, stay away from that area. If drinking alcohol has become a problem, don't hang with your friends in bars and don't have it in the house. Temptation avoided is the easiest to abstain from. Limiting internet access, not contacting old romantic interests, is the same as doing what our verse says, removing your way far from her and not going near the door of her house.
There was a phrase that became big in the late 90's, "don't go there." As with many cultural catch phrases, it can be overused, but as it pertains to sin, trouble, and temptation, it's great wisdom to follow.