I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and
congregation
Observations
The chapter discusses the outcome of dabbling in sexual immorality. Consider:
v6 Lest you ponder her path of live-- Her was are unstable; You do not know them
v8 Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, Lest you ...
v12 ... and you say “How I have hated instruction”
Things God Does
and other interpretations
“on the verge of total ruin”
There will come a point where you’re not ruined yet, but everything is falling apart
for example:
you give your “honour to others” (v9)
you give your “years to the cruel one” (v9)
“aliens [are] filled with your wealth” (v10)
“your labors go to the house of a foreigner” (v10)
“you mourn at last” (v10)
“your flesh and your body are consumed” (v10)
You’re losing your money (and not to friends or family), you’re physically unwell, you’re emotionally unwell, and you know it’s going downhill
“of total ruin”
all the badness is not done yet — it’s getting worse (to the point of total ruin)
“in the midst of the assembly and congregation”
this is the worst part: you’re still at church. You’re still among the
people of God. But because you scoff, you get no help (scoffing: v12
“how I have hated instruction”, v13 “I have not inclined my ear to
those who instructed me”).
not only have you done this to yourself, but you’ve inoculated yourself against the help of the people of God
See also
Proverbs 29:1 — He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Application
listen to advice from godly people
consider how God’s law also protects us from hurting ourselves; often
immoral things are also self-destructive things.
ignoring God’s law and the wisdom of God’s people is a form of
self-destruction