That verse reads, “None who go to HER return, nor do THEY regain the paths of life.” If you read verses 16-19 you will see that this passage is speaking of “men being tempted and ensnared by an immoral woman”; in other words, men who become so overpowered by her seductions and are addicted to a life of illicit sex. If this life of sin is continued it “leads down to death” (verse 17) and none are not able to “regain the paths of life” (verse 19). This is the “bad news” which could have been the experience of your husband. But God’s grace can come in and deliver lives which have been damaged by sexual addiction. We shall see this clearly as we examine the context of the chapter. If one isolates verse 19 apart from the context, there seems to be no hope for a man who has fallen prey to the immoral woman. And we can say that apart from God’s grace coming in this surely would been the experience of your husband, but you went on to speak of his repentance and salvation through Christ, and how he “has been totally changed by Christ.” This means he has “been delivered from the immoral woman” by the grace of God and thus verse 19 no longer applies to him.

In this chapter, Solomon is instructing his son to “receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding” (verses 1-2). He goes on to say, “Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (verses 3-5). These verses can only be applied to one who has truly been “changed by the grace of God,” for the wisdom spoken of here is the “wisdom that God gives to His children” through His Word. We read in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” This is NOT the “wisdom of the world,” but the “wisdom that is from above.” James contrasts these two later in 3:15 & 17, “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic….but the wisdom which is from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and with hypocrisy.” This “wisdom from above” is the wisdom God gives to those who have entered His family through faith in Christ (John 1:12; 3:1-8, 14-16). This wisdom then brings DELIVERANCE to the child of God and PRESERVES the believer from evil, as we see in the following verses:

“He stores up WISDOM FOR THE UPRIGHT; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and PRESERVES THE WAY OF HIS SAINTS. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When WISDOM enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to the soul, DISCRETION WILL PRESERVE YOU; UNDERSTANDING WILL KEEP YOU, TO DELIVER YOU FROM THE WAY OF EVIL, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in ways of darkness. Who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked; whose ways are crooked and who are devious in their paths” (verses 7-15).

That passage spoke of deliverance from evil men, but now I will quote the passage we began with where we see deliverance from the immoral woman: “TO DELIVER YOU FROM THE IMMORAL WOMAN, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead” (verses 16-18). Praise be to God for His marvelous grace that delivered your husband from this life of sin! For had His grace not saved him and given him a desire for the “wisdom which is from above,” verse 19 would have been his portion, “None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life.” (DO)  (577.3)