What is the meaning of "Can a man take fire in his bosom and not be burned?" (Proverbs 6:27)?

Still more emphatic is the warning here given, which deals with a more aggravated and destructive evil. It is not only the evil woman, or a strange woman, or a whorish woman. It is the wife of another, as in the last clause; and the language rises in severity, for marriage is a divine tie; and God hates its breach and judges those who break it.

"Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? So he that goes in to his neighbour's wife: whosoever touches her shall not be innocent. They do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; and [if] he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. Whoso commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding; he [that] does it destroys his own soul. A wound and contempt shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy [is] the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance; he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou multiplies gifts." vv. 27-35.

There is a baseness peculiar to itself, even among the dissolute, for a man to tamper with the wife of another. But lust is insidious on either side, and little beginnings, where that relationship subsists, are apt to go on to great evils. For Satan acts on the flesh, and leads souls which forget God's presence to venture in the vain hope of escape. But can a man take fire to his bosom, and his garments not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be scorched? That corruption will not escape the fire of human vengeance, how much less of divine judgment? Any approach, however small or passing, is dangerous and evil.

The inspired writer contrasts it with stealing even, though men are extremely sensitive of any loss in their property. If dire need were evident, men extenuate a thief when he steals a little rather than perish of starvation. But what is so senseless, no less than abominably sinful, as adulterous iniquity? Pity mingles with blame in the one case, but nothing can excuse the other. It is the foulest dishonour of the husband; it is the lifelong ruin of the entrapped wife; it is the shame of the house and of its connections; it is the abhorrence of God who judges it. And what must be his resentment who is chiefly wronged? No wonder that the evildoer is said to lack understanding or heart, and to destroy his own soul. The law laid down fines fourfold, fivefold, and sevenfold, for rising guilt in stealing; but death Moses commanded in Jehovah's name for adultery. If Christendom, pretending to judge the world, betrays its wicked levity by a lenient sentence, it tells its own tale of corruption, which will draw down the strong hand of the Lord God in judgment.

Even in this world, a wound and dishonour will the adulterer get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away, spite of the heathenism which dared to consecrate this enormity and every other — spite of Christendom which did once adopt heathen ways and seems now returning to them, even where Protestant zeal once chased them out in a large measure, though never up to the true Christian standard. Here it regards man's feelings. "For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance." The overture of any ransom is vain; to give many gifts, contents not him who cannot rest without wrong's condign punishment.

Two similes are now used to illustrate the extreme folly of giving in to adultery. First, it is like taking fire into one's bosom. Who would literally do this? Likely no one, but it would be just as foolish to do this as to commit adultery. Similarly, people are not generally so foolish as to walk on hot coals, but they are willing to do what is just as foolish, that is, commit adultery (vv. 27-28), Such is the foolish wickedness of one who is seduced by his neighbor's wife. He shall not be innocent (v. 29). If one steals food when he is starving, people do not despise him for this, yet he must restore sevenfold when found out. In other words, only for a small infraction such as this, justice demands punishment. therefore, what of the deeply serious gilt of adultery? One who falls into this is destitute of understanding: he destroys his own soul. Such sin is primarily against his Maker, but others are harmed by it too. He will receive wounds and dishonor, with contempt and reproach (vv. 32-33).

What of the husband, with whose wife a man commits adultery? His rightful jealousy may make him furious. It is only to be expected that he will do everything in his power to exact some kind of satisfaction for this wickedness. Certainly, a thing like this is not easily forgiven, and no offered recompense will generally be accepted. Many gifts will not make up for this offense (v. 35).

We have known of young Christians actually going secretly to dances, theatres and worse places in order to gain experience. How terrible! To eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and EVIL, only brought evil results, and it will ever do so. Whoever goes in for sin (for just this once, not much harm in it, don’t mean to practice it) does so at his or her peril. On these very lines Solomon in his happier days asks, “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” (Prov. 6:27). Solomon with great wisdom and vast resources of wealth gratified his every whim under the sun. He could only wail out in his old age, as he drew near to the gates of death, “Behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit UNDER THE SUN” (chap. 2:11).

Could you imagine Jephthah, even with all his harshness, turning jackals loose amongst the enemy? Does that look anything like Gideon? He held his torch in his hand, and did not use it to inflame the flesh. He held it simply to maintain a testimony, the torch and the trumpet proclaiming the sword of the Lord. There is no resemblance between them. I think that Samson is on very low ground when he does this. It effected no victory for God surely. Let us beware of fighting with jackals, let us beware of trying to use the flesh against one another. Beware of stirring up and inflaming that which feeds on corruption. If you tell a whispered word that you know is going to stir up resentment, to make enmity, it seems to me that you are getting ready to put the torch to a jackal, and turn it loose. As a madman who scatters firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour and saith, Am I not in sport? The very next verse adds a warning about tale-bearing.

On the other hand, coals to hot embers, and wood to fire, is a contentious man to inflame strife. How often have we not known it to our pain! Happy is he who hates it so as to shun its beginning by dwelling in love!

Again, he insists that if his heart had been enticed by a woman or if he had taken the initiative in going to his neighbour's house with motives of evil, then let his wife leave him and choose another. "For," he says, "That would be wickedness; deserving of judgment. For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase" (vv.11-12). He was firmly decided as to the wickedness of such things, though his thoughts were contrary to large numbers of careless people today.

If my heart was enticed about a woman, And I laid wait at my neighbour's door, Let my wife grind for another, and others bow down on her. For this [is] an infamy, and that a crime for a judge. For a fire it [is], it consumes to destruction, And it would uproot all my increase.