Enticing Trap

Proverbs 1:10-19

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. (11) If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: (12) Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (13) We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: (14) Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: (15) My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: (16) For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. (17) Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. (18) And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives. (19) So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

We Were Sneaky

When my brother and I were children, we had this nasty tendency to take anything we wanted. My brother would put candy from the grocery store in his diaper. I would just eat the candy I grabbed (not from his diaper!). Our parents tried as hard as they could to get us to not take things that were not ours.

As I grew older, I wanted to be a spy. Therefore, I worked on ways of being extra sneaky, and this sometimes meant taking things I either wanted or thought would be difficult to get away with taking. Sometimes, my brother and I would work together. Sometimes I would entice friends to help.

Almost every time we got caught. There are consequences to all of our actions. We all must one day stand before the Judge.

Don’t Consent

There is another way to look at this passage than simply stealing things and inflicting bodily harm on others.

Whenever we allow others to tell us “Do not concern yourself with them,” even for prayer or offering a helping hand or just a shoulder to cry on, we are consenting to sinful enticement. We are commanded to love all people and help as we are able.

Whenever we do or say things to fit in with other people, we are casting in our lot with sinners.

Whenever we skip tithing or offering to avoid an inconvenience or get something we want, we are not only stealing from God, we hastily shed the blood of our Savior and lay wait for our own blood.

With God, every time we get caught. There are consequences for all of our actions. Yet, the Author of Life has made a way for us.

Choose life. Choose love. Choose God.

We all must one day stand before the Judge. May it be wholly as His redeemed.

Holy God, lead us in Your way, and give us the strength to resist temptation and hatred. Give us Your wisdom, in Jesus’ name.

(Originally posted on 4/03/12)