My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Proverbs 1:10-19 (KJV)
Last week, I compared the pathway of evil to a steep slippery slope. Once you begin down the slope, it is almost impossible to stop and go back up. Evil seems to take on a life of its own.
Before a man does evil, usually deep within his heart, he feels a few twinges of guilt. His conscience says, “Don’t do this wicked thing.” Nevertheless, he refuses to listen. His cold, hard heart attempts to justify his evil intentions. He may even project his guilt onto his victim, saying that it is the victim’s fault.
Sometimes, as strange as it may seem, an evil man may resort to doing more evil just to prove that he was right. At least in his own twisted mind, he thinks that he is proving that he was right. But no matter how hard he tries to cover up his wrong, his wrong will never be right because wrong will always remain wrong. Right? (I couldn’t resist that little tongue twister.)
In this world, there are evil people everywhere who are waiting for an opportunity to entice you into their wicked schemes. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from falling victim to their conniving tongues, you must resolve in your heart and mind that you are going to serve God, no matter what.
Be wise and arm yourself in advance by practicing saying “NO”—no to drugs, no to violence, no to lies, no to deceit, no to all evil.
God is omnipresent…He hears your words, He sees your actions, and He even knows your thoughts. Nothing is hidden from Him; therefore, if you do evil, He will know. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Verse 10).
Genesis 39:7-10 tells us that Joseph was enticed by Pharaoh’s wife. She tried to seduce Joseph, but he wisely refused her advances. “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Verse 9). Joseph knew that sin is not only a sin against its intended victim, but it is also a sin against God.
You do not want to sin against God! No one has ever battled against God and won…it is impossible. Learn from this week’s lesson and run from all evil (Deuteronomy 13:6-8, Psalms 50:18-19, Ephesians 5:11).
Satan is a like a roaring lion who walks about waiting to pounce and devour (1 Peter 5:8). So is the wicked man.
A wicked man roams about searching for an innocent victim to devour. In his wickedness, he desires worldly riches at the cost of his soul (Psalms 10:8-9). He may target you as a partner in his crime, telling you how this joint venture will be to your benefit. Don’t fall for his deceit (Jeremiah 5:26-27).
If the wicked man says, “This plan cannot fail and we will get rich,” run away. Do not collaborate with the ungodly…you just might become trapped and destroy your own soul (Psalms 1:1, 2 Corinthians 6:15-17).
“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:7-8).
The wicked take pleasure in sin. They do not know peace and they cannot even comprehend the word because it is foreign to them. All of their ways are crooked, and as such, their lives are filled with turmoil.
The evil man waits to ambush and destroy his victim, but ultimately, he is awaiting his own destruction. Compare that to a wise bird. The bird sees a trap being set to capture it, but in its wisdom, it flies away. The evil man sets a trap to capture his victim, but in his foolishness, he is the one that is caught in his own trap. He has ambushed his own soul through hardening his heart and deafening his spiritual ears.
One last thought. People will entice you into collaborating with them in their wicked schemes, perhaps even promising you riches beyond measure. Quick…Runaway! Greed is a powerful sin and it will destroy the hearts, minds, and souls of its victims. “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word” (Psalms 119:101).
So, be careful little mind what you think…Oh, be careful little hands what you do…There’s a Father up above, and He’s looking down in love, so be careful little saint what you do.
For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
Three Key Concepts:
1. Run away from anyone who entices you to do evil.
2. The evil man sets a trap and ambushes his own soul.
3. Greed is a powerful sin that ensnares many.
