Enticement and consequences


My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.  If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse” my son, do not walk in the way with them;  hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 1:10-18 ESV
                Peer pressure is nothing new; sinners love company and always have. As soon as Eve ate of the forbidden fruit she enticed Adam to join her. Sin always appears to offer the easier path. It offers us what we want, good things, without the difficulties. It would make us feel strong, while in fact demonstrating our weakness, and making us weaker. The path downhill is easier to travel, and quicker. Sheol is another name for Hell, and that is where these sinners are heading. Notice that they find suffering before they arrive. They will lose their lives long before death.
                This sinful path causes anxiety; it is a path of constant inescapable risks. There is no stability in this lifestyle. The greatest risk comes from the company you would keep, if they would spill innocent blood, what prevents them from spilling yours? Honor among thieves? Not here. Actually, this is one reason that sinners love company so, it creates an illusion of security. There is someone else to take the fall, someone else to assume the risk, someone else to use, and most importantly someone else who is just as bad as you are. Sin would make the universe a democracy in which the majority establishes the rules. It would use the mass of the masses to press us into bondage, to lead us unquestioning to our own destruction.
                The writer urges us to refuse to be a part of the group of sinners, to refuse to be with them in their sins. This is for our own good, and the good of the gospel. Some might argue that Jesus ate with sinners, and so He did; but He did not sin with sinners, nor did He condone their sins. He was with them, but not of them. This is the line we are to walk.  In our refusal is implicit the notion that we know another way, a better way. We demonstrate that we would rather have something else, something better. In not being enticed by sin, we demonstrate freedom from sin. This is essential to our Christian witness.
                We should not miss the contrast between these sinners who entice and the parents who instruct from verses 8-9. Parents have been through the path before, they have seen the results of the foolishness of the young, they have seen what lies ahead of the enticers, and where their sins will lead them. The father who writes this warns his son, he entreats, he reasons, he makes clear the danger. We also ought to do this with our children, and we ought to heed the words of our parents.
Prayer
Father, You have warned us of the dangers of sin, and have shown what lies down that path. Father we have been warned, we have been shown; yet how often do we ignore the warning and forget the demonstrations, and give way to enticements we have followed before. Ah, Lord have they ever satisfied? Has sin ever delivered on a promise? No, and still we listen to empty words. Forgive us Lord, and teach us wisdom that we might live. We thank you for Christ who made a way for us to be free from sin, who has opened a better path by grace which is walked in faith. May we walk the path well and so prove to be Your children, and may those who suffer under sin’s tyranny see the difference in us and so seek You and find You and the life that is in You. May all things conform to Your wise will to Your glory forever and ever. Amen.
Song
I’d rather have Jesus

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