Articles
Proverbs To Live By (5:22-23)
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
We see this time and again in others, and we have no doubt personally experienced it: We make a foolish decision, engage in sin and pay a terrible, unexpected price for it. Sometimes a sinful choice sets in motion a chain of events that causes disaster or damage we never envisioned. Our lies catch up to us; our unfaithfulness is exposed; our gossip returns to destroy our integrity.
There is not a one-for-one correlation of sin to earthly consequence. In other words, our sins might not cause an immediate, negative outcome (an earthly outcome, that is). But sin does have a way of lying dormant and manifesting itself at a later time. Or it may morph into something bigger and the situation explodes out of our control.
The solution is simple: Do what is right! God’s people must be confident that doing right is always the best course. The full benefit might not be immediately apparent, but over time the choice of godliness will be vindicated. Obedience to God is always the wise decision.
