Proverbs 1:17-19 (ESV)
17 For in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;
they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.
God has given the birds insight so that when they see a trapper’s net, they avoid it. The shrewd hunter must sneak up behind the birds and throw his net over their heads to capture them. But sinners aren’t as smart as the birds. Although they are usually aware of the bondage that results from sinful habits and practices, they still walk right into the trap! How foolish! Evildoers lose their own lives to the very behaviors in which they freely choose to participate. Those who are greedy for unjust gain end up with nothing of real value in the end. Consequences always follow sin, and the momentary pleasures of wickedness pale compared to the devastating effects of ungodly living. We are faced with choices every day. Will we walk into the snare of bad behavior, or fly from it like the birds? What self-indulgent desires must you run from to avoid sin’s traps today?