The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But ruin to the workers of iniquity.  Proverbs 10:29

There is a lifestyle that comes with knowing and walking with the Lord.  That lifestyle is laid out for us in the Scriptures as we read of the things that God loves and also the things that He hates.  The proverb for today refers to these things as "the way of Jehovah."  Let's take a look at this today and hopefully become wiser as a result.

The word "way" here is the Hebrew word "derek" which refers to a way, a path, a road - and is used often to speak of a way of walking or living.  That is why when we see this word we should think of a lifestyle that one has due to the daily choices they make.  The way or lifestyle of which we speak is that of the Lord.  This word is Jehovah - which is the covenant name of God.  So often in Scripture God will speak with His chosen people and lay out a covenant promise.  These are usually worded as "if-then" statements.  If you will follow the Lord, then He will bless you.  What God seeks to do when He says these things is not set up a works mentality in our relationship with Him.  What He is seeking to do is to encourage us to understand that making choices consistent with His Word and way will bring great blessing to our lives. 

We are told here that this way of Jehovah - is a stronghold to the upright.  The word for stronghold is the Hebrew word "maoz."  It speaks of a fortress.  That fortress is considered a shelter, a refuge, and a place of great safety.  It is one that often worked in two ways.  It provided natural defense points - but also was situated in such a way that one could easily see the enemy approaching.  This gave those in the stronghold protection - and it gave them time to prepare for the coming enemy onslaught.  Scripture indicates that God is that fortress - as well as our strength and defense (Psalm 27:1).  As we walk with Him in His way - we will find a natural defense against sin - as well as warnings about the enemy and how he will seek to tempt us and get us to rebel against God.  As we learn that "way" our lives will be changed by God's Word and His power.  We will be delivered from sin - and will better know how to escape the lies of the devil daily.

But the same "way of the Lord" that is a stronghold to the upright - is ruin to those who choose to rebel against God.  The word "iniquity" is very important for us to understand if we are to grasp the protection of God afforded to us by walking in His way.  The word is from the Hebrew word "awen" and it means, "nothingness, mischief, emptiness, and vanity."  The word is used to signify those who pursue meaningless things.  They do not walk in God's Word or in God's way.  They choose instead ungodliness - which leads them to chase after falsehood.  God told us His Word is truth.  That protects us - but it also speaks ruin for those who decide they prefer deceit and the lies of this world and of the devil.  Another way "awen" is used is to signify an idol - which tells us clearly that those who run after iniquity have made a god of their own.  They are worshipping an idol they have created - and prefer to have their idol confirm "their own" truth - as opposed to living by the truth of God - His Word.  This is the ruin of the ungodly.  They will receive no protection from God's way.  Instead they will run headlong into God's wrath and judgment for their disobedience and deceitful choices. 

Two ways are put before us in today's proverb.  There is the way of making your own god and deciding your own truth.  Such a way is foolish because it only amplifies the rebellion that is in the human heart due to the Fall of man.  That way will ruin those who follow it.  The other way is to choose a truth outside of ourselves.  It is to realize the truth is not in us - it is in God.  Therefore we choose to turn to Him.  We choose to turn to the way He has given us His truth - the Word of God.  We also choose daily to walk by His truth (the truth) knowing that by doing so we will have a refuge, a protection, indeed a stronghold to keep us from evil - and to keep us FOR fellowship with our loving, gracious God.

His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.
Proverbs 5:22

Part of the reason that a father needs to teach his son about moral and sexual sanity is that without it - his son will be trapped and enslaved by his own lusts and by the sexual sin that runs rampant in our world.  That is what today's proverb wants to teach us - that sexual sin by its very nature is something that will capture and enslave us if we allow it in our lives. 

The father tells his son about the one who allows his sexual sin to run loose in his life.  He says that "his own iniquities will capture the wicked."  Let's look at that phrase piece by piece to see what is teaches us.  First we see that we are pointed toward personal responsibility for our actions.  It is not the sin of the harlot that captures the sexually insane.  It is HIS OWN INIQUITIES that will capture and enslave him.  Too often guys want to blame women for their sins.  If the ladies would dress more modestly . . . if the ladies would be more discreet . . . if women wouldn't flirt.  There are so many different things we can try to do to shift the blame away from ourselves - but the fact still remains - that our own iniquities are what are going to capture us.  We cannot blame anyone else for the state of our heart or the choices that we make in life.  The fact is that we will have to give an account for every one of our own actions.  Sexual sin begins with a choice in our hearts and minds - not in the actions of anyone else.  So what if women dress immodestly - don't look!  So what if women are not discreet and flirt with us - ignore them and pay them no attention.  At the root of ANY SIN is a choice by the one who committed it to act in that way.  So the teaching here is simple - DON'T CHOOSE TO SIN.

The second thing we see here is that these iniquities are a trap.  We read that these sins will capture the wicked.  The word for "capture" here is the Hebrew word, "lakad" which means to capture or catch something.  It speaks of seizing something - like a city or an individual.  The nature of sexual sin is the nature of the snare or the trap.  The bait is the woman and her looks or her flattery.  The trap is the sex or the lust itself.  When we choose to look in a sinful way - or to act on lusts within us - the trap snaps shut and we are captured.  In a way the father is trying to get his son to see the trap in sexual sin.  The last thing we see here is that the trap and the bondage is for the wicked.  There is a very clear moral choice that we make when we choose to commit sexual sin.  That is a choice to depart from righteousness and instead walk in the way of the wicked.  The father is emphasizing this so that his son will have a very clear sense of warning to stay away from situations and from acting according to his lusts.

The father closes this verse with a very scary picture.  The wicked man will be held with the cords of his sin.  The picture painted by the dad here is of a man whose hands and feet are tied fast with ropes or cords.  He cannot move.  But the picture here is speaking of sin as the cords and the ropes.  Every time he sins - he simply adds another rope - another cord that ties him down.  They are tightened with each new instance and with each new foray into the kind of sexual behavior that is outside the bounds of Scripture.  The more the young man yields to temptation and sexual immorality, the more he is held fast by new cords and new ropes that bind him ever tighter.  Were it not for the Lord's ability to deliver us from our sin and our choices - we would have no hope at all.  That is why the father employs such graphic pictures which which to warn his son against such immoral behavior.  Such choices have very serious consequences.  And it is these very consequences which the father desires to deliver his son from - delivering him from bondage and from shame.