Avoiding Perversity in our Lives . . . Proverbs 22:5

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them. Proverbs 22:5

Perversity . . . why is it wise to avoid being someone who is perverse?  That is the subject of today's proverb of the day.  The perverse man is the crooked man.  This word is used to describe someone who is morally, religiously, and socially given to perversion.  We read elsewhere in Proverbs 11:20 that God hates the perverse.  So this kind of lifestyle is one that we want to avoid at all costs. 

God says that thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse.  It is interesting that the perverse man thinks that everything is fine with him and with his lifestyle.  He may even feel that he will get ahead if he twists a few things here and there.  But the truth is that he is navigating a way that is full of thorns and snares.  We see this best when a banker or businessman is finally caught after being morally bankrupt.  The day comes when he is eventually caught in one of the snares.  The day comes when he faces the cost of walking through thorns.  The scrapes begin to add up and the scars make his skin ugly over time.  The snare that catches him trips him up all at once - and usually comes with a humiliating set of consequences. 

What are we to do about these things?  Scripture tells us that we need to "guard" ourselves from them.  The word "guard" here is our old friend "shamar" and means to be watchful and careful.  It means to set up a watch like a bodyguard over our lives.  We should have signs set up in our lives that say, "beware, perversity is near" and then avoid those paths and choices like we would the plague itself!  This is the wise and circumspect choice.  This is the way to avoid thorns and snares.  This is the way to walk a life that will be blessed with protection here and now - and great reward in the end.