The Death-Loving Ways of Sinners . . . Proverbs 1:11-14

If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,"  Proverbs 1:11-14

Here is the call of the sinners who want to entice the godly son to come with them.  Solomon has told his son do not consent to go with these young men.  Let's take a closer look at their enticements today and hopefully learn wisdom from seeing why doing what they say is not wise.

First we see that they want to lay in wait for some pour soul from whom they want to take their life and possessions.  They evidently have marked someone and have plans to rob them and either kill them or harm them pretty significantly.  A couple of things we should note from this.  First of all that these people are not the kind of crowd you want to frequent if you are seeking to set your ways rightly in God's sight.  There are some folks who spend a good portion of their lives looking for trouble.  Here they want to ambush some poor schlub who has no idea what is about to happen to him.  Second, they want to attack the "innocent."  This is never a good idea if we read what God thinks about harming innocent people. 

These evil men want to swallow people up - like death itself.  This is not too difficult to see since these people seem to be motivated by death and hell itself.  This reveals a condition in their hearts that is truly evil.  It is as if they embrace death itself. 

This speaks to much of our entertainment industry today.  There is a whole genre of films today that glory in violence and destruction.  It really should not shock us that the same kind of violence also is permeating our society as well.  For years I've believed that the company we keep in the movie industry also has a great deal of influence in our thinking.  Will we rise up and kill someone because we watched a movie - probably not.  But the problem becomes that we are more and more desensitized to violence and evil behavior.  Either way, it is not wise to keep the company of the wicked - or the films that they make.  Just as a principle for future use - Jesus is preoccupied with life.  If someone is preoccupied with death, destruction, the place of the dead, and the pit - probably not someone you need to hang out with in life.

 Here we see the true reason for their violence - greed.  They covet what their victims have - and desire to use it to make themselves wealthy.  Their worldly-mindedness shows itself in their desire to have money, to have wealth, to have houses filled with the spoil they gained from the destruction of anyone who had what they wanted.  Their greedy appetite will be their eventual undoing.  God's Word makes it clear that you shall not steal - and those who choose to do so - will not prosper but will eventually face the jugment of God against their actions.

The enticement for the unwise young man is that they will all have one lot - and when the plunder is theirs - one purse.  They are putting themselves together for a common cause as well as a common financial stake in all that they were going to do.  What is NOT being said here is that they will also wind up sharing a common end.  Since they have embraced violence and death - destruction and the pit - it is only fitting that they will also embrace those things as their common end as well.  This is not an exciting lifesyle (although it may seem that way here on this earth).  It is a destructive one that will end in the destruction of the one who is walking in it. 

Here we have seen the way of sinners.  We have seen the way of those who live for their wealth and schemes to take from others so that they can be rich.  We have seen those preoccupied with death and destruction.  And hopefully - as we continue in another day to see what Solomon has to say about how unwise it is to live this way - we will see how as they open their heart to pour out death and wickedness, they will find that wickedness is poured to overflowing into their hearts as well.  Here is the height of foolishness - may God give us grace that we will not fall into the company or the ways of such fools.  May instead He give us a heart of wisdom.