If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; 12 let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse"- 15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; 16 for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. 17 How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! 18 These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! 19 Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it. ~ Proverbs 1:11-19Like the hungry coyote, the enemy just waits for the one who is caught unaware, sitting idly and comfortably at the river's edge without a care.
Remember the story of the fox and the hen? She needed to get to the other side of the river. The fox said, come, I will take you across the river on my back. The hen nervously refused. But the sly fox kept at her, "surely I will not harm you, trust me." Again and again the hen backed away but at last her desire to get to the other side wore her defenses down and she climbed upon the trusted fox. As he swam to the other side, he suddenly turned and snatched her into his mouth.
Satan is beguiling, as we saw in the Garden of Eden, when he convinced Eve to indulge in the forbidden fruit. The enemy often comes masked as a charming friend or willing helper.
We have all fallen prey to such fools. Maybe it was a friend who convinced us we could have one drink or a parent who scoffs at us for trying to abstain from sweets. Consider those times and how you handled them. What might you have done differently to avoid falling into temptation? Wisdom learns from its mistakes.
These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
In the end, we all pay for our actions. Whether we are led astray or lead others down the wrong path. Prudence considers ones options carefully.
Father protect us from our own ignorance. Holy Spirit alert us to the ways of the enemy. Jesus thank You for Your word and promises - all we need is in Scripture! Trusting in the name of Jesus alone, amen.
