Do you know that every day, in every situation we face, we have choices to make that will either lead to ruin or to a life of wisdom?
We are personally and morally responsible for the choices we make. Personal responsibility is one of the core values that the Christian worldview holds to. It means that none of us is a victim.
Today in our passage, we are going to encounter 4 different kinds of people that the author of Proverbs calls foolish and evil because their behavior, and choices lead to ruin. Let’s observe their behavior, and the choices they made which demonstrate that they are not wise in God’s eyes. These examples are given for our benefit so that we don’t make the same foolish choices.
Our first road to ruin is gambling or speculation
1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion — and give your neighbor no rest! 4 Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler (Proverbs 6:1-5, NIV).
The issue here is of speculative gambling, going into a business venture or investment with an unknown person or at least, not a trusted known friend.
Think along the lines of an offer to get rich quick, which is never the style of a wise person.
The strong advice given by our teacher here is:
Like a trapped animal in a snare, do whatever you can to get out of your verbal commitment of a foolish decision. Humiliate yourself if you have to.
Do not let your pride hold you back from begging, pursuing, pestering if you like, if you have made an unwise decision.
How about us? Do we sometimes make foolish choices to get rich quick? Do we take a chance on the lottery?Are we tempted by the promise of a quick gain, instead of a slower but wiser choice of sound, more prudent investing? Are we impatient and want things now?
One of the lies that satan plants in our thinking is: A picture of something more than we deserve that God is withholding from us.
“Satan’s great lie is: I can show you the way to more than God offers to us.”
In contrast to the fool, we see the Gospel and the choices Jesus made. For our sake and to please His Father, Jesus did not take short cuts or avoid His painful path.
The second example of a road to ruin is - the lazy one, deadbeat, loafer, the couch potato
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 6:6-11, NIV).
Please notice the close connection in attitude and choices between these two fools. Both are avoiding the hard work of real life. But the two choices are in direct contrast to each other. Both are foolish ideas.
As we read through Proverbs, the lazy man is never equated with a poor person. What this means is that we should not treat a lazy person and the poor in the same way even though we may find them in the same condition—desperate and needy.
As Christians, we should care about and be generous to the poor. However, we should not have pity for or help those who are lazy.
The lazy one’s situation is a lifestyle choice.
He enjoys being lazy, is glad to receive handouts when they come his/her way, but is unwilling to take on the hard work of personal responsibility.
In order to get a more complete picture of the person that is described here in Proverbs 6:6, we need to read Proverbs 24:30-34:
30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 24:30-34, NIV).
We see a field that has fallen into complete ruin over a long period of neglect.
“It is a personal choice to be lazy.”
There are different kinds of laziness that may apply to us here today besides avoiding work. For example:
What do we put on our, “to do” list? Do we have such a list? Does it list only those matters we enjoy doing, or does it include what needs to be done even if I don’t like the task?
There is laziness about developing a regular, consistent pattern of spiritual disciplines; Bible reading, meditation on what I have read, and prayer.
There is laziness or unwillingness to commit to be involved and actively contribute to a local church body.
John Stott’s last book was on the church as he reflected on this age. He used a critical phrase to described the current phenomena of the, unchurched Christian. He described this person as, a grotesque anomaly, that the Bible does not condone.
For our sake, Jesus was disciplined, faithful, and obedient in all that He did. In John 5:17 Jesus said,
17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17, NIV)
“His work took him to the cross for our sake and benefit.”
A third road to ruin is following the example of an evil person
12 A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, 13 who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, 14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict. 15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy (Proverbs 6:12-15).
It is important to observe that the tone and language used in this example has changed dramatically from the first two. We are now on much more dangerous ground.
It is the same word that Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 6:15 to describe the devil.
15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:15, NIV)
One of the difficult, unpleasant decisions that people in our age struggle with is to actually name and call out those who are evil by intent, purpose.
In our tolerant, non-judgmental society or culture, everyone is free to live their own life as he/she chooses without labels. This culturally controlled attitude fails to recognize and admit that at a heart level, all people desire to do evil; which means to act contrary to God’s moral Law, to act foolishly.
Mankind is not now in the same innocent moral condition in which we were originally created by God. The Bible clearly teaches that all mankind is fallen, distorted, corrupted in different ways and that this corruption has touched every part of us.
Please notice all the subtle, specific words used to describe this evil person:
Speaks with a corrupt mouth
Winks with a malicious eye as invite to join him in doing evil
Signals with his feet that here is the way to go to do evil
Motions with his fingers
But the brutal truth is described in verse 14:
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict (Proverbs 6:14, NIV).
This is his/her goal, this is what they enjoy doing. They have no other goal than to do wrong.
The sad ending is described in verse 15:
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy (Proverbs 6:15, NIV).
But the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that he came and died to defeat the evil that exists in all of us and to set us free.
The Gospel says that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Our road is to believe and accept this gracious and merciful promise from a God who loves us.
Finally, we are given 7 examples of evil that are the road to ruin
16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community (Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV).
If we were to classify these distasteful, evil traits, these abominations they are comprised of:
One sin of attitude: pride
One sin of thought: a heart that devises wicked schemes
Two sins of speech: lying and false witness
Two sins of action: shedding innocent blood, running to do evil
Proverbs ends with the goal in verse 19:
19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community (Proverbs 6:19, NIV).
In stark contrast to all these examples of fools, stands in bold color Jesus Christ.
For our sake and redemption:
He never took a short cut.
He never follow the lies of Satan to a safer, easier way.
He never failed to fulfil his work completely and with joy.
He never acted or spoke with evil intentions.
He now invites us, His Children, to live in true freedom and wisdom and to ask His Spirit to form His life in ours and guide us in making wise choices.
One of the marks of a truly wise person is to recognize and admit that he cannot live a wise life in his own strength and wisdom. God never intended that we should try.
