“In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.”
When I worked with teenagers, it was not unusual to be in a conversation where a young person expressed frustration over why God was against them having fun. I admit that religion has often labeled things as sin that God never did. However, many times they were talking about real sin and felt that God “made” them avoid it so they couldn’t have fun. Premarital sex, smoking a little marijuana, and other teenage temptations were seen as harmless fun. They believed God (and adults) warned them against these things because they simply did not want them to have fun. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parents don’t keep toddlers from playing in the interstate out of spite, but out of love and a desire for them to have a full and safe journey through life. Solomon is reminding us that the wicked want us to believe they are living an exciting and fun life. Yet it doesn’t take much observation to realize just how deceived they are. Snares represent the irritations and obstacles that sinful behavior causes on our journey. Pitfalls are those sudden consequences from which we often never fully recover. Solomon, as Scripture often does, warns us to avoid the ways of sin and the sinful. Those warnings are given out of love and compassion. God wants us to experience everything He offers through the abundant life His Son died to give us. Today, avoid sin and live abundantly. #BeTheEdge
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” — Jesus
