DON'T WAYLAY HARMLESS SOULS

"My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, ‘Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse'—my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood."

      In the first chapter of Proverbs, King Solomon warns us against being seduced by sinners and exhorts us to seek and follow the ways of wisdom.  What does he mean by his graphic description?  Aside from the truly deranged, very few people would ever attempt to gain a following by saying, "let's lie in wait for someone's blood; let's waylay some harmless soul."  That certainly doesn't sound very desirable to me.  Is the author only encouraging us to stay away from grisly murder?  Surely more is meant than that.  So what is he warning us against?

      I challenge the reader to think of this passage from the opposite point of view.  While you may have never murdered anyone (or even if you have), we can do things that are just as destructive (or even more so) to a person's walk with the Lord.  What have you ever done to waylay someone's soul?

      When we say spiteful things that tempt someone to respond in anger; when we laugh at dirty jokes; when we subtly—or not so subtly—encourage a member of the opposite sex to act in a less-than-holy manner; when we intentionally watch movies known to contain ungodly content with others; when we say nothing about obvious sin and thereby give our silent approval—when we do all of these things, we directly or indirectly give credence to sin, encouraging others to forsake righteousness.  As Solomon states, we might as well lie in wait for their blood than to do things that would lead others away from the path of the straight and narrow.

      And, of course, this doesn't even address the effects of our own example.

      As Paul puts it, "Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way" (Romans 14:13, NIV).  So the next time you involve others in what may seem to be even the slightest of sins, think about what you are really doing.  You are enticing them to commit further evil—you are promoting sin.  Pray for the strength to never be a stumbling block for anyone else.  May we never be the ones to waylay some harmless soul.

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