My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like [a]Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious [b]possessions,
We shall fill our houses with [c]spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
Proverbs 1:10-14
The wicked don’t like to go it alone. They want comrades to make the job easier to do, easier to justify, and more enjoyable along the way.
So they bait the hook with promises to others who might join them: “It’ll be secret; it’ll be safe; we’ll swallow them before they know it’s coming; we’ll split all the proceeds.” Solomon hadn’t heard of the English proverbs “Crime doesn’t pay” and “There is no honor among thieves”, but he anticipates them both.
Contrary to their self-evaluations, criminals are the stupid class. They’re lazy when it comes to an honest day’s work, but make considerable effort to do things that are doomed to fail. Most get caught long before getting rich or even making ends meet. Solomon exhorts his son to reject them (“Do not consent” v. 10) but he also sketches how hollow the lies are–”all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil.” Think of the average modern burglary which lasts a couple minutes and the thieves make off with a TV and maybe some jewelry. Or of scam call centers in the third world trying to rip off senior citizens. These are not rich people. Others like Bernie Madeoff get rich for a time, but then the walls of the pyramid come tumbling down. And that purse everyone was supposed to share, if someone will steal from the innocent, what are the chances they’ll steal from one another?
It’s not criminals that believe lies of easy money. At a University of Washington Volleyball game, all over Hed Ed Pavilion there were ads for casinos and the Washington Lottery. Students and fans at our prestigious universities are prey to bets where the house always wins. At least with the casinos it’s private enterprise. The lottery is our government selling the slightest possibility of wealth (“So you’re saying there’s a chance!”) to people mostly in lower income brackets who can’t afford it. The issue here isn’t arithmetic but wisdom.
The wise know that if you work hard, you can buy stuff and enjoy it without fear of incarceration. When Paul says, “But godliness with contentment is gain” (1 Tim. 6:6), he contrasts faithfulness with those who want to use piety to enrich themselves. But godliness is great gain–of far more than material prosperity, but often of material prosperity as well. Do honest work consistently, reject fools and their false promises, fear the Lord who is the beginning of all wisdom, and you will be blessed in every way.