My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
Proverbs 1:15-19
Unlike eastern mysticism that divorces wisdom from real life, Proverbs provides the kind of practical instruction equivalent to “Change your oil every 3000 miles and balance your checkbook.” (Not that you use a checkbook!) Simplistic Christians reply “I know that” and therefore conclude they need not read Proverbs, but those with a little wisdom can get a glimpse of its depths of divine insight.
Paul summarizes what Solomon describes in this passage: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits,’” (1 Cor. 15:33). The wicked walk in the way of evil, and even if you aren’t strictly speaking participating (“Officer, I wasn’t doing anything, just along for the ride”), the net will catch everyone. Hang out with fools unthinkingly and your good desires will be corrupted and eventually your habits.
We saw previously that there is no honor among thieves; they’ll rip each other off at first opportunity. Here he makes a more subtle point: “but they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives.” Like all sin, diving into greed is a death-wish. Those consumed with it can’t stop gazing at the things they wish they had. You used to have to order a catalogue or go to the mall to covet stuff for hours on end; now you can just scroll until you run out of battery. What happens to the liberty of the covetous? Greed “takes away the life of its owner.” Before anyone gets caught or arrested, they’ve already voluntarily given up their freedom and traded it for desiring things they can’t lawfully have and therefore truly enjoy.
One of the great gifts of the gospel is satisfaction. Satis, from the Latin word satis, means “enough.” To receive the gift of Christ Himself is to have the fullness of God. Knowing that He will provide all you need and more than you could rightly want provides contentment in whatever circumstances you find yourself, whether abased or abounding. We’re not gnostics so this doesn’t divorce us from the material world but restores us to be able to rightly use and enjoy it. Covetousness confines its owner; contentment sets us free to eat and drink and enjoy all the gifts of God.