“An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices.” Proverbs 29:6
Devotional Thought For The Day
The first part of the proverb is more general – “there is a snare in the transgressing of an evil person.” The snare certainly endangers and captures the one transgressing – “the wages of sin is death.” Our transgressing also provides a dangerous snare for others, if they are tempted or compelled by their sinful nature to join us in transgressing. So the warning is certainly applicable to us when tempted to sin, not only as to the effect that our sin has upon us but also upon others. The warning is also about sin in general, moral transgressions as well as theological transgressions, sin that we observe in the world around us, a warning that we can be “snared” by the transgressing of evil people and can also snare others by our evil example.
We don’t generally consider the insidious effects of sin; we are exposed to it all the time – people expressing evil opinions, assertions of unbelief and doubt, disrespect for God and His Word, selfishness and greed, self-righteous and impenitent sentiments, and even malicious and salacious thoughts. We take it all in stride; this is the milieu within which we have always lived, and even the pious people around us are infected with much of this and exhale it with each breath. It is much like “second-hand smoke” or air-pollution – we breathe it in and it has its effect on us completely unbeknownst to us. We then also breathe it out upon others without consideration of its effect on them, thinking that we are just “living” and not really harming anyone; but all transgression brings and exposes others to a deadly snare. Soon we are sick to death with such sin and unbelief. This is why we so desperately need God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness. Our sin is such that we can’t even fully know it [Jer. 17:9]. Thanks and praise be to God for the gift of His Son, our Savior, the blood atonement for our sins, and the redemption that we have through His blood [Eph. 1:7].
As we live in God’s love and are moved to love and shaped by His love, we have to look more closely at the dynamics of sin. We need to understand the deadly aspects of sin, that of others, and of our own sin. This drives us to greater repentance and sorrow, and to greater appreciation of God’s forgiveness and salvation, and also to greater sensitivity, care, and caution in regard to our exposure to the sin of others and the effect of our own speaking and behavior on others. The last thing that we want, when living in deep repentance and the joy of God’s gracious mercy, is to become ensnared again in sin or to ensnare others in deadly sin. The reality of the pervasiveness of sin’s infection, however, continuously drives us to ever greater repentance and greater reliance upon the kindness and patience of God, and His gift of cleansing and salvation in Christ Jesus.
This is the joy which the proverb speaks of, the joy of the righteous one who sings the praise of the God of our salvation. For the Savior Jesus Christ releases us from all of the snares of sin, cleansing us from all of our guilt and shame, and also delivering us from the power of sin so that it does not bring death to us. Rather, He suffered our death for sin, willingly enduring its snare upon the cross – and He rose again in glorious freedom and victory. His death makes us righteous and frees us from sin, and His resurrection insures that sin will never have power over us. This joy and rejoicing takes place in the midst of the stale smoke and pollution of sin, and ever lifts us above the smog of sin and death in this world – until Christ takes us to Himself in His glorious heavenly kingdom. The contrasts are stark and compelling; thanks and praise be to Christ for delivering us from the bondage of death, and to God for His enlightening Word which gives us new life in Christ.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, continue to make us more aware of and sensitive to the destructive and damning nature of sin, so that we live in constant repentance and continue to grow in eagerness to avoid the snares of transgression. Grant us the joy of Your wondrous salvation and continue to free us from sin and death. Preserve others from the deadly snares we bring to them, and grant them peace and renewal in Your gracious forgiveness. Amen.