PROVERBS 1:8-19

SHUN EVIL COUNSEL
Proverbs 1:10
My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

Bible commentary:
Consent thou not. A reminder that the will is sovereign. Neither man nor devil can make us sin except by persuading us to will to do it (see Rom. 6:13). The soul must purpose the sinful act before passion can dominate over reason (see 5T 177). Sometimes men who have long resisted, submit to iniquity, feeling that they have done all that can be expected of them. But temptation, no matter how strong, is never an excuse for sin. Even though the pressure mounts with continued resistance the will can and must learn to say No-- to the very end.

Proverbs 1:11-12
11If they say, "come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent
without a cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like
Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down
to the pit;

Bible commentary:
Lay wait for blood. This bald appeal to cruelty and greed may seem to have few parallels in these civilized times. But the passions of unregenerate man have not change. Cold-blooded murders, carried out for such trifling reasons as a desire for publicity or the satisfaction of curiosity, mark our age. Callous robberies, bringing great suffering to the innocent and needy, are the daily occurrence. These verses are a much-needed warning to young men today.

Proverbs 1:19
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of it's owners.

Bible commentary:
Taketh away the life. The covetous man is heedless of the sufferings of the poor whom he oppresses and whose lives he may shorten be deprivation, whether by violence or by recognized commercial practices. The solemn warnings here enumerated indicate that such sin will bring its own evil consequences in the life as well as in the day of judgment (see Rom. 6:23; James 1:14,15).