Think like a Bird!

Probing Proverbs:1:17-19 

If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away.  But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.

Some years ago a man by the name of Reinhold Faust was sent to prison for fourteen months. In a safety deposit box of a Chicago bank he had hidden four bombs, to be used in future robberies. In order to remove all evidence, he threw away the key when he was sent to prison. But he still had a problem. He had to pay the rent on the safety deposit box regularly, or the bank would open the box and discover the bombs. For twenty-one years he paid that rent. His secret was revealed when the company decided to move, opened the box, and discovered the bombs.^[1]

Like this true story, our Proverb states a truth that is inescapable. We build our own trap, and then are caught by the very trap we made. Even birds have enough brains to avoid a trap that they have seen set. Yet, due to how deceitful our sinful heart is, we convince ourselves that we will not fall into the trap we have set. Clearly, no one with a sound mind would set a trap for himself or herself, so it is important that we do some more investigation.

What is that trap? The context is from the verses before, which deal with those far from God and how they try to get others to join with them in their sin, also pointing out that they hurry into evil. Consider, the “trap” is that we have two voices speaking to us; one is from the Lord encouraging us to remain close to Him. The other is from the world system and our own flesh. We need to pay close attention to how God's Word deliberately provokes us. This is stating that we are not as wise as BIRDS! Even birds know enough to stay away from a trap. Evil is a trap! In the end, the evil you intended for others, or the “gain” you attain in an evil way, will entrap you. Many times our pain is self-inflicted!

God’s message is clear and simple: “Abide with Me and you shall really live life!” The other message is to gratify ourselves through pleasuring of the flesh. Also a clear message…however the “trap” is in the details. We allow our heart to believe that the things the world is telling us will bring true satisfaction will in fact do so! The message of the world is set at a pace that will not afford a person time to reflect and truly weigh the cost for those things. This Proverb specifies money as the object we pursue. We crave money but getting it the wrong way will "ROB" us of something much more valuable - Life! The man that slaves to make a million dollars - all the while his wife and kids live in a mansion with all the toys...ALONE! He got all the “things” but never enjoyed his real life - his wife and kids. What a principle that we all need to get! The very thing you are craving for will be the thing that steals from you! This does not stop with money. It applies to every pleasure the world offers. Take a moment here and realize, the “pleasure” itself may not be evil! God loves to give people gifts of comfort, fame, accomplishment, love, etc. The trap is in “HOW” we get that pleasure. When God gives it and we are abiding in Him, the pleasure we experience is on every level: emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual. Most important, it is eternal! If God chooses to make you rich, you see its value in how you can use it the way He would. How you handle that stewardship is eternal. When you decide you must be rich and hurry to get it, even if you accomplish that, most do not, you find the emptiness that history has shown of the inward misery of so many that have gained the world their way, apart from God.

I can attest to this reality, not with money, but with other things. When I have allowed my heart to believe the world’s message of how to have pleasure, I have fallen into that trap of sin. It is NEVER worth it! When I am abiding in Him, He allows me to squeeze every ounce of pleasure out of the thing He entrusted me with.    

“The so what?” Which message are you listening to? When you have been trapped by sin, have you taken the time to process how that happened? What can you learn if you do that? Do you believe that God loves to give good things to you? Why? Why not? If you were to get everything you wanted right now, how do you think that would affect your life?

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^[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 388). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.