Pro Verbs 1:10-19

The next paragraph of Proverbs, from the NET Bible:

My child, if sinners try to entice you,
do not consent!
If they say, “Come with us!
We will lie in wait to shed blood;
we will ambush an innocent person capriciously.
We will swallow them alive like Sheol,
those full of vigor like those going down to the Pit.
We will seize all kinds of precious wealth;
we will fill our houses with plunder.
Join with us!
We will all share equally in what we steal.”
My child, do not go down their way,
withhold yourself from their path;
for they are eager to inflict harm,
and they hasten to shed blood.
Surely it is futile to spread a net
in plain sight of any bird,
but these men lie in wait for their own blood,
they ambush their own lives!
Such are the ways of all who gain profit unjustly;
it takes away the life of those who obtain it!

Hmmm. I guess Enron and the current financial mess (and its purported fixes) aren’t new things under the sun. Anyway, before you read on, ask yourself these questions:

1. What happened in the text?
2. What do I learn about God?
3. What should I do about it?

As for my responses:

1. What happened in the text?
   We are warned against plotting for unjust financial gain, which is wrapped up in physically harming people.
2. What do I learn about God?
   He doesn’t approve of schemers and greed.
   In His economy, those who profit unfairly lose what’s good about living.
3. What should I do about it?
   I need to be sure that my objective isn’t money. It seems that one impact of focusing on wealth is that people and their pain don’t matter enough anymore. We’ve been living a relatively Spartan lifestyle – e.g., smallish house, few meals out, cars with lots of miles on them – but that itself doesn’t ensure that money takes a proper place in my value system. What makes me more worried is that I am less compassionate than I ought to be, and when people don’t matter enough, something inappropriate can take top place. God, please continue to develop in me care and concern for people, and help me to look to you to meet my physical and financial needs.