Proverbs Devotion - Day 23

Have you ever been deceived? Maybe by an advertisement for a product that proved to be nothing like its description. Maybe by a politician you believed would actually follow through on a promise. Maybe by your favorite sports team because they made you believe that this was their year. We have all been deceived at times in our lives. Unfortunately, what most often deceives us is the very thing we know is working to deceive us from the very beginning. Of course, that thing is sin. The final few verses of Proverbs 23 paint a vivid description of the deceptive nature of sin through the illustration of drunkenness.

Verse 31 shows how sin always begins. It begins with the temptation to partake of it through an appeal to the senses. In this case, it is an appeal to the eyes because the wine looks good. Ever since the very first sin committed by humanity in the Garden of Eden, sin has come upon us in the same way. It appeals to us by looking good (lust of the eyes), by promising that it will make us feel good (lust of the flesh), and declaring that it will actually make us good (pride of life). The instruction of Solomon in this verse is to not even look at the temptation. It will present itself as beautiful, satisfying, and completely within our control. We know this is true when we are removed from any form of temptation. Yet the reality is that, when faced with that temptation, our sin nature leads us to forget it. We convince ourselves that this time it will be different. Our fallenness leads us to believe that we can master our own nature and control our own destinies.

The following verses quickly strip away such an illusion that we paint for ourselves. Verse 32 tells the truth that sin brings nothing but death. It is the bite of a serpent or the sting of an adder. When we partake in that thing that we were so sure we could control, it corrupts our minds, pollutes our hearts, and paralyzes the senses. The description of verse 34 is particularly enlightening. The imagery of this verse describes a person who believes themselves to be in complete safety, not realizing that they are in terrible danger that will lead to their death. This is the reality of a fallen nature that has not been redeemed by Jesus. Sin does not simply cause a person to stumble, but it enslaves and blinds the participant to its realities. Apart from the grace of God, the human heart will always choose the thing that will bring about its own destruction.

The great weight of this passage is brought to bear with the final verse of the chapter. The sinner is beaten, bruised, and insensible, yet upon waking from their stupor, rather than control their desires and put away the poison that is killing them, they say, “I must have another drink.”  This is the ultimate paradox of sin. It promises freedom but delivers absolute bondage. Left to ourselves, we do not learn from our misery; we return to it. We cannot break our own chains because our fallen desires actively love the chains. John says this clearly in his gospel when he states that “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:19-20).

How do we escape this cycle? The Gospel provides the answer that the law cannot. We do not overcome the deep, intoxicating power of sin by sheer willpower or moral resolve. We overcome it through regeneration by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, who replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. The irony in overcoming sin is that, in essence, we don’t. Christ did, and when we are brought into relationship with Christ, made one with him, then the power of sin is broken, and we are free to live in the holy and righteous life to which we are called. Sin is the master of the person outside of Christ. True freedom is found only when we are bound to a different Master, captured by the "expulsive power of a new affection." The love of God in Jesus Christ. As a time of reflection today, think about what that “sparkling cup” is in your life. What is that sin that is trying to make you believe that you can control it and tame it to your will, rather than be enslaved by it? Whatever it is, do not try to defeat it in your own strength. Give it to the Lord, and rest in the power of His strength to crush and defeat all sin.