“Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Proverbs 9:17-18 (NASB)
If sin was not enjoyable to our flesh, no one would do it. Proverbs calls secret sin “sweet” and “pleasant”and our fallen natures desire to be appeased by it. What we have to understand is that while sin IS satisfying, it is only a temporary satisfaction. We must remember that “secret” sins aren’t really secret. Even “secret” sins cannot be hidden from God. What we try to hide from Him will be “shouted from the rooftops” (Luke 12:3). What we also have to understand is that sin always has a price and the treasure that sin promises is really just counterfeit gold. The real payoff of sin isn’t happiness, it is death (Romans 3:23). God’s word warns us that “the souls that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Let the wisdom of the proverbs be a warning to us to continue in walk in the light and avoid the temptation of the darkness. Let us also be encouraged to confess those deeds done in darkness and trust in God’s promise to faithful forgive those who repent of their “secret” sins (1 John 1:9).
Questions for application…
What should we bear in mind when tempted to sin?
How should we respond after we have fallen into sin?
What does sin promise and what does it actually deliver?
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