OF MEN AND BIRDS
Proverbs 1:17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
The proverb above appears in the midst of a long litany of specific warnings about certain actions and their consequences. It is a simile the father uses to instruct his son that these actions are nets that will ensnare him.
What are these actions? They are the actions of those who prey on innocent people to steal from them unaware. They are the actions not only of those who stalk a house until the opportune time to break in, but also of those who prey against senior citizen with tricky offers that rob them of their life savings. These actions are the strategy of smart businesses who lure people into buying things they don’t need, or even unhealthy and ungodly things. These actions never go unpunished. In this simile, the father instructs his son that these actions have an uncanny boomerang effect; they return, and ensnare their executors (v: 18,19).
By performing such vile acts with such cruel intent, a man spreads a net for his own captivity. Reading these proverbs a man is warned. He can see the net and can avoid it. Bird catchers know why it is vain to spread a net in the sight of any bird. Birds instinctively avoid visible spread nets. God has put in them this sense of prudence.
How is it that man cannot do the same as birds? How is it that birds see the net and avoid it, and men don’t?
Proverbs 1:17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
The proverb above appears in the midst of a long litany of specific warnings about certain actions and their consequences. It is a simile the father uses to instruct his son that these actions are nets that will ensnare him.
What are these actions? They are the actions of those who prey on innocent people to steal from them unaware. They are the actions not only of those who stalk a house until the opportune time to break in, but also of those who prey against senior citizen with tricky offers that rob them of their life savings. These actions are the strategy of smart businesses who lure people into buying things they don’t need, or even unhealthy and ungodly things. These actions never go unpunished. In this simile, the father instructs his son that these actions have an uncanny boomerang effect; they return, and ensnare their executors (v: 18,19).
By performing such vile acts with such cruel intent, a man spreads a net for his own captivity. Reading these proverbs a man is warned. He can see the net and can avoid it. Bird catchers know why it is vain to spread a net in the sight of any bird. Birds instinctively avoid visible spread nets. God has put in them this sense of prudence.
How is it that man cannot do the same as birds? How is it that birds see the net and avoid it, and men don’t?
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