Enticement

Proverbs 1:10 (NKJV)

10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

This is a warning passed along from father to son, “My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.” It is a good message for any parent to give their children as they enter into the world. They need to know there are those who will lure them with greed and other methods to commit acts of sin. King Solomon continues in this chapter of Proverbs to explain the consequences for taking such actions to his son.

There are some things a person never forgets, in my case it was an act of greed enticed by a friend. I was young and my mother had taken me and a friend to a convenience store. Inside the store was a young girl probably around our age that had a handful of pennies. She accidentally dropped them and they rolled all over the floor.

My friend whispered to me, “Stand on one of those and we can pick it up when she leaves.” Back then a penny could buy you three pieces of bubble gum. So I walked over and stood on one of the pennies until the girl had picked up the others off the floor. She obviously didn’t know how many pennies she had; she was just there to buy some candy with the amount she had.

My mother was still talking to someone in the store, so I used that time as an opportunity. I picked up the penny, grabbed three pieces of bubble gum and paid with that penny. After all, it wasn’t stealing if I was paying, right? I even gave my friend one of the pieces of bubble gum for the advice. Wasn’t that sharing?

My mother had finished her conversation and she got us in the car to take us home. During the ride home my friend mentioned how I had gotten the penny and bought the bubble gum. It was at that point I felt the shame and guilt of taking that girl’s penny. If it already wasn’t bad enough, my mother gave me a lecture about STEALING the girl’s penny. The sin I committed many, many years ago is still imprinted on my mind today.

Warnings to others are important. They are important for us to give our children so they understand the consequences before they are faced with them. Warnings are important to us so we also know what not to do and keep safe. So, my friends, if sinners entice you, do not consent!