The Snare of Misery

“In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.” (Pr 29:6 AV)

The proverb seems to imply the righteous will never fall into a snare.  We know this is not true.  To be righteous does not mean to be perfectly sinless.  We know there are consequences for choices.  Whether an evil man or a righteous man, there are things that necessarily happen when sin is involved.  So, of what is our preacher speaking?  What makes a person an evil person?  What makes a righteous person a righteous person?  Is it merely the absence or presence of sin?  If so, then we must agree with Paul when he tells us there is none righteous, no not one.  If that is the case as applied in our proverb, then there is no such thing as a righteous person.  That would mean we are all in a snare and this proverb has no value at all.  So, if we were to muse on the definition of evil verse righteous and further meditate upon what this snare might be, then perhaps we can learn a simple but profound truth here.  One that could liberate our hearts and souls so that we can sing and rejoice.  Would that be a tremendous blessing?

If we assume the transgression, and not the man, contains the snare, then the righteous man who transgresses is also caught in the snare.  This cannot be what Solomon intends.  There must be a difference between the nature of the evil man and the nature of the righteous man that makes the transgression end in a snare.  What could that be?  Matthew Barnes raised a possibility that I think just might be what Solomon is sharing.  The difference isn’t that the evil man sins and the righteous man does not sin.  We know this is not the case.  We know the righteous man is not calloused, refusing the consequences of the sin to ensnare him while enjoying the fruits of his sin.  Looking at the word meaning for transgression here sheds some light.  ‘Transgression’ here is not mere sin, but rather, reflects a condition of the heart which accompanies it.  The meaning for the word transgression means rebellion or revolt.  It does not mean a specific act.  Rather, the word is speaking of a deep condition of the heart.  On the other hand, the meaning for the word righteous here means just or lawful.  In other words, the evil man is a rebel while the righteous man is justified.  Herein is the key to our proverb.

This snare could be many things.  Solomon could be referring to hell itself.  But I don’t think so.  I think the snare needs to be compared with the singing and rejoicing of the righteous man.  The snare is the absence of singing or joy.  In other words, the snare of the evil man is misery.  The absence of joy.  The evil man has no ultimate purpose of life other than to please himself.  Self cannot be pleased so he is living a pointless and miserable life.  The allurement of sin is that it can satisfy and make one happy.  The lie of rebellion is it brings freedom from the tyranny of authority and as a result, a happy life.  This is simply not true.  All one had to do is look at what is happening in our world.  There is anger.  There is resentment.  There is discontentment.  But no joy.  All over the world, there is a rising tide of rebellion.  It may appear as though this rebellion is aimed at what is perceived as an unjust culture, but what it really is aimed at is God Himself.  No wonder there is no joy.  Even if the rebels get everything they want, it will not make them happy.  To live in rebellion means a snare of misery.  If the saint has no joy and is definitely not singing, it could be he or she is living in a continuous state of unconfessed sin.  Sin is our enemy.  Sin is the destroyer.  Sin is the robber of song and joy.  If we are miserable, it just might be our own fault.