“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” (Pr 1:10 AV)
Great advice. I am particularly moved by the word ‘consent’. To give consent is to allow something. Either directly or indirectly. We might use the word ‘yield’. To give consent is to give permission. It is to allow those who are bent on sinning the permission to entice the saint to join them. This leads to an obvious but often forgotten truth when applied to temptation. We give consent. We are not forced into it. We are not entrapped. We give consent. Especially when the temptation toward sin involves the actions and invitations of others. We are not strong-armed. We are not intimidated. We are not coerced. We are enticed, and we give consent. This then suggests the very obvious. If we give consent, we can also refuse to give consent. If we give in, we can also refrain. The act of giving consent is our choice. Solomon is the wise king who is sharing with his children the nature of how sin works. Sin is not forced upon us. We are not hopeless victims of sin's enticements. Rather, we yield. We give consent. Paul had something to say about this very thing in Romans chapter six. Yielding is our failure.
The state fair was one of those places my wife and I enjoyed. We enjoyed different things. I enjoyed the conference center. It was packed with salesmen of all different stripes. Most of the stuff for sale was cheap stuff you could order from late-night infomercials. But I also liked the outside venues with craftsmen selling their art or work. It was all overpriced, so rarely did we pick something up. But it was interesting and impressive. The skill of some of those artisans was exemplary. There was one place, however, I avoided. Absolutely no interest. I never went to the arcade section. All the games are rigged. There is no chance of winning anything of any value. Unless you are addicted to risk versus small reward, the arcade isn’t for you. However, my wife and her family would drag me through there just to see how hard the game-runners were pitching their offering. It was relentless. Sort of like those people in the middle of the mall who are trying to sell you an new phone contract or a massage. They will not leave you alone no matter how much you say no. The only answer is to walk away. Do not consent. Just turn and focus on something else.
This is the nature of sin. Many times, we fall because we gave consent. Solomon suggests a sort of powerful autonomy we are all endowed with. We do not have to be somewhere or do something. We have the power of self-determination. If wickedness comes our way, we do not need to yield. The world tries to tell us that we cannot live without their offerings. After all, our life will never reach the fulness of pleasure in that which they have to offer. Not true. Just walk away! As you drive down the road, you are hit with billboard after billboard selling you something you do not need. Then there are the floppy inflatables doing their weird dances in front of car dealerships. There are spotlights dancing in the sky. There are commercials on radio, TV, and every minute or so as you use an app. Wickedness entices. We do not need to give consent. The choice is ours. We are free. As Jesus says, we are free indeed. Time to say no thank you. Time to turn the other way. It is time to claim our autonomy and walk with God rather than the wickedness of mankind!