Proverbs 11:5-6

The righteousness of the blameless will make straight their way,
but the wicked person will fall by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
but the faithless will be captured by their own desires.

We are a family of gardeners. My Grandpa always had a big garden, growing up we always had a garden. In fact, when I was in middle school, I started growing my own garden. It started with a corner of the family garden where I could plant whatever I wanted (including some black walnut trees), moved on to a small section in the back of our yard and then I dug up a huge garden in the spot where we used to play baseball.

I remember one year, while I was watching my grandpa till up his garden with their tractor. From time to time you’d hear a bug thud go through the tiller, and see a big rock come out the back. It wasn’t desirable, but there wasn’t a whole lot you could do. You’d pick up the rock and get it out of the garden, but there were always more. Well, then there was a thud that had a different sound. It didn’t sound the same as the rock, and didn’t go away. So, Grandpa had to get off the tractor and inspect the situation. It was a mole trap he had set the previous year and had forgotten about. Luckily, one he got it out of the tiller, everything was fine – other than having gotten caught in his own trap.

The same is true for the faithless, wicked fools. They set their own traps that they too will eventually be caught in. Because of their godless ways, lack of moral judgement and lack of a common path to walk, they are constantly setting traps for themselves. That they forget about over time, but eventually come back to catch them.

When you are living by God’s word and following God’s ways, you have a moral compass. You have something that guides you and keeps you walking in the right way. You have a guide to keep you from going down the wrong path. You have a guide to keep you from making wrong decisions. You have a guide to keep you from wrong relationships and bad business practices.

When you aren’t living the Proverbious life, you don’t have a moral compass. There is nothing to guide you. There is nothing to keep you from walking in circles. And when you walk in circles, you’re eventually going to come back on a trap you set for yourself years ago.

So, walk with the wise and you won’t find yourself in a trap you made for yourself in the past.