Wisdom's Warning - Proverbs 4:16-17

Solomon gives us reasons to shun the pathway of the wicked. Here we see the character of a hardened sinner who cannot sleep until they have practiced their trade. They are like Haman, who cannot sleep until Mordecai is hanged. We are warned to shun such individuals, because they do not care who they hurt. In my ministry experience these kinds of individuals refuse to take responsibility for all the calamity they create. In fact, the individual described here is good at playing the victim and blaming everyone else for the sin they committed. This individual is continually designing and endeavoring to cause others to fall and sin against their creator. Therefore, Solomon considers them dangerous and should be avoided.

Consider the depraved mind that would rather plot ways to commit sin instead of sleeping. We really underestimate the power of sin. Their is only one power that can break such power, it is the power of the resurrected King. The only hope for such a hardened sinner is that they respond to the gospel of Christ and submit to the claims of our King. We do not coddle the sinner, we do not enable the sinner to practice their trade by supporting them. We do, however, hold them accountable and point light in the direction of their darkness.

And we need to be prepared for the reaction of the sinner. You will be called unloving, mean-spirited, legalistic, but remember these are all distractions meant to get you off their sin. Until Christ breaks them and gives them a new heart, they will lash back out. But we must stand our ground and not allow rebellion to dominate the conversation. We must have an unconditional commitment to our King and His terms. The sinner needs to understand that Christ is only interested in unconditional surrender to His Lordship.