What does Proverbs 1:13 mean?
This verse changes the game a bit. Now, the lure shifts to what you will get out of it. The incentive becomes the personal benefits of sin. The fictional "sinner" speaks of the riches that you will come by, and what will be found. At this point, we see that the temptation has all the makings of a common manipulation tactic. First, "You won't be alone, we will do it together." Second, "They really have it coming anyway." Third, "We will get rich in the process." It would be easy for anyone to fall into this trap and be enticed by sin.Many people, in fact, have fallen into sin for these very reasons. All too often, that starts with a desire for the "riches," or the benefits. The rest is just an attempt to justify our sin. Very few people participate in sin because they think it is wrong and that it will lead to disaster. We justify our actions in an effort to say they really aren't "bad," or at least, "not that bad." And, we fool ourselves into thinking that we can get away with it, without any consequences. Solomon uses an extreme example to make a point, but the same silly thinking—and the same proper response—is meant to apply to us, even in less outrageous situations.