Considering Proverbs 12:12

The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit (Proverbs 12:12).

Sometimes the ways of sin seem attractive to us. We look at how the wicked conduct themselves brazenly without shame, and how they prosper because of it. In our weakness, we might envy them and feel tempted to imitate them. Desiring the ways of evil is a net, enslaving us to Satan. If we do not return to God, then the net we are trapped in becomes a net for others as well, because our conduct has a negative influence on them.

On the other hand, if we are firmly rooted in the good things of God, then the result is far better—not just for ourselves, but for others as well. It is better to produce things that help ourselves and others grow in the things of the Spirit of God, like humility, brotherly love, self-control, joy in the Lord, and an unshakable peace that is based on our faith in God and obedience to Him. These are far better than the nets of wickedness that bring things like vain glory, pride, ungodly competitiveness and envy, self-indulgence and addictions that never bring true happiness, and temporary joys rooted in love of self and love of pleasure.

Jesus once said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If we are rooted in the good things of God, then we will see heavenly results, namely growing in our knowledge and love of God and our love of mankind in general. In proportion to our growth in these areas, we will do all things with upright intentions, and the results bring good to others and glory to God.

However, if our heart is bound up in wicked desires that are rooted in self-love, then we will see hellish results, such as growing in our knowledge of how to bring evil to others and to disregard the ways of God, thereby distancing ourselves from Him. In proportion to our growth in these areas, we will do all things out of prideful intentions, and the results are sure to bring harm to others and to ourselves.

Most of us fall someplace in the middle, because as Christians we are in a constant fight between the old man and the new man. However, if we remember our goal to be crucified with Christ and raised with Him, then the old man continues to weaken and the roots that we have in Christ get stronger—and out of these roots our new man continues to grow until Christ is fully formed in us by the grace of God.

As James said, a double-minded person cannot expect to receive anything from God. So, though we struggle to put to death our sinful nature and see Christ formed, we should frequently check ourselves prayerfully to see if we are in-fact double-minded.

Do we try to hold on to the net of sin with one hand while holding the other up toward God?

Drop the net and don’t look back to it, and do not envy those who seem to use this net to prosper in this life because that is a temporary life that has no real goodness or value. If we pick the net up, then drop it again and go to God for mercy. Keep dropping the net until you’re completely repulsed by it as your love for the things of God take over.

Then, there are new nets—nets we never knew existed, and again we are tempted. Maybe we pick them up for a time and are entrapped or worse yet entrap others, then we drop the nets and run to God. If we keep faith with Jesus and do not give up on living a righteous life that hates all sin within ourselves, then we are sure to be fruitful because His grace will teach us how to deny all ungodliness and to grow in the good things of God.

We can always ask Him to help us hate sin and to love righteousness, knowing that all good things come from Him and without His grace we would only desire evil and there would be nothing good in us. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Every branch that abides in me brings forth fruit, and without me, you can do nothing.” Let Jesus be the root of our lives, and all good things pertaining to everlasting life will follow.

This article is part of a bible study series, Considering the Proverbs. The purpose is to consider present-day events from a Christian perspective and to offer practical lessons that we can apply to ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ.

Previous Post Within This Series: Considering Provers 12:11 – “He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.”