15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;
hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;
they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.
One of the specific factors in the enticement held out to this young man is the lure of easy money (14, 19). But then, society as a whole is guilty in this matter, for so much of modern life is geared to this very idea. Materialism is one of the great gods of our generation, and easy ways to quick wealth - whether via bingo, or the pools, or the stock exchange, or by overt criminal means - are sure to command instant attention. We recall a recent interview on the news media with a prominent sportsman (?) who had risen to the very top of his particular branch of sport and had been given a tumultuous welcome by thousands of adoring fans. When being questioned by the interviewer about his fu- ture, he stated quite simply and explicitly, 'My only interest is in the money'. Is this what sport is all about, then? An idol with feet of clay, indeed! And the tragedy is that thou- sands of young people think he is a wonderful guy, and will become infected with the same squalid spirit. What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
The father's appeal in these verses is to the young man's will. 'Consent not' (10), 'refrain' (15), he urges, pressing through all the glamour, and the appeal to the senses, to the will, the central citadel of life. He is claiming the young man's will for God. That is the important thing, and the need is to be clear-eyed here. It is possible to safeguard the will before the senses begin to overpower us. There is a point in temptation at which we can pull ourselves up, and not allow our senses to have sway over us. Let us never de- ceive ourselves into thinking otherwise. It is possible for those who name the name of Christ not to give consent to the forbidden suggestion; and when we do consent, it is al- ways our own fault, whatever the extenuating circumstances. Hence the forthright chal- lenge in the father's words here, made - we must always remember - within the context of the covenant. A covenant people always have resources sufficient for present need.