◄ Proverbs 22:25 ►
or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Study Bible
or you may learn his ways
This phrase warns against the influence of associating with those who are prone to anger or sinful behavior. In biblical context, the "ways" of a person often refer to their habits, character, and lifestyle. The Bible frequently cautions against adopting the behaviors of the wicked (Psalm 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:33). The idea is that close association with those who are quick-tempered or sinful can lead to adopting similar behaviors, which is contrary to the pursuit of righteousness. This reflects the broader biblical principle of being transformed by the renewing of one's mind (Romans 12:2) and the call to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

and entangle yourself in a snare.
The imagery of a "snare" is used throughout Scripture to depict a trap or danger that can lead to one's downfall (Psalm 91:3, 1 Timothy 6:9). In ancient times, snares were used by hunters to catch animals, symbolizing how easily one can be caught or trapped by sin. The cultural context emphasizes the importance of vigilance and discernment in relationships and personal conduct. This phrase serves as a warning that adopting the ways of the wicked can lead to spiritual and moral entrapment, ultimately separating one from God's will. The snare can also be seen as a metaphor for the consequences of sin, which can lead to spiritual death (James 1:14-15). The call is to seek wisdom and understanding, which are protective against such entanglements (Proverbs 4:5-7).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He compiled these sayings to impart wisdom and guidance.

2. The Fool
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of Proverbs often contrasts the wise with the foolish. The "fool" represents those who reject wisdom and live in ways contrary to God's teachings.

3. The Snare
A metaphorical trap or danger that one can fall into by associating with those who have negative influences or behaviors.
Teaching Points
Guard Your Associations
Be mindful of the company you keep, as their behaviors and attitudes can influence your own spiritual walk.

Discernment in Relationships
Use wisdom and discernment to evaluate the impact of your relationships on your spiritual health.

Avoiding Spiritual Traps
Recognize that negative influences can lead to spiritual snares, hindering your relationship with God.

Pursue Godly Wisdom
Seek relationships that encourage growth in wisdom and godliness, aligning with biblical principles.

Reflect on Personal Influence
Consider how your own behavior might influence others, striving to be a positive, godly example.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can you identify relationships in your life that might lead you into a "snare" as described in Proverbs 22:25?

2. In what ways can you actively seek out and cultivate relationships that encourage spiritual growth and wisdom?

3. Reflect on a time when you were influenced by someone else's behavior. How did it impact your spiritual journey?

4. How does the warning in Proverbs 22:25 relate to the broader biblical theme of wisdom versus folly?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your influence on others aligns with biblical teachings and principles?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Corinthians 15:33
This verse warns that bad company corrupts good character, echoing the caution in Proverbs about the influence of others.

Psalm 1:1
Highlights the blessing of not walking in the counsel of the wicked, similar to the warning in Proverbs about learning the ways of those who might lead one astray.

Proverbs 13:20
Advises that walking with the wise leads to wisdom, while the companion of fools suffers harm, reinforcing the theme of influence and association.
Sermons
Right in Social RelationsE. Johnson Proverbs 22:22-29
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Ensnare, Ensnared, Entangle, Fear, Learn, Learning, Lest, Making, Net, Paths, Ready, Received, Snare, Soul
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 22:24-25

     5589   trap

Library
The Rich and the Poor
Chapel Royal, Whitehall, 1871. Proverbs xxii. 2. "The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all." I have been asked to preach here this afternoon on behalf of the Parochial Mission Women's Fund. I may best describe the object for which I plead, as an attempt to civilise and Christianise the women of the lower classes in the poorer districts of London and other great towns, by means of women of their own class--women, who have gone through the same struggles as they have, …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

One Lion Two Lions no Lion at All
A sermon (No. 1670) delivered on Thursday Evening, June 8th, 1882, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets."--Proverbs 22:13. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets."--Proverbs 26:13. This slothful man seems to cherish that one dread of his about the lions, as if it were his favorite aversion and he felt it to be too much trouble to invent another excuse. …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Formation of Habits.
School Sermon. Proverbs xxii. 6. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." INTRODUCTION.--There is a district, high up in the Black Forest, where the ground is full of springs. It is a plain some nine hundred feet above the sea. Thousands upon thousands of little springs gush out of the soil; you seem to be on the rose of a vast watering-can. Now, from this great source flow a good many rivers, and they flow in very different, nay, opposite directions. …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

The Christian Business World
Scripture references: Proverbs 22:29; Romans 12:11; Psalms 24:1; 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 49:6,10,16,17; 62:10; Matthew 13:22; Mark 10:23,24; Job 31:24-26; Proverbs 3:9; Matthew 25:14-30; 24:45-51; 6:19-21; Luke 12:16-21. THE IDEAL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD There is often a wide difference between the methods actually employed in doing business and when they should be. Good men who are in the thick of the battle of competition and rivalry with other firms in the same line of trade, are the quickest …
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

Philip and the Emperor
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.--Prov. xxii. 29. Kallias stayed a fortnight under the hospitable roof of Olympias, and during those days he had the pleasure of seeing how greatly his honest and genial simplicity brightened the thoughts both of his hostess and of his friend. The general outline of his own future seemed now to be approximately settled. Like Philip, he had acquired an incurable disgust for Constantinople, with …
Frederic William Farrar—Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom

He Accuses Abaelard for Preferring his Own Opinions and Even Fancies to the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers, Especially Where He Declares that Christ did Not
He accuses Abaelard for preferring his own opinions and even fancies to the unanimous consent of the Fathers, especially where he declares that Christ did not become incarnate in order to save man from the power of the devil. 11. I find in a book of his sentences, and also in an exposition of his of the Epistle to the Romans, that this rash inquirer into the Divine Majesty attacks the mystery of our Redemption. He admits in the very beginning of his disputation that there has never been but one conclusion …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Baptismal Covenant Can be Kept Unbroken. Aim and Responsibility of Parents.
We have gone "to the Law and to the Testimony" to find out what the nature and benefits of Baptism are. We have gathered out of the Word all the principal passages bearing on this subject. We have grouped them together, and studied them side by side. We have noticed that their sense is uniform, clear, and strong. Unless we are willing to throw aside all sound principles of interpretation, we can extract from the words of inspiration only one meaning, and that is that the baptized child is, by virtue …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

We Shall not be Curious in the Ranking of the Duties in which Christian Love...
We shall not be curious in the ranking of the duties in which Christian love should exercise itself. All the commandments of the second table are but branches of it: they might be reduced all to the works of righteousness and of mercy. But truly these are interwoven through other. Though mercy uses to be restricted to the showing of compassion upon men in misery, yet there is a righteousness in that mercy, and there is mercy in the most part of the acts of righteousness, as in not judging rashly, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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