Have you ever heard the saying, “if you lay down with dogs, you’ll wake up with flees”? How about, “if you play with fire, you’re going to get burned”? Both of these sayings allude to the idea that if we sin, or dabble in something that we know is wrong or evil, then it will bite us in the end and we’ll have to pay a price for our actions. In the Bible there are more than a few proverbs that support this principle as well. One such example appears in Proverbs chapter 6, verses 27 through 29 which says:
“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”
The sin that is highlighted here is adultery. When we sin in a manner like this, and are not found out right away, we may believe that we’ve gotten away with the sin. But in fact, not only are there spiritual consequences, there are physical consequences as well. When we sin, there is a separation from God. The Bible teaches us that sin and God’s holiness do not mix. We grieve the Spirit and God turns his face from us. So when we sin and think we’ve gotten away with something we are only fooling ourselves. Though there may not be immediate earthly consequences, there certainly are immediate spiritual consequences. But also, as this proverb explains, there are earthly consequences as well. It says that “no one who touches, or sleeps with, another man’s wife will go unpunished.” So when you play with sin, you’re sure to get burned both spiritually and often times physically as well.
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Proverbs asks, ”Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?” In these verses we learn that sin leaves its mark; not only spiritually, but often times physically as well. We may not be aware of it immediately, but this proverb suggests that no one will go unpunished. And even though we can be forgiven by our Heavenly Father, often times we still have to pay a price for our transgression here on earth. That price can come in the form of a prison sentence, extreme guilt, divorce, broken trust, broken relationships, some form of restitution and in some cases even death. So I encourage you to heed this proverb. We can’t expect to sin and walk away unscathed. We can’t expect to walk on hot coals without our feet being scorched.
