Perishing Together

Bill Brinkworth

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Prov. 13:20

Recently, I saw a photograph that showed a biblical principle quite clearly. In the snapshot was a tangle of two large snakes. A King Cobra had bitten a large Boa Constrictor behind its head and hung on to it with its deadly bite. In reaction, the constrictor quickly wrapped its large muscular body around the Cobra’s body.

In a short time, both died. The constrictor eventually died because of the Cobra’s venom. The Cobra died of the other snakes unrelenting death squeeze. Both snakes died because of the other’s harmful action.

So many people are similarly a danger to each other and are not aware of their “death grip” on others. They live the way they think or feel is right to them. Many times, they even encourage others to live just as they do, even if it is against common sense and contrary to God’s will. In the end, both suffer great loss.

The drunk drinks with other drunks. Thieves gravitate to other thieves. Adulterers sin with others that are also desensitized to committing their iniquity against their spouse and the Almighty’s commandments. Those guilty of murdering babies in abortion ease their guilt by attempting to erase the guilt of others that have also committed the same offense against God’s law.

Sinners are more comfortable around other sinners as their conscience is not stirred about the atrocity they have committed. Quite often sinners flock together rather than socializing with those that do not do what they do or those that disapprove of what they are doing. Their activity no longer seems wrong but seems “normal” when they are around those of like sin

However, somewhat free from a reminder of what they have done or are doing, they are taking others down with them. They are inadvertently encouraging, spreading, and condoning sin. Their approving influence in another’s wrong-doing could have silenced a conscience that would often have stopped one from continuing with their sin.

Just as the snake’s natural ability destroyed the other, so will one’s sin lead to the destruction of themselves and others. Ultimately, unsaved people will find themselves in Hell as they may have been encouraged to continue in that damning direction. A sinning Christian will lose the joy of his salvation, his testimony, and will not be what God intended of him.

If they had only stayed away from those that approved of what they were doing, they may have made the right decisions rather than the wrong, and not faced the consequences of sin. That is why God wants all to stay away from even the appearance of sin, as it will ruin any that get tangled with it.

This article was featured in the Bible View #673.