“But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul” (Prov 8:36a). Sin is first and foremost against God. It is often against others. But it is also against one’s own soul. We might say it is a self-inflicted wound.
Consider three wounds where the Bible description of them brings out their self-inflicted nature.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Tim 6:10-11). We would not purposely and knowingly choose to pierce ourselves through with many sorrows, yet many do just that by not fleeing the love of money. The love of money leads to many self-inflicted wounds.
“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Prov 14:30). Envy is the displeasure, distress, resentment experienced when others have what we are jealous to possess for ourselves, even to the point of wishing they did not have it. It is sin against God but also rottenness to our own bones; it is a self-inflicted wound.
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine” (Prov 23:29-30). Here is a description of very real and literal self-inflicted wounds.
But following the wisdom of God leads us away from sin and away from self-inflicted wounds.
“If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Ps 62:10). “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity” (Eccl 5:10). “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt 6:24).
“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day” (Prov 23:17). “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).
“Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper” (Prov 23:31-32). “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Pet 4:3).
The wisdom and instruction of God leads us away from sin. But when we reject the wisdom, the instruction of God, we ought to think in these terms – that we are choosing the path of self-inflicted wounds. Wisdom says “All those who hate me love death” (Prov 8:36b). On the other hand, “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul” (Prov 19:8a).
-Larry Jones