Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Context: Proverbs 5:23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
From the lexicon: Iniquities=going astray. Take=capture. Wicked=one who devises evil. Holden=grasped. Cords=bonds Sin=sacrifice for sin.
Pulling it together: Proverbs 5:22 reminds the reader that the person who gives himself over to sin is trapped by it and will pay the price for it. Those who consider themselves righteous are tempted to console themselves that they are not in that state. However, Romans 3:23 clearly states that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Men without a relationship with the living God want to make room for an exception that Scripture does not allow. They make comparisons to those they consider to be worse than themselves. They convince themselves that they are good enough, yet they are lost in the power of sin, having gone their own way and are trapped.
We say “they” have done this, yet Romans 3:23 includes all of us. There is no getting around that. In our verse of the day, the word sins at the end is means sacrifice for sins indicating that an unrepentant sinner is held accountable to pay for his or her sins a debt no one can fulfill. Praise be to God Who provided the perfect sacrifice for us, the Lamb of God, Who took our place at Calvary and died for the sins of all mankind. John 1:12 tells us that by receiving Him, i.e., inviting Him into our lives we become the children of God, and then nothing is the same.
Lord, I pray for grace to heed Your Word and to receive Your Son and daily submit to Him so that I might live according to the power of the Gospel.