The Self-Destructive Nature of Sin and Freedom from it

"Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors." Pr. 1:19
"The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cord of his sin." 5:22
"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself." 6:32
"For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death." 8:35
"A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself." 11:17
"Whoever despises the word brings destruction on themselves." 13:13
"whoever gets sense loves his own soul.: 19:8
The book of proverbs has much to say about life. It talks at length about how the law of God should be lived out in every day life and paints vivid pictures of the lives of the wicked and the righteous. It truly is a beautiful manual for godly living. The book also highlights themes that are not as common in the rest of the Bible. Let me clarify that. I think proverbs goes into greater detail on some topics than any book in the Bible. For example I remember reading through the book and noticing that God describes the life of sin as a hatred for oneself. I always knew that sin was a hatred of God and our neighbor but within these verses I saw that rebellion against God is a rebellion against our true identity as creatures created in the image of God. If you are an unbeliever and are living a life of sin: greed, lust, drunkenness, you really hate yourself. Satan will lie to you and tell you that you are really loving your self when you indulge in sin. But the sin will bind you, enslave you, harden you, make your heart heavy with guilt, and fill you heart with anger and unrest. And as you become enslaved to your desires you will keep craving more and more of sin but you will always end up wanting more. So why do people live this way? Why don't they come to their senses and see their misery? Because Satan also blinds. He prevents sinners from seeing their true condition. Those who are ruled by Satan know nothing else but the false, counterfeit and fleeting joys that he dangles in front of them. And so he takes people who were made in the image of God, who were made to know, obey and to love God and he teaches them to hate. To hate God and to hate the image of that God which is implanted in their own life. Has there ever been a crueler master?
And has there ever been a kinder and better master than the LORD Jesus? A master who frees us from this state and brings life abundantly? Who teaches and opens the eyes of the blind, who heals, who commands us to be happy and rejoice in him? A God who teaches us to love him and in so doing love ourselves. I think a lot of people in the Christian community would scoff at that statement. Many people are uncomfortable with anything that has self-interest as a motivation for serving God. But is that not what God says, "whoever gets sense loves his own soul," and, "he who finds me finds life." In Richard Baxter's book The Reformed Pastor, he begins by explaining to pastors that in order for them to watch over the lives of others they must first watch over their own lives. "He that bade you love your neighbors as yourselves, did imply that you should love yourselves, and not hate and destroy yourselves and them."
Look, I know that this blog is silly. I have a lot of fun with it. But in a moment of seriousness, I am going to use this to challenge you to examine your own life. Are you truly happy? Do you care for and love your own soul? If you are not trusting and clinging to Christ in Faith, you are headed down a self-destructive path and there will come a time when death will permanently solidify your misery. So turn to Christ now. He is a good King and He loves his people. His death and blood can cleanse you from all of your sin if you repent and believe in him. "The Vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives."