Thorns in the Brush

Proverbs 22:5 - "Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them."

After Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the land. One aspect of that curse consisted of thorns. "Cursed is the ground...thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth." So why would thorns be a byproduct of that curse?

God told Moses that if he didn't get the "Godless" people out of their land then they would be pricks in his eyes and thorns in his side. Yet another reference to thorns.

In Matthew, Jesus compared the lives of evil people to a thornbush. So why the emphases on thorns?

Simple. Thorns symbolize not sin itself, but the consequences of sin.

How often do you think of the thorn when you see the rose bush? Almost never. It's the same way with sin. The sin looks pretty, like the rose, but the consequence is almost never thought of.

Proverbs 22:5 tells us that thorns are the way of the perverse, and anyone that keeps a careful watch over his soul would stay away from them.

Watch your thorns. Pluck them out and stay clear of their path. Have a care, your soul will live on for all of time and in the end the thorns shall be burned for there uselessness.

Your soul is worth much more then to be burned with the tares. You were created to a higher purpose, and a higher calling. You were made by God and that itself is worth more then the burning of thorns in the brush.