Proverb 1:12

“Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;”

Sin always appears to be something it’s not. More often than not, it appears to be a quick and easy fix for the gaping hole we long to fill in our hearts.

Here, in verse 12, we hear the sinner’s plea for help in slaying the innocent with a boat full of nonsense. He claims the act will be quick and easy, then it will be over with. As if you can take the innocent out with one blow; swallow them alive and whole.

In the literal sense, do you think the innocent wouldn’t put up a fight? I mean even if you were to swallow him whole, if he is alive, he will be screaming and fighting until he no longer has the strength.

You risk the chance of someone overhearing the act; a potential witness. If their fight is long and hard enough, they could live to turn you in. 

And chances are, despite what the sinners tell you, you won’t be able to swallow him whole. You will have to tear him into sizable pieces suitable for digestion. As you chew, you will be keenly aware of what you’ve done, resist the urge to flee before you’ve depleted the evidence and you will cower at the onset of guilt. 

You will hear bones cracking, be nauseated by the smell of open flesh and blood will stain your clothes; further evidence of your involvement. 

Sin won’t be quick and easy. It will be long and slow and painful on both ends. And the memory will haunt you.

I think perhaps the imagery is intended to reflect that of a serpent. And that perhaps a specific serpent should be  ruminating in the reader’s mind. Think back to the introduction of the serpent in Genesis. It is he who devours his prey alive; and he is seeking the help of others to carry out an enormous plan of destruction. Worldwide demolition.