One Step Leads to Another

One of the truly iconic television shows in my lifetime is a show from my childhood. It is, “The Andy Griffith Show,” and is still seen by many in syndication many years later. The show was about a sheriff of a small southern town, who was assisted by his peculiar and bumbling deputy named Barney. In one episode, Andy and Barney were talking about some issue. As they were discussing the problem, Barney said, "with a problem like this, you have to nip it in the bud.” Then to emphasize his point, he reiterated, “Nip it, nip it, nip it!”

it will still bud

What Barney was saying was that the problematic behavior should not be ignored. If left unchecked, it would blossom into a full grown, much more significant issue. The imagery is that of a small bud that will bloom into a larger flower, unless it is “nipped” while still in the bud!

Wicked versus righteous

Though I doubt that Barney knew it, he was actually stating a Biblical principle when it comes to temptation and sin. A far better source for us to consider than Barney is the scriptures, so consider when Psalms 1 says:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.

This Psalm paints a contrast between the wicked person and the righteous person. The righteous will be like a tree firmly planted by a water source, which will be fruitful and lasting. He or she will prosper in their course of life. The wicked will have a completely different fate. They will perish, not prosper. They are more like useless chaff that is blown away into oblivion by the wind. It is quite a contrast.

SITTING AT THE TABLE

Take note, however, of how the wicked got to where they wound up. They did not get to this point all at once, but little by little, one step at a time. In the first lines of the Psalm it speaks of how someone aligns themselves with the wicked. They wind up sitting with those who are evil to the point that they make fun of, or scoff at the righteous. But before they sit with the scoffers, they stand with the sinners. And before they stand with the sinners, they walk with the wicked. I believe this shows the progressive nature of sin. We first just go through the drive-through, then we go in to order at the counter, and eventually we sit down and stay for a while. It is a lot easier to pull out of the drive through line than it is to walk out of the restaurant after you have already been seated and placed your order.

Nip it in the bud

If we want to avoid falling into patterns of sin, we should take Barney’s advice and “Nip it in the bud!” One step leads to another, and the further down the wrong path we go, the harder it is to break free and change our course. In fact, we are told to not wait for the temptation to come, but to “flee from the appearance of evil.” That is nipping it in the bud!