What other scriptures emphasize the consequences of "conceiving mischief" and "giving birth to iniquity"? Tracing the Theme from Psalm 7:14 “Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and gives birth to falsehood.” (Psalm 7:14) The verse pictures sin as a pregnancy that inevitably ends in a painful delivery. Scripture returns to this image and its consequences again and again. Passages Repeating the Pregnancy Metaphor • Job 15:35 — “They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb prepares deceit.” • Isaiah 59:4 — “No one calls for justice; no one pleads in truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.” • James 1:15 — “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Sowing and Reaping: The Same Principle in Different Words ‑ “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” • Proverbs 22:8 — “He who sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.” • Hosea 10:13 — “You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of deception.” How Sin Turns Back on the Sinner • Psalm 7:15-16 — “He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into the pit he made. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.” • Proverbs 1:31 — “So they will eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own schemes.” • Job 4:8 — “As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” • Proverbs 26:27 — “He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.” Ultimate Consequences: Death and Judgment • Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” • Ezekiel 18:4 — “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” • Revelation 21:8 — “But to the cowardly and unbelieving and vile, and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” Putting It All Together Scripture consistently warns that sin may begin in secret thoughts or hidden desires, yet it never stays quiet. Like a child in the womb, it develops, demands to be born, and ultimately turns on its parents—bringing deception, calamity, and finally death. The only escape from the cycle is to sow to the Spirit, receiving the life God freely offers in Christ. |
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