Wisdom Woven from a Spider’s Web

"They weave the spider's web." (Isaiah 59:5)

See the spider's web, and behold in it a most suggestive picture of the hypocrite's religion. It is meant to catch his prey: the spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even the more judicious cannot always escape. Philip baptized Simon Magus, whose guileful declaration of faith was so soon exploded by the stern rebuke of Peter. Custom, reputation, praise, advancement, and other flies, are the small game which hypocrites take in their nets.

A spider's web is a marvel of skill: look at it and admire the cunning hunter's wiles. Is not a deceiver's religion equally wonderful? How does he make so barefaced a lie appear to be a truth? How can he make his tinsel answer so well the purpose of gold? A spider's web comes all from the creature's own bowels. The bee gathers her wax from flowers, the spider sucks no flowers, and yet she spins out her material to any length. Even so hypocrites find their trust and hope within themselves; their anchor was forged on their own anvil, and their cable twisted by their own hands.

They lay their own foundation, and hew out the pillars of their own house, disdaining to be debtors to the sovereign grace of God. But a spider's web is very frail. It is curiously wrought, but not enduringly manufactured. It is no match for the servant's broom, or the traveller's staff. The hypocrite needs no battery of Armstrongs to blow his hope to pieces, a mere puff of wind will do it. Hypocritical cobwebs will soon come down when the besom of destruction begins its purifying work. Which reminds us of one more thought, viz., that such cobwebs are not to be endured in the Lord's house: He will see to it that they and those who spin them shall be destroyed for ever. O my soul, be thou resting on something better than a spider's web. Be the Lord Jesus thine eternal hiding-place.

Very well explained. I liked the way you used a spider's cobweb. The Bible calls "snare". Sometimes we are so inquisitive about other faiths that we fall into the "snare". Sometimes we are so accommodating that we accept others beliefs and practices into our faith.

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going or they will be a snare among you...(Exodus 34:13)

These days people follow others in their philosophy about God and faith and they fall into the spider's web. The spider comes in and weaves it web around the trapped prey until the prey suffocates and dies due to starvation. The prey does not have any strength left to fight back.

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong (Exodus 23:2)

Sometimes we act as a smarter being than God and become a stumbling block for others.

Do not go beyond what is written...(1 Corinthians 4:6)

Fenny you are a blessing to this forum as your preaching and teaching of the Kingdom of God is blessed and favored by the Most High and His Holy Son.

God bless you