"Sin Dumps the Wicked in the Ditch"

“A God-loyal life keeps you on track; sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.” (Proverbs 13:6, The Message)

Vivid imagery from The Message here.  This is the nature of sin.  It looks good.  It often feels good.  It seems like the right thing to do, but inevitably it dumps the sinner into the ditch of loneliness, despair, and dissatisfaction.  Sin promises freedom, but delivers slavery; it promises happiness, but delivers brokenness.  

How well Marilynne Robinson illustrates this truth in the character of Jack, in the novel Home.  Jack is the ne'er-do-well son of a pastor and is the perfect picture of a prodigal, living a life doing what he wants to despite the consequences of his choices.  He comes home in his '40's having discovered that the life he wanted to lead is no life at all, struggling with alcoholism, broken relationships, and his own realization that the life he pursued was a fantasy that delivered slavery instead of freedom.  

This is the end result of sin.  It dumps the sinner into the ditch and leaves him dejected and broken.