Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
Summary: As we walk through life we are confronted by choices over and over again. Which path will we take? It is good to have a goal and know which path you want to take before you set out.
Verses twelve through nineteen of this same chapter describe the ways of wicked men and wicked women. Solomon tells us about the dangers of such people and their ways that lead “down to death” (verse 18). By employing discretion and understanding, we can guard ourselves against ways that lead to spiritual death.
Solomon advises we go the other direction. Instead of walking with the wicked, we are to walk “the ways of the good” and the righteous. But how do we know which is which?
The answer is that without wise guidance, we do not know.
Why?
Unlike God, we cannot know what is in the heart of the people we meet. When people want something, if they do not want to earn it, they generally follow one of two paths. Either they try to take what they want by force, or they try to take it by stealth.
The stealthy approach their prey with a smile to ward off suspicion.
Years ago I was to meet a friend at a restaurant for dinner. I pulled into a parking lot and as I got out of the car, two men walked up. The big one in front walked up to me with a big smile and wanted to know if I would be interested in buying a diamond ring.
The diamond looked real, and the situation looked shady. It was a yellow diamond, perhaps a carat in weight. He wanted to know how much I would give for it. At this point, I had two paths in front of me: dealing with the shady dealer or backing away. I backed away, but it was not easy.
My path was temporarily blocked by the two men. The bigger one, much bigger than me, kept pushing the ring at me. “Here, take it!” he said, almost as if he were insulted that I did not want to hold it. He was no longer smiling. Somehow I knew that if I touched it, I would be stuck with it.
Were they selling stolen jewelry? Was it a scam to steal money? I do not know what their game was, but the alarm bells were ringing loudly in my head.
I held my ground and said “No, thank you” several times firmly but politely. They continued to push, but eventually (thank God!) backed off. What would have happened if I had accepted the ring to “look at it?” I doubt could have easily given it back. The next stage of their operation would be to fleece me out of any cash that I had (not much!) and then leave me with the stolen ring.
How would that feel?
There are a lot of things I do not understand in life, but one thing I do understand is being cautious of people I do not know who approach me in parking lots. Keeping to the ways of the good and the path of righteousness is a practical application of the discretion and understanding Solomon mentions in verse eleven.
Application: Decide ahead of time what path you want to take and then stick with it.
Food for Thought: How do you find the “ways of good” and the “paths of righteousness.”
I look to the cross,..whenever my life seems tossed,..I look to the cross,..if my gold gathers dross I look to the cross,..in all I do and nothing seems right, I look to the One who gave His life,..if the life I am living doesn’t seem fair I look to the One who left His there,..I look to the cross and find my ways of good and my paths of righteousness
John,
Beautifully said my friend! Beautifully said!
Sometimes, it does not feel like the ways of the good and the paths of the righteousness find me, but rather, they have to be looked for as the question is posed “How do you find…” To piggy back off of John’s response of looking at the cross – when you view the cross, it clearly has one symbol – that which reflects what God did for us. He sent his only Son to die for our sins. He paid the ultimate sacrifice and bought something we could never otherwise earn.
When I look at the cross, I also see something else. The portion of the cross that is horizontal can at times to me, reflect the left side and the right side of a path – two options – and at the middle of the path (the cross) is Jesus. The ultimate question is always: Which way shall I choose – the way He is calling me to go or ignoring Him and choosing my way.
All too often, the world calls for us to choose the worldly choice by what’s popular at the time. As the popular saying goes though, what’s always popular doesn’t mean it’s always right. I belive staying in His word and understanding what pleases Him and what brings Him favor is the way to finding and staying on the true ways of the good and paths of the righteousness.
In thinking about today’s devotional, I was reminded of the story where Moses created the bronze serpent as commanded by God. (Numbers 21) The ailing people were called to look upon it and believe in order to be healed. This was the way to continue on to the ways of the good and the path of the righteousness. To stop complaining. To get better and continue on with the plan God had set out for them. They were only called to believe, which is what we are called to do.
All too often though, we miss the ways of the good and paths of the righteousness because we are too caught up in other things. I think to find the ways of the good and the paths of the righteousness is staying in and believing the Word and having faith that He does not bring us this far in anything to abandoned us, but that He will see us through no matter what the situation is and His purposes is always greater because He sees the whole picture.
Darla,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I like how you picture the cross as a choice of paths as well as a symbol of salvation through Jesus. Like you, I am often caught up in “other things.” Thankfully our Shepherd is always willing to come looking for us! 🙂
So, the early part of proverbs has more context than the latter parts seem to. The whole of chapter 2 is connected.
Going back to verse 1-4 it says “if you…” Seek, treasure cry out for, etc. For wisdom and understanding, THEN
Verse 5″Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
And it continues elaborating on what God gives us.
Verse 10 “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you,”
This prefaces a list of evils and temptations we are protected from (the spiritual forces of darkness, if you will) and ends with our verse for the day
Verse 20″So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous.”
The righteous stay on the right path because God protects those who seek His wisdom and understanding. Those who don’t want it will be cut off.
So yes, as Chris said. God shows us.
Wow, I don’t know what I typed Chris instead of John, so sorry!
A –
You are right that we have to seek wisdom before we can receive it. Wisdom may knock at the door, but she is not going to bust it down and force her way in. 🙂
02-02-2022, Proverbs 2:20, How do you find the “ways of good” and the “paths of righteousness.”
Make daily, prayerful study and application of Gods Word the priority in our lives. Submit to God and allow Jesus Christ in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit to choose our ways.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Joshua 24:15, Psalm 25:12,119:30,
Ron,
You remind me of the story about Martin Luther. I remember he said he prayed two hours a day. Someone asked him how he gets anything done doing that and what if he has an especially busy day ahead? His response was that if there is more on his plate he prays for four hours that day.
Submitting to God means spending time with him. Your words are a good reminder for me! Thank you!
Great story!
I love the focus on the cross threaded throughout the comments. Keeping our eyes on the cross and what it provided is always a great idea.
Ultimately it is God Himself who provides the ways of good and paths if righteousness. He is our Shepherd through this life. Psalm 23 – especially verse 3 and 6. “He guides in the paths of righteousness” and as a result “surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days if my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Rich,
There is indeed something very powerful about the cross! Critics can say what they will, but there is power in the blood!
“ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (1 Cor 1: 21)