I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
Summary: The way of wisdom is not a path in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a way of living that reflects godly values.
Standing on a high hill, I look back along the trails I have traveled. The sun is low in the sky. Clouds ahead of me obscure the view, but where I have been can be seen clearly enough.
The “way of wisdom” is a straight path, but to where? Where does wisdom lead? What is the goal at the end of the path?
As a young man, I was told that I had to have goals. Somehow, I was supposed to know where I was going. It was not enough to enjoy the journey or stay on the straight path. I was to set a goal and then head in that direction.
It turns out that not all of us are goal setters. The person who wanted me to have goals liked goals. Everything he did was based on goals. He would chart out his progress on a piece of paper, measuring every step in dollars and cents.
The kind of person I turned out to be was quite different. Instead of setting goals, I tend to be an explorer. Explorers occasionally use goals to get from here to there, but on the whole, they do not need them. The “goal” of exploring is to explore, and every step in a new direction achieves that goal.
But I am speaking of career paths and life choices. What if the “path” that Solomon is referring to is not a path meaning what we do or where we go, but instead is a path of how we do what we do? (Does that make any sense?)
The path that Solomon wants us to focus on is the path of righteousness (Proverbs 2:20). The goal of the path is a condition, not a place.
Have you ever seen an egg race? Each contestant has to carry an egg from the starting line to the finish line. The egg must cross the finish line unbroken. Sound easy? How about if we say that the egg has to be carried in a spoon? Still too easy? The egg has to be carried in a spoon that you hold in your mouth and there are obstacles along the path that you have to avoid.
Righteousness is an unbroken egg.
Notice that I did not say righteousness is winning the race. That has nothing to do with keeping the egg whole. Righteousness is finishing the race with the egg in one piece.
Looking back on my life, I have broken a lot of eggs. (Way more than a dozen!) God in his mercy allows me to start over each time. Slowly, I am learning that the goal is to keep the egg whole.
Application: Study God’s Word every day. It is the only path to understanding what righteousness is.
Food for Thought: What hampers our steps or causes us to stumble?
Hebrews 12: 1 – 2 says: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Based on this sin can hamper our steps and cause us to stumble. So can having our eyes diverted from Jesus on to something else. According to James 3, the tongue(which reveals what is in our hearts- Jeremiah 17: 9) can also cause us to stumble.
The cure is receiving Jesus and His righteousness and keeping our eyes fixed on Him.
Amen! Amen!!
Sometimes those around us can hamper our steps and cause us to stumble. Listening to the ney sayer’s and going along with their way of doing things that lead to destruction. I have stumbled in business and in my personal life. It was the alcohol that made me stumble quite a bit,..it wasn’t a goal I had to nearly tear my family apart, but alcohol certainly hampered my walk with Christ and I seemed to just keep stumbling even when He was right there with me,..
I had to be knocked off my horse sorta speak for His bright light to shine into my heart and life. He is The Light that lights my path so I can carry the egg across the line broken. Sure it hasn’t been an easy race,..but if it were an easy race then everyone would be in it. We have difficulties for a reason,..we stumble for reasons,..but we get back up, dust ourselves off and get back in the race. Fortunately Christ is the glue that keeps this egg shell together despite how broken I am. It’s because of Him that I am able to enter this race at all. It’s because of Jesus that my egg will cross the finish line broken yet still held together because of His love for me in my brokenness.
That’s my take on it,..
Thank you, John!
Good to hear from you. 🙂 Jesus calls us to himself, and he does put us back together again. More than that, he makes us new. I don’t know how, but he does, and that is all that matters.
02-20-2022, Proverbs 4:11-12, What hampers our steps or causes us to stumble?
If I were to pick a word, it would be PRIDE,
Proverbs 16:18, Isaiah 2:12-17, Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:17
Paul writes of the internal battle we are destined to fight as long as we are confined in these physical bodies, slaves to our sinful nature. Romans 7:14-25
All righteousness comes from God. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22
There are a couple things that must take place in our lives.
FIRST, We must respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Become aware of our sinful nature and in true humility bow before our God in repentance as we accept the gift of salvation provided through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.
SECOND, We must learn to listen and live in obedience to the Holy Spirit as we follow God in humility and obedience to His revealed will over our own.
THIRD, Understand, none could possibly bear the full weight of all our sins if God were to open the door wide. He knows this and will spoon feed each according to His priorities. Our lifelong goal is to allow Him to take away the sins as He reveals them to each of us.
FOURTH, Accept the Gift or Gifts given to each by the Holy Spirit for our ministry as a part of the body of Christ on this earth.
John 16:8-15, Galatians 5:16
FIFTH, Live knowing this process “sanctification” will be a lifetime process which will be fully completed when we are with our Lord in heaven. Until then we are all in a process, not perfect but forgiven sinners.
John 17:17, Ephesians 1:4
Thank you, Ron!
Pride is absolutely the BIG thing that trips us up.
Pride Is the Root of All Evil. Genesis 3:5; 1 Timothy 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17. No wonder the call to be Humble comes up so often in our Bibles.
Ron
I humbly agree with you! 🙂