10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
Observation
The contrast of two paths is a familiar theme in both the Old and New Testaments. The first paragraph (verses 10-12) informs us, once again, that godly obedience prolongs not merely the length of life, but the quality of life. Of course. The descriptions of godliness includes such health-promoting qualities as peace instead of anxiety, joy instead of despair, delight instead of ungratefulness, and healthy relationships instead of chronic relational skirmishes whether they are in face-to-face encounters or in the endless replays in our imaginations, Logically, godliness is the supreme path to walk. I love what Alexander Maclaren said about these verses: "Sin is the stupidist thing in the universe, for it ignores the plainest of facts, and never gets what it flings away so much to secure."
In the second paragraph (verse 13), our relationship to Instruction becomes the focus of attention. As a hiker in a hurricane would hold a map tightly lest it be ripped away, as a visitor in an over-crowded marketplace in a foreign land (China? Madris? New York City?), as a refugee secreting away family gems in hope of a better life in another location, so should we secure God's instructions safely in our hearts. Maclaren comments: "Hands become slack, and many a good gift drops from nerveless fingers; thieves abound who will filch away instructions if we do not resolutely hold tight by it." Repentance is our key for discerning God's instruction (Proverbs 1:23): "If you turn [repent] at my reproof, [God's Word], I will pour out my Spirit to you and I will make my words known to you." Simply put, if we value His voice, we'll not only hear it, but we'll be empowered and guided by His Spirit to keep up with him"
In the third paragraph (verses 14-17, we look at the negative examples of people who lost their way. Here are repeated counsels to steer clear of evil. The trend today is to quote Rick Warren, "It's not about you" as a encouragement to be less ego-centric. However, here Solomon shows us the other side of that coin: it actually is all about us. We can't honestly hold other people responsible for the quality of our lives. In steering away from evil, it is all about us making a strong effort to keep evil at arm's length, Our resistance to evil is imperative, and we must become both accustomed and accomplished at saying "No!" (James 4:5-10; 1 Peter 5:5-10).
Finally, in verses 18-19, we see the dramatic contrast between the two paths before us. Godliness is that steady, deliberate, focus on a single, simple goal: loving and pleasing God. Wickedness is that hairball-like trail people follow when they don't value God's Word. Such lives flow like the trail of a lost person who panicked and ran in circles in a dense forest, never far from the safe road, but always just missing it or not recognizing it. I am so thankful that, through loving God, we get to walk an increasingly brighter, better trail.
Application (Psychological)
Counselors of studied the confused paths of people who try to escape addictive, self-destructive behaviors. DiClemente (Addiction and Change, p. 238) says, "leaving an addictive behavior once it has become well maintained requires a journey through stages of recovery.... Although the journey could occur in a single attempt and a linear fashion, most often it is not rapid. Many individuals spend long periods of time in one or another of these stages [Precontemplative, Contemplative, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance], and most make a number of Action attempts before they successfully establish a lifestyle that is free of the addiction. For most addicted individuals who struggle to get free of their addiction, the journey follows what is more like a spiral path of movement through the stages of recovery. Forward successful movement toward change is often achieved only after cycling and recycling several times through the stages of Contemplation, Preparation, and Action before reaching stable recovery and finally exiting this spiral. ... Permanent change is not only possible but the norm for those who persist in learning how to move successfully through the stages of change." Here, too, we see these two contrasting paths: one is disciplined, deliberate, and linear, the other is confused, circuitous, and non-linear.
Application (Personal)
Walking with the Lord requires steady nerves and a clear focus. This isn't a natural response in the midst of a storm. However, once I splash cold water in my face to re-orient myself to my love of the Lord and my trust in His goodness, the confusion of the world blends into the shadows because of the brightness of my goal--God's glory. In the brightness of the noonday sun, shadows are darkest and most distinct. Anytime I become aware of the deep, dark shadows around me, I resolve to look directly into the brightness of God's glory in Jesus Christ.
Prayer (Quoted from "Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions" page 12-13, "The Mover"):
O Supreme Moving Cause, may I always be subordinate to thee,
be dependent on thee,
be found in the path where thou didst walk,
and where thy Spirit moves,
take heed of estrangement from thee,
of becoming insensible to thy love.
Thou dost not move men like stones,
but dost endue them with life,
not to enable them to move without thee,
but in submission to thee, the first mover.
O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.
Who made me to differ, but thee?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ than were others;
I could not have begun to love thee had thou not first loved me,
or been willing unless thou had first made me so.
O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!
such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mould of purchase and freedom;
Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
but the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
I know that my sufferings are the result of my sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;
Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,
and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely into harbour.
Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,
wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea.
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