Proverbs 16.17-18
“The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Our theme this week is that life in focus is on-path.
Scripture repeatedly paints the picture of two paths: one path leading to life and the other path leading to destruction. The Proverbs passage quoted above uses the metaphor of “the highway.” The wise person pays attention to the path he is on, and is careful to “guard his way,” thereby preserving his life. He takes the highway that bypasses evil. He stays on-path.
The implication is that the foolish person is careless about what path he takes. He travels a highway that leads to wrong places, and he associates with people who do wrong things. But because the fool is arrogant and self-centered, he doesn’t see the danger of the path he is on. He is blinded by his arrogance. Destruction is coming, but he doesn’t see it. He is self-deceived.
A few verses later, Solomon says this: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 16.25). When we arrogantly and pridefully reject God’s truth, when we insist on going our own way, we are actually headed toward death.
Here are seven practical steps for an on-path life:
- Clarify the path. (Read, listen to, and study the word of God. Listen to and learn from wise teachers and mentors.)
- Get on the path. (Obey the word. Follow the directives of scripture)
- Do the work the path requires. (Walk in the Spirit and train yourself in godliness. Commit to the daily discipline of musar.)
- Say no to anything off-path. (Turn away from the things of the fallen world)
- Overcome obstacles on the path. (Trust God and be resilient in response to life’s difficulties and challenges.)
- If you drift off-path, get back on-path asap. (Be coachable and accountable. Allow God’s standards and God’s Spirit to correct and redirect you)
- Help other people on the path. (Share the gospel and invite others to get on the path. Be a source of encouragement and support to people.)
Pay attention and protect yourself. Trust God and guard your way.
