He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. ~Proverbs 28:18
He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. ~Proverbs 28:26
An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad. ~Proverbs 29:6
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. ~Jeremiah 17:9-10
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. ~1 Timothy 5:24-25
Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. ~1 Cor. 4:5
So, the proverbs for today have a pretty simple, common thread. Trust in your own understanding and you will probably pay for it. Rely on God for external guidance and you will be kept safe. “He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.” When you will fall is unknown, but Solomon seems to be saying, be assured, it will happen.
Why? Well, the contrast in this first proverb is between being blameless and perverse. If you are blameless or faultless, it probably means that you are following the rules; not your own rules, external rules that you have learned that everyone is expected to live by. Solomon contrasts that with being perverse, or, playing by your own rules. Eventually, by God’s design, it will catch up with you.
This doesn’t mean that it is bad or wrong to try new things or new ways. I always get excited on a road trip when I am going to some place I’ve never been before. I enjoy seeing new things and perhaps discovering short cuts that will make the trip shorter, usually. In my excitement of exploration, however, I still follow the rules of the road. I don’t take off road trips or violate property lines, which could be seen as perverse. If you make a habit of traveling that way, you’re going to get stuck eventually.
“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” This is a different way of saying the same thing as above. Yet, there are too many people who will only trust themselves and will not listen to the wisdom of others for help and guidance. Solomon had warned earlier, “Lean not on your own understanding.” When you do, you are being a fool because you don’t know enough to know well.
It reminds me of the four blind men examining an elephant. Each one was only able to explore a part, so each man came away with a different description of what an elephant is. It is rare that one person would have the whole picture in view. Asking for the guidance and wisdom of others is always a good move.
“An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.” This is yet a third way of describing the one who believes their own press and thinks, “I can get away with it.” It is also a third way of describing the freedom found by the one who walks in God’s way. The righteous man can sing with a glad heart because he knows that his walk is approved by his creator. He is not bound by the traps of sin. He is not limited, as a fool, by his own understanding. He is safe because his paths are being guided by the One who loves him, the One he knows he can trust.
God knows the heart of every person. We are assured over and over again that evil will not succeed in the end. It will fail because of the checks and balances that God has designed to ensure that it will. We need to continue to walk blamelessly, seek His wisdom and bring our joy into every situation. He is faithful. We will see it in the end.
Prayer: Father thank You for guidance and grace: guidance for when I walk, grace for when I fall. Help me Lord, to walk faithfully with You, my Good Shepherd. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: I Will Rise
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