Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 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.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 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.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble. – Proverbs 4:10-19
This section of Proverbs was originally written with a young man as the intended audience, one who is in the process of determining his value system. The essence is that there are two paths to choose from, the path of uprightness and the path of the wicked.
The path of uprightness has two benefits, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. That may not sound too dramatic, but when one has lived a few decades as I have, you realize that slow and steady progress is a good thing. If one can go through life without ever experiencing being hampered or of stumbling, that person will be viewed by most everyone as a real success in life.
One will be better off financially having experienced no setbacks, no business failures, no bankruptcies, no divorces, none of the myriad things that can diminish our lives. As one who has had my share of setbacks, I can say life would be more enjoyable without them.
Setbacks can come when we make unwise decisions, even those made while walking in uprightness. This has been my experience. I have on occasion made unwise decisions that had significant negative consequences even though I had a heart to do right and follow the Lord. “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” The word instruction here has to do with discipline. Discipline is never pleasant at the time it is being given, but it is a good thing. Do not let it go; guard her, for she is your life.
Compare this to the path of the wicked. These folks are always on the lookout for an opportunity to do wrong. I have known a few, fortunately very few, men like this. Even their good ideas lead to a chance to do harm, generally due to greed, in my experience. They just can’t help themselves. And what is their outcome?
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
These folks become so blinded by their wicked hearts they can’t see the obstacles in front of them and when they fall they are amazed. Where did that come from? I had it all figured out. The appeal of wisdom is not to get involved with these kinds of folks. Business owners are particularly vulnerable to this temptation because they are always meeting new potential associates and looking for new opportunities to grow their businesses.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
While the person on the path of the wicked walks in deep darkness, what is the path of the one who walks in uprightness?
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The longer and closer one walks with the Lord, the brighter the path becomes. The easier it is to discern the path of the wicked that is to be avoided. And, the easier it is to avoid. Walking with the Lord over time makes the path brighter.
This exhortation is mainly directed to young persons just getting started in life, but it is strong medicine for the businessman who has been at it for many years. Caution! Don’t go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
