“There’s a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25
In the Bible’s wisdom literature life doesn’t refer to mere physical existence but the way of life conformed to the will of God. Life is the path blessed by God. Modern man thinks he’s “practical” but nothing about sin is practical, which is why sin has no thought of the future, just now. The mind that’s set on the flesh is characterized by practical thinking only, not principles because sin has no principle except self.
When Proverbs speaks of death it doesn’t mean mere end of physical life but an irreversible descent into moral madness and perversity.
Proverbs 5:23 “He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.”
So, you see that the path to “life” is the path of wisdom, which is characterized by discipline. To be led astray is to depart from the will of the Lord, known only by the full counsel of Scripture. Proverbs tells us that the path to wisdom requires careful analysis of the facts of reality and we do well to remember that the Devil quotes Scripture when he tempts our Lord. Romans 12 exhorts us to “test” and we are to carefully consider our steps.
The Devil is the great humanist. He will point out our problems and suggest a path to correct them that always plays one aspect of Scripture over against another. This is why we must study Scripture humbly. We are called to be theologians, not sloppy, emotional thinkers driven by every wind of doctrine.
Job 22:21 “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” How are we to agree with Him unless we know His word?
2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
Ephesians 4:14 “As a result we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.”
What is every wind of doctrine? It means that when we take one part of Scripture and interpret it in contradiction to others. Satan will use this ploy to lead us astray. For example, imagine a father that works so much that he scarcely sees his children. A wise path may be to take another job, even if it pays less. This may cause the family to adjust its living standards accordingly. If that means a few things need to be cut from the budget, then so be it. The greater good of the family is worth driving a used car, less expensive vacations and eating out less.
But what if he quit his job and decided to live on savings and credit cards? Let’s say that he didn’t want the family not to “have nice things” and reasoned that this was loving his family. We know that this isn’t love because the father is trading temporary blessings for long term disaster. Yes, we can see the folly of this sin easily enough. It’s always easier to see it in others. But it’s harder when we’re the one in the ring and the punches the Devil throws are coming our way. It’s harder when he tempts us with some short term plan or another. It’s always easier to do the thing you want right now rather than obey the Lord.
The principle is that sin whispers the lie that we should always be comfortable. It lacks discipline. It sacrifices tomorrow for right now. This happens because in our hearts we resent the limitations of life. The way of death is to approach these limitations outside of the will of God.
We recall that the Israelites grumbled against God and Moses when they were hungry. When the physical limitations of life confronted them, they blamed God for them. This was written for our benefit. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:4-6)
Note how Scripture says that He is the God of endurance. He is, in this regard, the God of discipline. The life of faith isn’t a life of emotionalism but of the study of and conformity to the Word of God for we have faith in the person of Jesus Christ, not our feelings. The way of death is the way of our own mind, of confidence in, ultimately, man-made reasoning rather than the full counsel of Scripture.
Our Lord spoke often of those who will say to Him on that last day, “Lord, Lord…”. But they never knew Him. Let me just say this – and I know this is a hard thing to hear. But we can’t have Jesus as Savior but not Lord. The two are indivisible. Not every Israelite was a believer and not every churchgoer is either. Just as many perished in the wilderness because the bread from heaven wasn’t sufficient for them, so today we are faced with the choice of Jesus – the true bread of heaven – and the Word that testifies of Him.
So, the way that seems right to a man is the way of death, the way of Satan, and the way of right now. It’s not the way of faith. It’s the way of those who came to Jesus to be fed in John 6 but deserted Him when He told them of the spiritual truth.
Life is the way of John 14:23 – “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…”
The way of death sees life with faithless eyes not trained by Scripture. It says, “since I have peace with God and have obtained access into this grace which I stand, I will not rejoice in sufferings, nor develop the endurance for it. I want the blessings of God but not the obedience through which it comes.” It reads Scripture but doesn’t hear it. But the faithful Christian is the one that submits to God’s Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. It knows that we will have troubles in this world but rejoices in the knowledge that Christ has overcome it all – and so shall we provided we walk with Him rather than the world.
This world promises love through sex. It promises wealth absent production and savings. It promises knowledge without Godly wisdom. It promises peace without repentance. It promises triumph without the cross and glorifies self, not God. The lies are subtle and they all speak to a real need and a true desire. Watch, therefore, lest you be swept up in it all. Guard yourself in this battle with the flesh. Go to the cross and chain yourself there, knowing Christ and Him only and pray that you see the world as He sees it. Pray that He opens your eyes to the wondrous things from the Word, not the world. And pray to be Biblical, not worldly.
The way that seems right is to seek freedom and success here and now. But there’s no true freedom, no success and no life unless we are in Christ. Go to Christ and find the wisdom of God.
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