Proverbs 10:29-30, A Savour of Life or Death!

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May 3, Proverbs 10:29-30

John 3:14-19 “The ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them” (Hosea 14:9).

A Savour of Life or Death!

Verse 29 brings out a vital truth that deserves close attention. The way of the Lord is the subject of both clauses. Omitting the italics, shall be, we see the contrast intended here. Thus, what is strength to one is destruction to the other, and the response of man to the Lord determines which it will be.

1. The Road God Walks: The Way of the Lord in this context refers to the acts of God Himself. It is “the sum of the divine action, the solemn footsteps of God through creation, providence, and history” (Maclaren). Modern thinkers either deny there is a personal God directing history, or ignore it as irrelevant. Our wise men talk about the current of events, popular opinion, or the laws of the market place. We are told that Mother Nature controls the weather and blamed for natural disasters. Bible writers knew differently, however. They saw a personal God willing human affairs (Ps. 77:13, 17-19; 90:2; Pr. 8:23-29; Dan. 4:3; Mic. 5:2). This is the Way of the Lord, the course He has mapped out from beginning to end. Our proverb does not speak of ways but of The Way, the Only Way, that comes from God and goes straight to God (Isa. 35:8; Jn. 14:6). Further, man can know sufficient of this Way, even if hard to grasp fully. Man knows that His Way makes for righteousness, and is on the side of good and against evil. Justice and judgment are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before thy face (Ps. 89:14). How often we see this joining of justice and judgment, mercy and truth in reference to God’s dealings with the world.

2. The Road Man Walks: It is either His Way or my way (Pr. 1:31, 2:13, 12:15). The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, but His face is against them that do evil (Ps. 34:15-16). His face is just another way of saying His Way. The same Eye that blesses the righteous justly burns against evil doers. Either you are now walking on His Path or are still on the way that seems right in your own eyes (Pr. 14:12). His way is strength to the upright. Strength means a stronghold, a fortress, for He is a fortress to the godly. The closer you walk in it the more you draw strength needed for the good fight. It provides protection for the often-defenseless believer, while it proves the destruction of those who deny it (v.30). The first Christians were scornfully called the people of the Way. It was, of course, the way of Him who said, I am the Way. It was His Way that set them apart in the first century. Even their enemies confessed that they out-lived, out-thought, out-died their pagan neighbours. His Way is strength to the upright who walk in it, providing the spiritual and moral strength they need. At the same time, however, this fortress becomes a threatening prison (destruction) to the workers of iniquity. The Gospel is the answer to the question which way you will go. Either you accept Christ’s work and enter His Way, saved from sin and guilt, or stay on the way that leads only to destruction! Either Christ is The Stone, your sure Foundation, or He is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence (1 Pet. 2:6-8).

Thought: Damned not only for doing evil, but also for not doing right.

Prayer: Make me to choose Thy Way, O Lord.