The T-Guide
Proverbs 14:15-35
Years ago Patti and I lived in Southern California. I was going to graduate school and driving a tow truck on the side to pay the bills. Let me just say the streets in Southern California are rather confusing. I grew up in Lincoln in the 1970’s. The streets were mostly A, B, C in one direction and 1, 2, 3 in the other direction. Not so complicated.
Not so in Southern California. Someone clever decided the streets need to meander this direction and that direction with no real thought as to why this street is named this and that street is named that. A bit confusing for a Nebraska boy.
That’s a problem for someone driving a tow truck. Each call was clocked, and we had a limited amount of time to address the call. If we were late the station would get demerits. The only hope I had was my T-Guide. It was an amazing book that had every road, every alley, everything I needed to know. As long as I followed the T-Guide I was fine. Eventually I learned the roads and things made more sense to me.
Over the years I’ve often thought of the Bible as my T-Guide for life. Life can get confusing these days, so I’m thankful I don’t have to navigate the culture in the dark. Of course, that assumes that I’m consulting the T-Guide and believing what it says. It does me no good if it just sits on the seat of the tow truck.
The Proverbs states that the sensible man considers his steps. He consults the T-Guide and really thinks about where he is going. He knows where to find answers and he pays attention to what is written for his instruction. This has been a common theme in Proverbs. We need to listen and learn if we are going to live skillfully.
The problem with many people today is not that they don’t believe something, but rather that they’ll believe anything. Proverbs states that the naïve believes everything. He listens to every person giving him directions even though most people have no idea what they are talking about. He goes here then he goes there but he’s still lost. He hits one dead end after another and ends up going the wrong way down a one-way street more times than he can count. The T-Guide is on the seat. Why doesn’t he use it?
The naïve in Proverbs doesn’t mean someone who is dumb or unable to learn. It’s simply someone who is gullible and easily persuaded. We might use the word clueless. He’s like a leaf that falls into a river and flows with the current. As we’ve learned in Proverbs, that’s a good way to ruin your life. Eventually that river is going to lead to some nasty rapids then over the waterfall.
This is common in our culture because people have lost their way. The more desperate they become to find something to satisfy, the more gullible they become. They reach a point where they’ll try anything assuring the likelihood of a bad ending. Proverbs states, the fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, it’s the water my thirsty soul is longing for. The fear of the LORD means I trust what He has revealed to me in the T-Guide. It leads me to the water my soul needs.
That proverb goes on to state, that one may avoid the snares of death. Death meaning misery. The naïve believes anything while the skillful person consults the T-Guide to avoid a disappointing life.
One significant difference between the naïve and the wise has to do with whether they think what they are longing for will be found on earth or in heaven. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. In this Proverb, the house represents someone who has settled for earthly things. The tent represents someone who recognizes they are only passing through and the best is yet to come.
The house may seem better at first glance. “Of course the house will last forever, they always do,” lies the culture. But the naïve believe. But what do you know, in the end the house collapses. Game over; a life wasted. The tent isn’t nearly as impressive, but in the end it will flourish. Why? Because the tent represents someone who knows they are simply passing through, headed for a better place. This person lives for what matters.
It's a bit counterintuitive. The house seems permanent, it’s the here and now. The tent seems questionable, it must be viewed with eyes of faith. But in the end the T-Guide proves to be correct—the tent endures while the house collapses. That’s why the Proverb goes on to state, there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Who would’ve guessed the tent would outlast the house? The wise man. I mean, it’s in the T-Guide.
Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy is grief. In other words, even in my best moments I know whatever is making me happy can’t last. It’s temporary at best and we know it. We feel it slipping away. But the righteous has a refuge when he dies. He or she knows the best is yet to come and the future is glorious. How can we avoid living for the wrong things? Read the T-Guide. It’s not a secret. The truth is spelled out for all want to learn.
Trust me, the overwhelming majority of the voices today seek to convince you to live for the here and now. Follow the current of the culture and eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die. Take the house over the tent because it seems obvious the house will outlast the tent. The naïve listen and believe only to be disappointed by a life wasted.
The truth is there for all to see. God has given us the travel guide if we’re willing to learn and believe. Contrary to popular thought, the tent will win out; the best is yet to come; the future is glorious to those who fear the LORD and seek after the fountain of life. Until we arrive we have what we need to navigate successfully through a confusing culture if we’ll just listen and learn from the ultimate T-Guide.