Two Paths

Proverbs 4:14-19

Across the state of Nebraska there are various markers for where the Oregon Trail came through. Sioux Lookout is one of those that I have visited many times. It is located several miles south of I-80 between North Platte and Maxwell. My grandparents homesteaded in that area less than a mile from the ruts of the old trail.

Today there is a sign that serves as the marker for Sioux Lookout. It’s private land and you can only see it from a distance. However, when I was growing up, there was an open trail that led to the top of the tallest bluff. At the top there was a large statue of an Indian scout positioned to look out over the trail as the settlers traveled past at the base of the bluffs.

There was one trail from the road to the base of the bluff—a distance of maybe half a mile. However, once you hit the base of the bluff there were countless trails to the top. The trails were worn down from both foot traffic and erosion over time. Many were so deep, the walls of the trails were over our heads. When a group of kids would visit the lookout, we would all travel together to the base of the bluff then disappear on the various trails. Soon we would all come together again at the top next to the statue. The view up there was worth the hike.

There are many today who see the world the same way. God is at the top of the bluff and there are many trails that lead up to Him. They believe it doesn’t matter which one you take because they all end up in the same place. This belief is called pluralism. 

But the Bible does not teach that all roads lead to God. That’s significant since the Bible is God’s revelation to us. He should know. As we talked about in an earlier blog, that’s reality. The Bible does consistently refer to two paths. One path leads to life and the other leads to destruction. In the poetic literature like Proverbs, the two paths are labeled the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked.

Our proverb for this week states, do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. Why? Because they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Why would anyone choose the wicked path? It sounds miserable. Because, according to the Proverb, they function in darkness. They are clueless. They don’t view themselves as wicked. They may even count themselves among the righteous. They are confident they are morally superior. They are right and those who disagree are wrong. They seem incapable of connecting the dots between their beliefs and behaviors and the misery they experience. 

It's not hard to identify those who are traveling the path of the wicked. At the core they function as their own god. They believe they are free to determine their own morality. They have convinced themselves that reality will adjust to accommodate their wishes. Many of these people are religious or spiritual but they worship a God of their own making. They create their own God who demands nothing and lets them have their way. The way of the wicked is like darkness. 

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Light exposes our sin. It reveals our selfishness. Light reveals the one true God and convicts us of the foolish notion that we can be our own god. Light leads to surrender and there we find the path our souls have been looking for. In the light we can read the signs that point to the right path and warn of the wrong path, signs easily missed in the dark.

According to the Bible, the life we long for can only be found in God. He is at the top of the bluff. There are lots of trails but only one goes to the top. So, there are really only two paths: the right path and the wrong path. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me. There’s nothing unclear about that. 

If you are going to travel God’s path—the way of the righteous— you must accept you’re not in charge. You are not free to make up your own rules or negotiate what is right and wrong. He’s God and you surrender to that. There’s no wiggle room here. That’s the way it works. That’s reality.

You can’t travel both paths. It can’t be darkness and light at the same time. The right path is not an easy path. We are all going to stumble and fall. But God’s path is in the light, so we know what we stumble over, and we deal with it. We don’t excuse it or rationalize it. We confess it. We agree with God that it’s wrong and we turn away from it. That’s life in the light.

Take some time this week to examine your life. Are you allowing areas of compromise? Have you convinced yourself that sin is no big deal to God? Are you trying to pretend that something is right when you know in your gut it’s wrong? The right path, which is the light path, is not reserved for perfect people. It’s for people willing to surrender to God and walk in His ways. Let’s do that.