Scriptures: Proverbs 16:25; 14:12; 16:2; 16:7; 12:15; Jeremiah 27;
Matthew 7:13-14; 5:3-12
Video Link: https://youtu.be/iCizzefULtY
The Right Way?
Good morning everyone.
Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for this life.
The ancient world, in which Proverbs was composed, was largely an oral culture. Most information was passed on by word of mouth, rather than reading and writing.
There was no internet, so you couldn’t google something to learn about it. And books, as we know them, hadn’t been invented yet. The ancients did write things on scrolls or on walls but reading and writing was an expensive exercise and access to writing materials was not common or widespread.
If you wanted to know something, you had to ask a person who knew what they were talking about and then listen carefully. Storytelling, poetry and song were often used to help people remember what they heard. Repetition was another strategy used to commit ideas to memory.
One thing you notice as you read through Proverbs is the repetition. Some Proverbs are repeated word for word in different chapters and other Proverbs are rephrased in a slightly different way.
The focus of our message today is Proverbs 16, verse 25, which reads…
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Where it says man, it means human being, both men and women.
This verse is basically saying that things are not always as they appear at first. The way something begins is not always how it ends. Or, as Bob Dylan put it, ‘What looks large from a distance, up close is never that big.’
More than this though, Proverbs 16 verse 25, is saying that we human beings are limited in our knowledge and understanding. We cannot rely solely on our own inner compass, or our own judgement. We need an external point of reference to check we are on the right path.
If you are building a house, then you don’t just use your eye to determine if something is straight. You use a plumb line, a tape measure and a spirit level. Because what looks straight to the naked eye may be off by inches.
Or if you are a guitarist or a violinist then you don’t just tune your instrument by ear. You tune your instrument to a piano that you know is in tune or you use an electronic tuner, as an external point of reference.
Or if you are travelling a great distance in the wilderness or on the open sea, you don’t just follow your gut or your instinct. You use a compass or a sextant or the stars or GPS.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, is repeated, word for word, in Proverbs 14, verse 12.
We also find similar proverbs elsewhere. In chapter 16, verse 2, for example we read: All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
This gives a slightly different nuance of meaning. The idea here is that our mind has a way of fooling us. Our brain has this unfortunate tendency to be biased and filter out (or deny) the inconvenient truth about ourselves.
We might genuinely believe we are doing something with pure motives, when in fact we have mixed motives without being aware of it. Maybe we are compensating for the guilt we feel over something we did in our past. Or maybe we are really more interested in making ourselves look good in the eyes of others. Disinterested virtue is rare.
Each of us has what Carl Jung called a ‘shadow’. Your shadow is that part of yourself that you cannot see. Both good and bad lie hidden in your shadow. God sees what’s in your shadow, but you can’t. None of us is as good as we imagine ourselves to be.
Proverbs 12, verse 15, gives another take on chapter 16, verse 25…
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
This is almost the same as saying: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, except Proverbs 12:15 puts the accent on listening to good advice. Seeking the advice of others is one way of using an external point of reference to check whether we are on the right track or not.
The Bible is another external point of reference. When we read the Bible with an open mind, we are seeking the advice of wise men and women from ancient times. Of course, interpretation is key. We still need other believers to moderate our reading of Scripture, so we do not mislead ourselves. More importantly, we need the illumination of the Holy Spirit to discern God’s word.
Jesus may have had Proverbs 16, verse 25 in mind when he said…
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
The broad road seems right to a person, but it leads to death. While the narrow road seems wrong, but it leads to life.
I don’t think Jesus is talking about being broad minded or narrow minded here. I think the broad road is a poetic way of talking about the easy or popular option, maybe even the cheat’s option. While the narrow road is a poetic way of talking about the more difficult but more honest option.
When Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the Devil offered Jesus the broad road, the easy road, to power and success. ‘Bow down in worship to me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world’.
But Jesus refused. Jesus chose the narrow road, the more difficult but honest road, of remaining faithful to God. Jesus stayed loyal to his heavenly Father, even though the narrow road went via the cross. Ultimately though, after the cross, the narrow road led to resurrection and eternal life.
So, if there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, how then do we know we are on the right path? How can we discern the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death?
We may listen to the advice of others but if their advice is bad, then where does that leave us? Likewise, we may read the Bible but if we misinterpret what we read then we end up on the wrong path anyway.
Well, I believe that if you are genuine in asking God to show you the right way and you are honest with yourself, the Lord will guide your steps.
In Proverbs 16, verse 7, we read…
When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
So being at peace with your enemies is a sign that you are on the right path.
We should note that Proverbs 16, verse 7, is not a promise. It’s not a guarantee. Rather, it is a general rule. When we live in a way that pleases God, we can normally expect to be at peace with those around us.
There are exceptions to this rule of course. But, for the most part, if you do justly, show mercy and walk humbly, then you are more likely to enjoy peace with your neighbours. Makes sense right.
Scripture interprets Scripture. What examples do we find in the Bible to illustrate this idea that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
One example that comes to mind is found in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who predicted the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s message from God was, don’t resist the might of the Babylonian empire.
Any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon will be punished with sword, famine and plague… But any nation that does bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, will live in its own land.
In other words, do not try to defend yourselves against the Babylonian army because you are not going to win.
To the Jews of his day, Jeremiah seemed unpatriotic. He seemed to lack faith in God. Other prophets (false ones) were telling the people that God would fight for them and Jerusalem would never fall.
And what these false prophets were saying seemed right to the people. Afterall, only a century earlier, during the time of king Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, God delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
Hardly anyone agreed with Jeremiah’s minority report and Jerusalem was destroyed with the survivors being taken into exile, just as Jeremiah predicted.
Jesus had a similar message for the Israelites of his day. Like Jeremiah, Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
Jesus’ message was, don’t resist the Romans. My kingdom is not of this world. Turn the other cheek. Walk the extra mile. This is the way of peace. If you fight against the Romans, you will cause yourself unimaginable suffering.
Tragically, the people ignored Jesus. Resisting the might of the Roman empire seemed right to most Jews at the time, but it led to death. Over a million people were killed in the siege of Jerusalem in AD70.
Jesus wept then and I imagine he still weeps now.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
God’s ways are not our ways.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed strongly that their way was the right way. They genuinely thought all their rules, which acted like a fence around the Law, were pleasing to God. But their way led to death.
Throughout the gospels Jesus challenged the Pharisees and religious leaders. Jesus called them out on their self-righteousness and hypocrisy saying things like…
Woe to you Pharisees, because you give a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
Also, “… you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness…”
This tells us something about the way of life that pleases God. It tells us God is pleased with justice and generosity. It tells us God is pleased when religion is based on love for him and our neighbour. It tells us God does not like it when people use religion as a way to hide evil. True religion, true faith, true spirituality needs to come from the inside out.
It wasn’t just the Pharisees who got it wrong. Even Jesus’ disciples, his closest friends, misunderstood God’s ways at times.
In Matthew 16 we read what happened when Peter thought he knew best…
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Simon Peter meant well. It seemed right to him that Jesus should not suffer. But Peter was well off track.
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
This must have hurt. Imagine thinking you were doing something good, only to be told by Jesus himself that you are aligned with Satan, the one opposed to God’s purpose. The strength of Jesus’ response to Peter mirrors the seriousness of Peter’s error.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
We may have heard those words so many times they wash over us without penetrating our heart. But Jesus’ message here is shocking. This is a slap in the face, a reality check.
Picking up your cross is a metaphor for suffering in very real ways. To carry a cross in Roman times was to face pain, shame and death. No one wanted to be crucified. No one thought, ‘Oh, carrying a cross, that seems right and good to me. Let’s do that’.
Jesus’ words are counter intuitive, they turn our thinking upside down. Jesus inverts traditional wisdom. Traditional wisdom says, ‘choose the line of least resistance’. Picking up your cross and following Jesus, is the opposite of that.
The apostle Paul put it in similar terms when he talked about offering your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God for this is your spiritual act of worship.
The point is, serving God’s purpose, following Jesus’ way, is not an easy or glorious experience. It is difficult. It will cost you.
As a Christian you probably won’t have to literally carry a cross or be flogged or nailed to a tree, like Jesus was. But there will be times when obeying Jesus in faith makes you feel uncomfortable, frustrated, vulnerable and powerless. You will look foolish at times. You will be misunderstood. You will lose and you will wonder what the point is.
Not that it’s all bad. There are also times when serving Jesus feels like a good fit and a privilege. But the values of God’s kingdom are so different from the values of this world that staying loyal to God’s values will inevitably result in personal suffering. The good news is, if you share in Christ’s sufferings, you will (one day) share in his glory.
Not that glory will matter to you by then. In the end you won’t be interested in glory. You won’t care what other people think. You will simply want Christ to hold you.
In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us the beatitudes. The beatitudes spell out what the right way looks like. What we notice about the beatitudes is the ‘right way’ does not always seem right at first. The beatitudes could be summarised like this: ‘There is a way that does not seem right to a man, but in the end it leads to life’.
For example: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
To be poor in spirit is to be emotionally depleted, at the end of your rope, weak and vulnerable, like you have been emptied of your courage and motivation. No one chooses to be poor in spirit. No one says, ‘I think I will be poor in spirit today because that seems right to me’. Being poor in spirit is something that circumstance forces on you.
Jesus said you are blessed or lucky if you are poor in spirit because being poor in spirit is a pathway to the kingdom of heaven. Being poor in spirit means you are aware of your need for God and willing to depend on him because you have nothing else.
Another example from the beatitudes of what the right way looks like.
Jesus said: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
In order to be merciful, you have to be in a position of power in relation to someone else. The merciful are those who use their power to save or help others, as opposed to ignoring or oppressing others. Mercy might mean forgiving a debt or lifting someone out of a hole (literally or metaphorically).
Mercy, therefore, is a choice. Jesus is saying that the measure you use for others is the measure God will use for you. If you show mercy to others, God will show mercy to you.
Showing mercy usually feels like a sacrifice. Showing mercy will cost you and so it is not easy to show mercy. Forgiving someone may not seem right, when what you really want is revenge. But, as right as revenge might feel in the moment, it leads to death. Mercy, on the other hand, leads to life for you.
We don’t have to time to go through all the beatitudes now. You can study them yourself later, if you want to know the way that does not seem right, but in the end leads to life.
Suffice to say that when it comes to discerning the right way, we need to look to Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is our best external point of reference when it comes to measuring decisions. Jesus’ example embodies the way we need to take.
May the Lord bless you and guide you by the light of his presence in all the decisions you make, large and small. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
- Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Proverbs 16:25. ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death’.
- Can you think of a time when you (or someone else) did what seemed right, but it ended badly? What happened?
- What did Jesus mean by the broad road and the narrow road, in Matthew 7:13-14?
- How can we know if we are on the right path? What are some external points of reference we can use to check if the way we are choosing is actually right? What do we know about the way that pleases God?
- How do the beatitudes in Matthew 5 inform (and challenge) our understanding of the right way?
- Why do we need to include Jesus in our decision making? How might we do this?
Tawa Baptist 