Proverbs 2:13 “who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness”
There are some things in life that can seem like a good idea at the time, but then the eventual outcome is not so good. I remember a beautiful family I knew as a young man. We were close friends and I often spent a Sunday with the whole family (four generations of around 15-20 adults and children when they all gathered). They loved life, ate as a family together around one huge table at grandma’s house and were so much fun to be with. Everyone spoke at once and overflowing dishes were lifted high and handed around, fun and banter flying in all directions. The homemade pasta was out of this world!
Grandma was a gambler and eventually, the family business was sold to pay gambling debts, her children also got into gambling, and their marriages suffered as a result. Deception became part of some of the marriages. I saw first-hand the pain and stress that different parts of the family went through. I myself got involved gambling around the same time, often going to the casino at 2 pm and leaving at 4 am. As I reflect on that time in my life I can see how other good people close to you can influence you and before you know what is happening you are experiencing new unhealthy habits and even life challenges, yet it all happens so incrementally. It seems to me it’s rarely a sudden massive change, rather it’s almost unnoticeable small changes that lead us away, and as the writer so starkly says, we “forsake the paths of righteousness”. It’s always our choice, who we spend time with, and how we respond in every situation.
KNOWLEDGE
This is what you are protected from, these are the people who are cut out from having influence over you, because of your choices…… (“wisdom and knowledge – v10”). They would have you relinquish your hold on your future, to trade in your blessing for burden. They want you to walk with them. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress, near the village of Morality, Christian (the main character) meets Mr Worldly Wiseman. Mr Worldly Wiseman is not spiritual but is friendly and a very well-disposed person. He tells Christian that it will be foolish of him to continue on his journey, his pilgrimage, the end of which can only be hunger, pain and death. There is reasonableness to this argument, we could easily be persuaded, especially in difficult seasons, were it not for wisdom and knowledge from God, guarding our hearts and our thoughts.
The way that is proposed can sometimes seem reasonable and sensible even – it’s not always a blatantly obviously dreadful choice. We need to choose our travelling companions carefully – Christian has Mr Faithful, and Mr Hopeful alongside him at different times on his journey to encourage him to stay on the path. Who do you choose to walk through life with? Be intentional about asking people to mentor you!
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
What do you think about when you hear the word “forsake”? The English word is mentioned 132 times in the ESV {forsake, forsook, forsaken etc]. Perhaps the most well-known use would be in Matt 27:46 “……why have you forsaken me……”. The Hebrew word is pronounced “azab” and is mentioned 212 times in the Old Testament. It’s translated as forsake, leave, reject, and abandon, among a few other words. There is an aspect of desertion and neglect that we can see as we try to gain a deeper insight into the writer’s intentions.
WISDOM: who accompanies you each day on your pilgrimage?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Deliberative – let’s not drive around the pothole, if we stop and fill it in then every day will be a better day.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version [those who relinquish any concern for right conduct and integrity, and who develop a pattern of conduct that leads along a path to a destination of despair.]
PRAYER: Father thank you for today. Please help me to consider my steps each day carefully, and to intentionally step away from anything or anyone that would cause me to drift away from you and your ways.
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Allan I have walked this path in my life and had to learn the lesson. The challange I found was many people who can plant seeds of behaviour that may be unhealthy can on the surface be people that it’s a pleasure to spend time with like the family you mentioned in your story.
“ To intentionally step away from anything or anyone that would cause me to drift away from you and your ways.” A powerful needed prayer. We need the wisdom of the Father to know who to align our lives with. This is such a healthy timely reminder. I received a word from the Lord as a little girl, the Prophet said to me me “ Chelsea, you are going to lose some of your friends, get around godly people and God will bless you.”
I’ve held tight to this word and it has been more than true. I’ve seen many friends leave my life and go in a direction not towards the father. I have stayed my path, in the house of God and every time I prayed and asked the Lord for new friends he has delivered. I can say with confidence he is faithful!
Amen. Its always a choice. Who we spend time with and how we respond to any given situation. We need wisdom from the Lord.
Thanks for sharing, Ps Allan. I, too, am praying for a mentor.
I love Pilgrim’s progress, must read it again. ‘Be intentional about asking people to mentor you! – It will always take being true to oneself to walk away from ‘friends’ that have a bad influence on you. It is important to be able to walk away and know that bad company corrupts good morals.
Staying true to the word of God and not be influenced by people who forsake what is right will continue to be an intentional decision and purposing in ones heart not to be led astray.
Psalm 1:1 sums it up for me.
True friends will help and defend what is right.
Wisdom says to not associate with those who will cause you to compromise.
Allan a few years ago I made the decision to seperate myself from my parents and siblings . I knew they loved me and wanted the best for me but I had inherited some character traits and habits that weren’t healthy in my marriage. It took me quite a few years Into my marriage to see how toxic the example was for me. It’s all I’d even known. It was my normal . I was blind to the issues I had. I decided to walk with Jesus for him to show me, heal me and restore me. My marriage depended on it. During that period of time separated I had asked God to do a work in me . To renew my mind to uproot those things in my behaviour that were so toxic almost a curse and went on a journey to find the truth of what God wanted for me in my marriage and my thoughts changed for the better and my behaviour changed for the better. He transformed so much in me. It was after I returned to the relationship with my family that I realised so loudly (almost a slap in the face) how different I was to them. My heart had softened , my words were different, my attitude had changed and I vowed never to return to the old habits but to live humbled by God’s transformation . He is a good God that if we will give him permission He will come in and renew us. Amen . I am so grateful for the work he did in me .
There is an intentionality about people who choose to forsake God and His wisdom deliberately to follow their own way or the ways of darkness. It’s a choice we need to make daily to follow the path righteousness or to walk in the ways of darkness. Our choices determine out future, we need to deliberately and intentionally choose the path of righteousness each day, counting the cost of our choice and believing by faith that our God through his son Jesus Christ is true.
That is a very sad experience Pastor Allan to see people bring ruination on themselves & such a lovely family.
It emphasizes the need to be discerning about what & who you allow to speak into your life & be accountable to. If people are not a friend to your destiny & walking out the same moral values you have as well as the same belief system then I would not allow them to be in close relationship with me. That is not to say I cannot be friends with non- Christians but rather it is wisdom to be on guard not embrace their lifestyle & beliefs & be drawn away by any ungodly ways they may choose to follow. As a Christian I am called to be salt & light to this world so my responsibility is to be planted in a strong church community to safeguard myself from being enticed into paths that may appear harmless at first but over time can become quite harmful to my Christian walk.
Hi Ps Allan, thanks for sharing .
In this life we must be very careful who we should walk and do life with . We need to pray for God’s guidance and wisdom concerning this issue as christians .
Hi Ps Allan, thanks for sharing .
In this life we must be very careful who we should walk and do life with . We need to pray for God’s guidance and wisdom concerning this issue as christians .
The Pilgrim’s Progress sounds like a cool book / movie. I’m interested in watching it now.
That’s a great question to ask myself “who accompanies me each day on my pilgrimage?” And to consider virtues such as faithfulness, being hopeful (like in the book) and others, as travelling companions is a really great thought.
Thanks Ps Allan 👍
In my younger days I have been influenced by others and the outcome has not been really great,
At that time ,things looked good in the outside and I guess I had been poor in my judgement,
This lead me in a very unstable path,
When I came to know Jesus ,everything looked so different ,
God brought a few people in to my life ,who influenced me in a very positive way ,
I learnt so much from the people God put it in my life ,I had a role model (my pastor )
Who never gave up but believed in me .
She was a role model to me .
She walked with me on a journey to help me discover my real purpose in this life .
Now I chose who I Iet into my life ,and who I let to be influenced by.
I feel so blessed by the new friendships that God has brought into my life .
The choice is ours, whether to be enticed by situations that look attractive but can only lead to a bitter end, or to wisely stay on the right path.
Many times I have been confronted by a situation that could have led me to misery and deception. Thank you Father, for your timely words of wisdom.