Proverbs 2:19 “none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life”

There is such a sense of loss, of finality about this scripture, and we would struggle to reconcile this with what we know about our Lord. There is of course a way back for us, and Jesus is the way.

Loss is such a painful experience.

I remember one day when my wife was meeting our youngest daughter at the local shops from school. Our daughter Rachel did not show up at the agreed time, and my wife called me to tell me this and that therefore they would be running late. However, Rachel was not on the next bus from school either, and Wendy called again, more concerned now. I decided to drive down to the school to see if there was an issue there (it was 15 mins from where we lived). We had originally provided Rachel with a mobile phone, but at the school, she attended she had to hand it in at the school office each day, and then when at the end of the school day she lined up to collect the phone, she would miss her bus. So we had eventually decided there was no value in her having the phone if it meant she would be late home every day.

I drove quickly towards the school, feeling a bit anxious. Rachel was not at the school bus stop, the school was closed up and everyone was gone. I phoned Wendy, but Rachel was not there either. By now she was around 40 mins late and we had no idea where she could be. I quickly drove home to see if she had gone there by mistake while Wendy waited for the next and final bus that Rachel could possibly be on. When I got home there was no sign of Rachel, and by now I was struggling not to panic. I called Wendy – no Rachel there either. Wendy was not willing to leave the meeting place in case Rachel still showed up – I can’t imagine how hard that was and how many faces she scanned in that hour.

 

I called the police and made the report, I was praying, and struggling a little to hold it together, I knew that panicking would not help, but was fighting a feeling of panic and dread rising up in my emotions like a slow filling water tank.

 

The police came within around ten minutes and I immediately started to explain the situation. They asked if Rachel had done this before or if she had a friends house that she might go to. Rachel was 10 years old at this time.

 

The phone in my hand vibrated, it was Wendy and I answered to tell her the police were here now.  She said “Rachel is here” – wow, relief flooded through me, it was a physical feeling. I told the police, they were glad and quickly departed.

 

Rachel had got on the wrong bus and had ended up miles away from where she should have been, but the bus driver realised there was a problem and brought her back to where her mum was waiting for her (as he was going off-service at that time). The feeling of impending loss was real, the severity, the weight, the impact and the cost were all knocking on the door of our hearts and minds that day. In the end, it worked out all good.

I think that the writer here is trying to impart the risks we run, when we run after the wrong things in life, how terrible the loss is then, and how real and lasting.

KNOWLEDGE

There are a lot of words beginning with “r” that can be associated with this scripture – even thinking about these starts to deepen the flavour of what is being communicated – reach, return, restore, retreat, repent, recover, repossess, retrieve, road……

The warning is against loss – some decisions have massive consequences, life-changing consequences, we propel ourselves towards a new normal that we will not like. Is the writer talking about marital unfaithfulness? Is it perhaps sexual relationships before marriage? Or is it more a figurative direction regarding our inner heart relationship with God and through the New Testament eyes of the covenant He has made with us – does this even apply to us now that Jesus has paid the price for all sin? Could we get into a situation where there is “no way back”?

Paul writes in the New Testament

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Paul is emphasising the type of reverence we should have for God – with the deep awareness of our own inabilities and the continuous desperate need for his help – we find ourselves not seeking our own satisfaction or comfort but living on the edge, in faith, doing the impossible.

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?

Let’s look at “regain”?  The original Hebrew word is pronounced “maseget”.  It is used 45 times in the ESV Old Testament. The translators have used words such as overtook; attained; afford; prosperous; rich; last, and regain to unpack these words within the various contexts. For us here we may lean into Webster’s thoughts – “to recover what has escaped or been lost”.

 

WISDOM – what are you chasing after in your life today?

 

STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Futuristic –  don’t just dream about the future you want, make a path and help others get there as well.

 

Allan’s Unauthorised Version [no one who even approaches her will find their way back, to repossess or retrieve the way of life they used to have].

 

PRAYER: Father thank you for today. Help me please to stay on the path you have provided, and to have strength and wisdom with you to avoid the detours to disaster.