He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who forsakes rebuke goes astray.
Message: Prone to wander
Time: Proverbs records multiple individuals as its author with Solomon as the principal author. Solomon died in 931 BC though most think the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC. It is a book that instructs people on the path of wisdom. It speaks to all of life and living our lives under the authority and direction of God.
What the Lord is Saying: Verse 16 mentioned life in regards to righteous living. Today's verse states that "the path of life follows instruction." Thus, there is a characteristic people have that are walking well on the path of life, abundant life and that is there are amiable to instruction. Been talking to a guy online and for the most part he just wants to argue. Anything that comes up in the Bible he doesn't like he then calls God perfect. He is in defensive mode. I find a lot of people like this that simply want to a forum to communicate their convictions but don't have a need to learn or this goes beyond just learning to following instruction.
On Sunday, the message was from Psalm 119:33-35 and I noticed something interesting in those verses:
33 Teach me, the way of Your statutes, Lord,
And I shall comply with it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, so that I may comply with Your Law
And keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
The idea in the 3 verses is "teach - understand - walk." Now, in this verse today are the words "follows instruction" or "heeds instruction" which really encompasses the same idea. All 3 are important. We spend much of our time in school with teaching and understanding and then life is walking. There is something fulfilling in life from those that follows instruction - they not only listen to teaching, but they follow it. This seems to be the attitude of a Christian continually. People who go to church often recognize that they have not arrived and to listen to a sermon is to acknowledge that you have something to learn, to follow, to change in your life.
The contrast is "he who forsakes rebuke goes astray." Those that do not follow instruction but are taught and refuse the learning or correction - go astray. To go astray is to error. And this is the way that leads to sin, destruction, and death versus life and blessedness.
In the words of the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Blessing" are the words: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it." At a an early age, in school, we are trained in the idea of learning and understanding. At home, we are often corrected growing up. Those formative years are years of training that hopefully follow us through life - learn, understand, walk, but also there is correction. The child without the correction goes astray. Sometimes the child needs something stern or clear to see that message that they are going astray.
But there is clearly a danger in parenting that correction doesn't look like correction, but more exasperation which is mentioned in Scripture in Ephesians, "Fathers do not exasperate your child." That exasperation is the danger in life. Correction is meant to be clear, but not abusive.
Prayer: O God, thank you for these lessons and the good training that I even received in life. Thank you for school and though it was hard to learn at times, I appreciate the years of that training in reading, being taught, learning, and then the joy of applying it in life and working. I realize I was impatient God at times and wanted to hurry to the application. Thank you for continuing to bring me back to the importance of teaching and understanding. Help me to not be proud. There is tendency in that. There is tendency in thinking I have arrived even when I conduct myself in a way that has little sin. But I pray I would stay on the path of following the instruction I receive and heeding it. Help me to be sensitive to that and how I need to adapt and change.
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