Man wants to sleep at night, he’d better walk tall.”
–John Deacon (Kip 2)
“‘If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully–he is just; he shall surely live!’ says the Lord GOD.”
–Ezekiel 18:9 (NKJV)
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The last three verses of chapter two sum up the first chapters of Proverbs and set the stage for the rest of the book.
20 — So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness. (ESV, “So you will walk…”)
21 — For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
22 — But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. (NKJV)
Perhaps there is more to the courage of Joshua and Caleb than what first meets the eye. These two men were the only ones over forty years of age that were allowed to enter the Promised Land. It was promised to all, but grumbling, complaining, fear, lack of faith, and actual blasphemy against God kept the multitude out. Caleb and Joshua were not only courageous men with tremendous faith, but they were also upright and blameless. Right there should be a lesson for us: fear God and walk in His ways. Do not listen to the voices of the world. “The safest and most satisfying path is the path of wisdom, the path of life.” (Wiersbe)
Charles Bridges, the preacher of old, says of these few verses. “Here is the consummating blessing of engrafted wisdom.” The “Promised Land” is before us all, but not before we travel through our personal wilderness. The question is, do we keep to the paths of righteousness or follow the way of the transgressor? We need “to hide that blessed book in the heart, as the rule of life, the principle of holiness, the guide to heaven!” (Bridges) This is how we stay on the path of the upright.
In this day of Wokeness and DEI we need to “beware of glossing over sins with amiable or palliating terms.” (Bridges) Evil is lurking, subtle, yet ready to snatch the unwary, complacent, or compromising traveler. Warn your children not to follow senseless ideologies. “Wisdom is needed to guide, to repress, to bring forth, to develop safely, and to improve fully–the mind, energies, and sensibilities of youth!” (Bridges) We live in a day, with the pressure of the media, to follow fools, impulses, and the popular. Bridges continues his admonition, “Shun then the society of sin, as the infection of the plague. Keep thy distance from it, as from the pit of destruction. Store thy mind with the preservative of heavenly wisdom. Cultivate the taste for purer pleasures.”
Jermin writes that “the paths of the righteous are too narrow for evil men.” If we then walk purposely, keeping our eyes focused, our minds disciplined, and watching where we step we will walk steadily, as Caleb and Joshua, to the Promised Land. The wicked may currently possess the things of earth, but they will not inherit them. John tells us in Revelation, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (21:7, NKJV)
Notice that this portion is also prophetic in nature. As the land was promised to Abraham, there is a brighter, more glorious land waiting for the believer–the upright and blameless. There will be no hope for the wicked at that time for they “will be cut off from the earth” and judged then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). So listen, heed the words written here, “Walk in the way of goodness and keep to the paths of righteousness.”