The Proverbs :: A Guidebook for Menনমুনা

“But it is better to learn wisdom late than never learn it at all.”

-Sherlock Holmes

The great detectives of literature all have one thing in common, one attribute that unites them as they move from mystery to mystery, from the theft of magnificent jewels to murders on a snow-capped train. These men and women parse out what is critical from what is conjecture. Their keen sense of focus informs their reasoning, and their reason informs their deduction.

Not so much with us. How often do you find yourself wrapped up in the wrong point of a story? Or how easy is it for you to become fixated on the tiniest detail of an undertaking, only to find yourself blowing by the main thrust of the whole endeavor?

Put another way, how many times do you end up at Home Depot per project?

These great sleuths we spent our childhoods admiring had a method of evaluating a problem and coming to the proper conclusion. But here’s the caveat: they aren’t real people. We who are living and moving through real life have a reality we need to face about our ability to reason.

“There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.”

Our method of evaluation may be and usually is faulty. What is wrong may seem right, and the pathways leading to death are typically illuminated by crooked lights designed to entice your soul.

This is a truth all people acknowledge to some extent. If a person shows any discipline whatsoever, they see the truth in this Proverb.

Thinking of ‘right’ as ‘preferred’ helps to reveal the relatability behind this teaching. It is preferable to avoid exercise, but that way’s end is an unhealthy lifestyle. Getting revenge is preferable, but that way’s end is more troublesome. It is preferable to ignore yard work, but that way’s end is more work. It is preferable to flee from loving people selflessly, but that ends with broken relationships. Our evaluation method is flawed.

Our natural senses cannot be trusted; we need a guide.

Thankfully, a guide is present in the book of Proverbs and the Scriptures as a whole. God lays out the best way to live life, which corresponds to His design for human flourishing. The more we live our lives in a way that matches this design, the better our lives are.

The ‘way’ that seems right may not only be misleading but so misleading that it goes entirely against God’s way. The ‘flesh’ is mentioned in Scripture (Rom. 8) and is probably best described by Dr. Victor Anderson of Dallas Theological Seminary as “A package of desires that goes against God’s design.” The flesh is present, working in our minds, as long as we are in our unrestored, earthly bodies. And it will, so long as we are alive, lead us away from God. This ‘way’ seems fitting because the flesh is convincing, but the ‘end’ is the way that leads to death.

The solution to the problem is a guide, someone whose senses can be trusted and whose wisdom is unimpeachable. Thankfully, we follow a Savior who is ‘The Truth.’ His Word and His way are reliable and trustworthy. How often do you immerse yourself in the Scriptures and work to emulate the behavior of Jesus? How has studying Proverbs changed the way you face intersections in your life? What are the areas of life that trigger your impulsiveness? Ask God to continue to reveal these areas and meet you in those moments with His wisdom.

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Father, my feelings and inclinations have led me down the wrong path countless times. I need Your truth to inform my decisions. Please help me understand my blind spots and lead me back to Your Word when I face temptation and decisions. Amen.