Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PROVERBS 2:20-22

Follow the steps of good men instead,
and stay on the paths of the righteous.
For only the godly will live in the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it.
But the wicked will be removed from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted.

Beating the Odds

AIDS related deaths in Zambia has produced an epidemic of orphaned children and a plummeting life expectancy. Men who will not keep their pants zipped and a culture of male dominance has removed families from the land and re-rooted parents six feet into the earth in epic proportions. And all this in a nation that has officially proclaimed itself a “Christian” nation.

In another self-styled “Christian” nation, west and north, across the Atlantic, men and women unmarried to each other refuse to keep their pants zipped in similar percentages. Because of the accident of several cultural conditions, STD’s rather than AIDS runs amuck. So those who don’t follow Solomon’s sexual counsel in the previous verses remain in the land, only with some unpleasant realities added to their experience.

Does this mean Solomon’s observation in these verses only applies sometimes and in some places? Well, almost. A proverb, by definition, generalizes a basic rule of life. A less proverbial way of expressing the thought of these verses might be, “Taking into account broad human experience, multiple sexual partners increased the

likelihood of dying younger” contra the catchy proverb, “Only the good die young.”

I live in a culture that thinks it can beat the odds if it could just get every sexually active male, from puberty through the Viagra generation, to wear the magic prophylactic with every partner, every time. Good luck. I think Solomon’s counsel stands a better and broader chance of leading to long and satisfying life, “stay on the paths of the righteous.”

Wise God, grant me the discipline to reject ideas that would attempt to rewrite any aspect of your creation or flaunt both the specific and general ways you have designed life to be experienced. With your help, I will follow the steps of good men instead. - Mike Leamon

The path of the Righteous

The writer of Proverbs encourages his son to stay on the path of the righteous instead of following the path of the promiscuous woman, fool, or wicked. The only problem is the path of the righteous is hidden. The way of the wicked is obvious and easy to see, but the path of the godly is invisible. It is only revealed by faith. Paul tells us the righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17). Hebrews 11 lists numerous people who lived by faith and were considered righteous.

So what are we to do? How do we follow that which can only be seen through eyes of faith? Psalm 119 helps me out. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) The righteous live according to the revealed will of God. The Bible seems archaic and superstitious to some, but through the eyes of faith, life and wisdom are easily found in its pages. Instead of disregarding God’s standard for the latest craze, live according to the ancient but reliable and true word of God. Good advice for us today too.

Revealer of the path of life and blessing, I ask that you would open my eyes to see your path for my life. Help me to avoid the pitfalls of deception that lie around me. Make my life an example to others of the way of the righteous. - Dan Jones