1. Take the Way of Wisdom (verses 10-13)
2. Avoid the Way of Evil (verses 14-17)
3. Brighter and Brighter (verse 18)
4. Darker and Darker (verse 19)

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, when I was in high school, I remember my humanities class, where we read and talked about literature from ancient times, from modern times, and everything in between. I remember reading and talking about a poem by Robert Frost entitled, “The Road Not Taken.”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

—Robert Frost, 1915^[1]

What has made this poem so significant in American literature is that the final stanzas have been taken on their own to show how important it is to take the road that few have trod before. “Take the road less traveled” and it will “make all the difference.” It appeals to American individualism. It appeals to our sense of adventure. We want to walk where no one has walked before! We want to make a difference in this life. We don’t want to go with the crowd. We want to be unique and do great things!

That’s why most people think that this poem is entitled “The Road Not Traveled.” But in fact, it is entitled “The Road Not Taken.” Frost’s point, written as a gentle joke to his friend, is that there are many choices in life that you simply need to make and carry on, not regretting what could have been. Robert Frost wrote the poem about his friend, the English critic Edward Thomas. They were friends who would frequently take long walks together in the countryside. Thomas seemed always to regret the path they didn’t take. Frost said his friend seemed always to be “crying over what might have been,” and so Frost wrote the poem to tease him.

Now, there is lots of truth to that. Make your choice and go on. But there are times and there are choices in life when it does make a difference which path you take. Imagine driving along a road and suddenly seeing a sign that reads: “Danger: Bridge Out Ahead. Detour.” A traveler who ignores that warning and presses ahead will face disaster. The choice of path matters enormously.

This is the sort of choice that we have been studying for the past few months in the book of Proverbs. We have been looking at the way of wisdom: the way that listens to the counsel of parents (Proverbs 1:8-9); the way that is suspect of the persuasion of peers (Proverbs 1:10-19); the way that seeks wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-5); the way that avoids evil men and women (Proverbs 2); the way that walks in steadfast love and faithfulness (Proverbs 3:3); the generous way (Proverbs 3:11). This is in contrast to the foolish way, which spurns the counsel of parents, refuses the cries of wisdom (Proverbs 1:20-33), and follows after the violent man (Proverbs 3:31-32). Such people will face destruction. The foundation that helps to make all of these choices clear is the fear of the LORD (Proverbs 1:7), as Proverbs 3:33 says.

Proverbs 3:33
The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

Which makes it all important for you to fear the LORD and walk the right path if you want to know the blessing of God in your life. My message this morning is entitled “Walk the Right Path.” It comes from Proverbs, chapter 4, verses 10-19. So again, I ask you to open your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 4. If you are using the Bible found in one of the chairs in front of you, our text is found on page 529. As you read, listen for the walking words: walking and running, steps and stumbling, paths and ways, because they are all over these verses.

Proverbs 4:10-19
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
    that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
    and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble.

I trust that you caught the walking words. Verse 11 speaks about “the way of wisdom” and “the paths of uprightness.” Verse 12: “walk,” “step,” “run,” “stumble.” Verse 14 speaks about “the path of the wicked” and “do not walk in the way of evil.” Verse 16: “stumble.” Verse 18 mentions “the path of the righteous.” Verse 19 cites “the way of the wicked.” Solomon’s point for his son is that he walk the right path. It is my heart for all of you, as well, to walk the right path.

My first point is this.

1. Take the Way of Wisdom (verses 10-13)

This is the way that Solomon describes in verses 10-13. The path leads to life.

Proverbs 4:10
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
    that the years of your life may be many.

By now in our exposition of Proverbs, you can see the common elements in this verse: the address to the son, the call to listen, the promise of blessing. We have seen this before in Proverbs 1:8 and 3:1-2, and because Solomon repeats it, I must repeat it. Children, listen to your parents and listen to Proverbs. It is the best thing for you. It will lead you in the path of life. All you need to do is open your eyes and look at those children who have taken the path of fools. It doesn’t lead to happiness. It doesn’t lead to blessing. It leads to hardship and despair. The way of wisdom is the way of blessing, so take that path!

What does “the way of wisdom” look like? Look at verse 11.

Proverbs 4:11
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

Here Solomon equates “the way of wisdom” with “the paths of uprightness.” That is, the way of wisdom is the upright path. It’s the path that follows the righteous way, the way of the LORD, that listens to the word of God and follows in obedience. This is the path that all of Scripture encourages us to walk: from Adam and Eve, who were told not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden; to Moses, who gave the law to the Israelites to follow; to the Prophets, who directed people in the way of the LORD; to Jesus, who showed us the way of love; to Paul and Peter and John, who instructed us in the way of grace. Jesus summed it all up in these words.

Matthew 22:37-40
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Love for God! Love for others! This is the way of wisdom. This is the path of uprightness. Walking along this path leads to blessing.

Proverbs 4:12
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
    and if you run, you will not stumble.

The reason for this is that the LORD has made this path smooth. One of the great things about our nation is its roads. All you need to do is travel to another nation, particularly in the developing world, and you will realize how well-maintained our roads are. Sure, there are some bad roads here in the states, and roads in need of repair, but for the most part, our roads are wonderful. We can get in a car and travel the interstate for hours and hours at 60 miles an hour. With some effort, we can travel 1,000 miles in a day by car. This hasn’t come about by accident. It has taken great effort. Pushed mostly by the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the United States constructed a network of controlled-access highways all across the nation. Hundreds of billions of dollars and decades of work have provided high-speed travel from coast to coast. Today, the Interstate Highway System has a total length of 48,000 miles of roads.^[2] It’s the government working to make our way smooth. This is what the LORD does for us, if we but choose to walk in the way of wisdom: when you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. The LORD has cleared the way. The LORD has smoothed the path.

So Solomon says in verse 13.

Proverbs 4:13
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your life.

At this point, Solomon changes his illustration a bit. No longer is he talking about walking along a path, but now about holding and hugging tight. The idea, obviously, is a tenacious focus to walk along the right path and not to deviate at all. I am reminded of Pilgrim’s Progress, that great allegory that tells the story of Christian’s journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Along the way, Christian encountered Goodwill, who directed him in the right way. Goodwill said this.^[3]

Good Christian, come a little way with me, and I will teach you about the way you must go. Look ahead; do you see this narrow way? That is the way you must go. It was cast up by the Patriarchs, Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, and it is as straight as a Rule can make it: This is the Way you must go.

Christian: But are there no turnings nor windings, by which a stranger may lose his way?

Goodwill: Yes, there are many ways but down upon this; and they are crooked and wide: But thus you may distinguish the right from the wrong, the right only being straight and narrow.

Here Goodwill is alluding to the words of Jesus, who instructed us about the two ways to travel.

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

As you read through the Gospels and the New Testament, Jesus is talking about the gospel, the good news that he died for our sins and has given us access to the Father through the narrow gate. The narrow gate is trust in him and in him alone.

John 14:6
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

It’s a narrow gate. It’s a difficult path. It’s the path we need to cling to. Here we see the paradox of the Christian life: on the one hand, the way of wisdom is a smooth way, but it is also a hard way, hard because of the temptations to get off that way. Solomon addresses these temptations in verses 14-17, and his counsel to us is simple.

2. Avoid the Way of Evil (verses 14-17)

Proverbs 4:14-15
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.

The language of warning here could not be more clear. In two verses we have six staccato commands that only seem to increase in intensity as they go along. It sounds exactly like the Monopoly card from Community Chest that reads: “GO TO JAIL! GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200!” The commands here in Proverbs are equally urgent.

One of the strongest and simplest things I have ever taught my children is this: “Don’t start.” You will never become an alcoholic if you never take your first drink. You will never become addicted to drugs if you never try them. You will never become addicted to pornography if you turn away at first glance. You will never become addicted to gambling if you never place your first bet. But how many there are who are addicted to their drugs and alcohol and pornography and gambling, who started small: just a sip, just one hit, just one look, just one bet. After the first comes the second, and after the second comes the third, and after the third comes the fourth. Soon thereafter follows a lifetime of addiction, a lifetime of having no control. Gambling addiction leads to poverty as your money flies away. Pornography addiction leads to divorce, as virtual adultery destroys a marriage. Drug addiction leads to crime as you need the means to support your habit, and crime leads to jail. You will “GO TO JAIL! GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200!”

One commentator said this: “Don’t take the first step, for you may not be master of your destiny thereafter.”^[4] On the one hand, this sounds so easy: just stay away. Yet it is not so easy, because there are people out there who are trying to bring you along the bad path. Solomon mentions them in verses 16 and 17.

Proverbs 4:16-17
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

Solomon says that there are people who think about evil all day long, and if they haven’t done harm to others, they cannot sleep. As Proverbs 10:23 says, in the NASB translation.

Proverbs 10:23 (NASB)
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool.

For them, wickedness is fun and pleasure, and if they haven’t had any pleasure, they have a difficult time sleeping at night. Solomon has already given us an extended illustration of such people back in chapter 1, where they urged their peers.

Proverbs 1:11-14
“Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
    let us ambush the innocent without reason;
like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
we shall find all precious goods,
    we shall fill our houses with plunder;
throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”

Of them, Solomon said.

Proverbs 1:16
their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.

This is so true of gangs, who use peer pressure to persuade others to join them in their wickedness. Evil is so much a part of them that they eat it and drink it: “they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” This is a great picture of sin. It is so engrossing that it becomes as commonplace as eating and drinking. An appropriate picture here is the drug dealer, who will stop at nothing to get his clients hooked. He will seek out the young and immature. He will hang out with them to gain their trust. The first drugs are free, until the client is hooked, and then the drugs become more costly. For the sake of gain, he has destroyed a life. Nothing seems to stop him in this pursuit; he thinks about it all day long and cannot rest unless he has done his evil.

But lest we put this only in the realm of drug dealers, know that there are plenty of other ways this can work itself out. This applies to coworkers who cannot sleep unless they have persuaded their friends to join them in wickedness. “Come, join our party this evening. Girls and alcohol will be there!” It applies to television personalities who push their philosophy upon all who are willing to watch, expanding the bubble of their own wickedness because they know it attracts viewers. It applies to worldly college professors who love seeing students forsake their faith and embrace humanism. It even applies to your unsaved acquaintances who like to talk religion, who don’t really have an interest in believing what you say, and who want to pull you down another path, perhaps of a works-righteousness.

This was the case with Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress. He met Mr. Worldly Wiseman, who persuaded him away from the path. Significantly, Mr. Worldly Wiseman didn’t persuade Christian to do overt evil. Rather, he persuaded him to forsake the way of grace and walk in the ways of the law, seeking to obtain righteousness through obedience rather than faith. But his counsel was in error. Romans 3:20 says, “By the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in God’s sight.”

Lest anyone think that this morning’s message about two paths is a works-based religion, let it be clear: it is not. It is not the case that if you walk the right path everything is fine, and if you walk the wrong path you are lost. It is by grace, and it is the fear of the LORD that then compels us to walk in the right way and to know the blessing of God.

Although Christian didn't seek the path of overt evil, the counsel of Mr. Worldly Wiseman was just as devastating. Christian later described his encounter to Goodwill with these words: “I turned aside to go in the way of death, being persuaded thereto by the carnal arguments of one Mr. Worldly Wiseman.” That’s where the way of evil ends. It ends in death.

So: 1. Take the Way of Wisdom (verses 10-13). 2. Avoid the Way of Evil (verses 14-17). Let’s turn our attention to the last two verses this morning, as they teach the same thing from opposite directions.

3. Brighter and Brighter (verse 18)

Verse 18 describes the way of wisdom.

Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Have you ever watched a sunrise? Have you ever been up before dawn? It is perfectly dark outside. Then slowly, as the sun is still below the horizon, its presence begins to be felt; it begins to get brighter, until the breaking of the dawn, when the sun comes into full view. At first you can look right at the sun, as it is so low in the sky. But soon its glare is too much to take. Over the course of the next few hours, as the sun rises overhead, the day is as bright as can be. Such is the life of the righteous. It only gets brighter and brighter. These words are especially appropriate for children and young adults, because there is still time for the full day to appear in their lives. One of my seminary professors, Dr. Rosscup, had this verse in mind as he taught his students. At one point, he gave me a book and wrote this endorsement in it:

To Steve Brandon, a special man, a man of God in the making, with my best wishes for your increasing usefulness to God. Prov. 4:18. J. E. Rosscup.

Yet this ought to be true of older, godly people as well. For them, it is high noon! They ought to be shining like the full day.

4. Darker and Darker (verse 19)

In verse 19 comes the opposite perspective.

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble.

Whereas verse 18 might put forth the picture of a sunrise, verse 19 brings up the picture of a cave. Have you ever experienced the deep darkness of a cave, where absolutely no light comes in? You put your hand in front of your face and cannot even see it. Can you imagine walking around in such a situation? You would stumble and walk into everything. You would hit your head on the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. You would trip over the stalagmites rising from the floor. You would skin your knee and bruise your head. It would be terrible. Yet such is the life of many. They live in such utter and deep darkness that life is miserable.

So, what path are you going to take? Often when you face these situations, the choice is clear enough: there is a wrong way and there is a right way. Sometimes it is a matter of conscience versus convenience. Doing it the easy way is often the wrong way. Doing it the right way is often the hard way, but it is the blessed way.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on September 29, 2019 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken,” in Mountain Interval (New York: Henry Holt, 1916).

[2] “Interstate Highway System,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System.

[3] John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (London, 1678), Part I.

[4] W. G. Plaut, cited in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 924.