Letting God’s Wisdom Lead Us Down the Good Path

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;” (Proverbs 2: 6-9, ESV)

I’ve lived in some interesting places with some cool history. 

I’ve lived on Long Island, where the Revolutionary War was fought and lots of that history is still being preserved. 

I’ve lived on the coast of North Carolina, where Civil War and pirate history is kept, including the wreck site of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was infamously captained by Blackbeard.

I’ve lived and studied in Cape Town, South Africa, which still remembers Apartheid and is a melting pot of many different cultures.

I now live in a little town that is literally found on the Oregon Trail. When you think of that part of American history, you probably picture a covered wagon pulled by horses and pioneers striking out west. Did you know that the Oregon Trail was so frequently traveled, that the wagon wheels packed down ruts in the soil on the trail that are still visible today? 

It’s thought that the last covered wagon traveled the trail in 1906, which means it’s been over 100 years since that path has been used. Over 100 years of rain, erosion, shifting soil, and progress hasn’t covered some of the cart tracks from that time, which means the soil was so densely packed from endless carts rolling over the same land that they have outlasted the pioneers that made them.

When Solomon writes Proverbs 2:9, these are the kinds of “good paths” he is talking about. The word he uses for “paths” is “magal,” which is better translated to “wagon tracks” or “route.” The word suggests by connotation a path that is repetitively and routinely used, like the Oregon trail was. This path is so well-traveled and trusted, that the ruts from all those who have traveled it are still visible to travelers hundreds of years later.

But for Christians, what is this path? What is Solomon really talking about? What is this well-worn path?

In verse 6, Solomon talks about the Lord’s wisdom; how He gives it to those who believe. From His mouth, we receive His wisdom and understanding. Does that mean He parts the clouds and speaks as He did to the prophets? No. Scripture comes from His mouth. Scripture is “God-breathed.” It is words and wisdom given by God to men that faithfully wrote them all down for the good and benefit of the Church.

God stores up sound wisdom for those who believe in Him and love Him righteously enough to seek Him in that Word. He reveals Himself and His Truth through the Holy Spirit. Does the Bible say His knowledge is strictly for scholars? Does the Bible say His understanding is only for the elite? Does it say that His revelation is only for mystics? 

No. By way of Solomon, God declares that His knowledge and understanding are revealed to the upright, to the righteous. His Word shields and protects those who have Godly integrity and virtue. In opening His Word, we are led down a path where you can understand the things of God: justice, honor, and unity with other believers. 

Time and again, we see Solomon reinforcing this idea of knowing your scriptures and searching them out so that we might find other Christians that can help refine and uphold those beliefs. Again, notice that the path is well-trod. It’s packed down by the footsteps of other believers. The track may not be forged with wagon-wheel ruts, but perhaps those ruts may be the dragging of crosses that older brothers and sisters in Christ have left from picking up their crosses to follow Jesus.

And the value of being in community with other solid, truth-seeking, faithful Christians is priceless. God’s word makes that path good, but having like-minded friends that have also traveled that path makes it that much sweeter. Yes, following Christ can be a lonely journey of isolation and persecution. Following Christ might mean losing friends, family feuds, and missed opportunities, but as we follow the trail God sets before us, there will be other Christians that are ready to encourage you, teach you, or search the Word with you. 

But you must know Him. You must understand God’s Word and knowledge. If you know it, you will be able to identify those who are refined by good doctrine. After all, God’s Word is a shield, a protection. It keeps His children safe against incorrect theology and hedges them from wandering off the good path He has set before us. 

Many upright, solid people in the church struggle to find those faithful Christians that can help renew their zeal for the faith and build up understanding amongst each other. The problem lies in the fact that today’s society has given too many reasons to the modern-Christian to not go to the places that community would meet: church services, Bible studies, youth groups, etc. 

We’ve traded community for online services and impersonal experiences. We’ve abandoned the closer-knit local church for large, corporate megachurches. We’ve prioritized comfort and convenience over getting up, getting dressed, and getting out of the house to go to the Lord’s house. The true, Gospel-believing, God-fearing Church could be on the moon– we should still make every effort to be there.

Because not only will you hear the Word from its pulpit, but you will be encouraged down the well-worn path to knowing God more. It’s a trail that was blazed not by masses of people all at once, but by a historic few that chose to walk that narrow path that leads to righteousness. Yes, there are fellow contemporary Christians that can walk the road with us, but there are also deeply faithful theologians that have already run the race and left behind their own findings in books they wrote while they walked down that path. 

The long and short of it is this: Open God’s Word. Let Him reveal Himself to you there. Ask Him to reveal His wisdom in the words and to protect you from doctrines that would cloud your vision of Him. But don’t forget that you are not meant to walk by faith alone. God has given you the Church so that you could be encouraged and challenged to continue by faith. But you have to be brave enough to journey down that road, and to be willing to encourage other believers with what you have found. 

The Church can be a useful tool in renewing your passion for the Lord and convicting you of sin that needs to be addressed, but you are also an instrumental part in doing that for someone else. Allow God to illuminate that good path, and then walk down it. No turning back.