"Do Not Enter"
Proverbs 4:14-19
I was trying to navigate a rental car through the traffic lanes
at the Indianapolis Airport a few months ago. A fraction of a second after my
wife's verbal warning, I passed by a sign that said "Do Not Enter." We were now
in danger because I entered. Using navigation skills unavailable earlier, I
cautiously steered the car into the right lane. The sign meant something; it was
intended to direct drivers to safety and away from the danger of oncoming
vehicles.
God's word should be carefully read and followed. It is intended to direct us to
the safety of His care and keeping, and away from the danger of "the way of
evil." One instance of this is Proverbs 4:14-19.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,And do not walk in
the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;And their sleep is taken
away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,That shines ever brighter
unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know what makes them
stumble.
One prominent issue in the book of Proverbs is influence; in particular,
associating with people who have the capacity and desire to lead us away from
safety and into the danger of "the wicked." This passage is concerned with this
issue of life - the temptations and seductions that can come our way through
people who live without regard to God's wisdom. And this passage begins with a
prohibition: Do Not Enter, or as the young people might express it: Don't Go
There.
People who are dedicated to their own selfish interests, who aspire to nothing
godly and who have no regard for the truth are walking down a pathway we must
determine to avoid. And to emphasize this the passage says, with some alarm and
urgency: "Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on." (This
is similar to my wife's verbal warning mentioned above.) The wisdom we need in
life we will not get in the way of evil or the path of the wicked. As we "drive"
through the traffic of life, we need to watch carefully. God has placed these
signs for our benefit: Do Not Enter.
What kind of people occupy this pathway? "For they do not sleep unless they have
done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall." All of
us know people and we are associated with people who do not share our faith; are
not members of the Lord's church, and who may do some things we do not approve
of. In this passage, these people do not sleep unless they have done evil; and
their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall! These are people
determined to do evil; determined to get others to do evil. The warning sign
says Do not enter.
Who are these people? "For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine
of violence." Their menu is wickedness and violence. They consume and they live
on wickedness and violence. So avoid them -- turn away from them. Do not enter.
If I should avoid association with these people and refuse to enter in their
path, who should I associate with? What pathway should I seek? "The path of the
just is the like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect
day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them
stumble." Just as dark as the way of the wicked is - the path of the just is
light, "like the shining sun." This contrast is designed to help us distinguish
between the path of the just and the way of the wicked. The message regarding
the way of the wicked is simple: Do not enter. Give heed to the warning before
you make a wrong turn.
By Warren E. Berkley
From Expository Files 8.2; February 2001
