Proverbs 2 - Seeking Wisdom In Your Heart Series

And

1. You will know when to stay away from evil

2. You will know the character of the company that you keep

Wisdom is to be our guide through this life.

WARNINGS OF FORSAKING WISDOM

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths; 16 To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, 17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God. 18 For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; 19 None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life-- 20 So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. 21 For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. Proverbs 2:13-22 (NKJV)

Barnes says of this passage:

The evil-doers here include not robbers and murderers only, but all who leave the straight path and the open day for crooked ways, perverse counsels, deeds of darkness. “To delight in the perversity of the wicked” is the lowest depth of all.

It would seem that some love to walk in sin, ignorance, and infidelity. It would seem that it would be very uncomfortable as well as dangerous to walk in this way – yet it is as natural to the sinful man as it to breathing air. Dear Christian if you are walking in this way – and you are not uncomfortable – you are in a very dangerous place. The Christian is to have his or her mind set on things above not on things below. When a child of God does something wrong they should feel guilty about it. If the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you – you should feel convicted of your sin. If there is no conviction – you need to question your relationship to the Father. God does not lead us in paths of evil but in paths of righteousness. Examine your life – where are you walking?

Verse sixteen talks of the “immoral woman”. To walk in wickedness is like being with a prostitute – it is not pleasing in God’s sight. God wants us to follow His ways – to do otherwise is to be walking the path of death. The Bible is given to light our path along the way:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)

To walk outside the light of God’s word – is to walk in darkness.

The Life Application Study Bible says:

Two of the most difficult sins to resist are pride and sexual immorality. Both are seductive. Pride says, "I deserve it"; sexual desire says, "I need it." In combination, their appeal is deadly. In fact, says Solomon, only by relying on God’s strength can we overcome them. Pride appeals to the empty head; sexual enticement to the empty heart. By looking to God, we can fill our heads with his wisdom and our hearts with his love. Don’t be fooled—remember what God says about who you are and what you were meant to be. Ask him for strength to resist these temptations.