Proverbs 2:8 “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and perserveth the way of his saints.”
Solomon extolls the benefits of following after the Lord in this verse of Proverbs. The Lord preserves the way that we walk as we follow Him, we never have to worry about the straight and narrow path being washed away by storm or becoming impassable with debris. Additionally, the Lord keeps the paths of judgment; that is to say, the Lord established the mark for righteousness and to this day He ensures those standards are not changed. What a great thing to know that the Lord’s Word is forever settled in Heaven! It will never change! What a great thing to know that the Lord is not like mankind, for the world is always changing its mind and reestablishing what is “the right thing.”
Nevertheless, today’s devotion focuses on the first part of Proverbs 2:8 “He keepeth the paths of judgment …”
In context the person(s) travelling this path is not the Lord, the traveler is the believer. So in what way does the saint way along a path of judgment? We know that Jesus himself, in the Sermon on the Mount, preached against the practice of judging and condemning our neighbors. Therefore this path we walk in not one of outward judgment, instead it is one of inward judgment. The Lord keeps his judgments settled so that we may know the expectations which we must strive to fulfil. In fact, by judging ourselves we are actually walking a path of righteousness. We do that by:
1) Judging our Hearts—When we take a look into our hearts and comparing it to the Word of God we purify ourselves. The heart is the seat of desire and emotion, which means that our heart is what steers the rest of the body. I can honor the Lord with my lips, but my heart can be far from Him. I am required to judge my own heart to ensure that my ambition is not contrary to the Will of God. Furthermore, I can even change what emotions my heart feels by gleaning wisdom from the word of God; it’s hard to stay angry (envious, depressed, bitter, etc.) when I remind myself that the King of Glory loves me, cares for me and is preparing a place for ME!
2) Judging our Actions—We ought to regularly judge what we do and how we do it. Certainly we should judge ourselves for sin and iniquity to ensure that we are not trespassing against the Lord! Yet, remember that although something may not be sinful that does not mean we should do it (all things are lawful for us, but not all things are expedient). If we take a further look into our actions, we begin to judge how we go about living our life. After all, I can attempt to do the right thing but carry it out in the wrong way. Because of the many ways my actions can do harm to the cause of Jesus Christ, I should willingly judge myself to ensure that my life is one that shines a light into the world.
3) Judging my Companions—In Chapter 1 of Proverbs, Solomon urges his son to stay away from those that would entice him away from the ways of the Lord. How often do we truly judge whether it is in our best interest to associate with certain individuals. I AM NOT saying that we should actively avoid sinners; that goes directly against the directive of the Great Commission! The question Solomon raises is this, “Are the people around me pulling me away from God?” Am I neglecting my walk with God to associate with others? Am I falling into sin because I care more about what a person thinks than what God thinks? Am I being pulled out of the will of God because I want to keep company with certain individuals? By severing ties with people that are toxic to our spirituality we can demonstrate to those same people what change the Lord has effected in our soul when He saved us. Do remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
In truth, the path of judgment that the Lord keeps is actually the path of righteousness. In order to walk upright before the Lord I must continually judge myself. The Lord preserves his saints by continuing to provide them with a standard to strive for, the Word of God and the Son of God. When I neglect to judge myself, I bring dishonor to the Name of God and make a mockery of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made to cleanse me from my sin.
Solomon learned that in submitting yourself to walk the Lord’s paths of judgment we perpetually separate ourselves from the world and live a righteous life before God and man. Solomon understood that the path we walk with the Lord is not a burden; in truth, it is a joy and our souls will be restored with each stake we take for Him. Perhaps Solomon’s father, King David, taught him this lesson when he penned Psalms 23:3, “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Your fellowservant in Christ,
Bro. Jordan Foster
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