Shun Evil, Cling to the Right

Background Scripture: Proverbs 4
Lesson Scripture: Proverbs 4:14–27

Introduction

Life is a journey. From the time we are mature enough to begin making our own choices until we lose our ability to think clearly, we are faced with decisions. With our selfish nature we tend to take our own way in making decisions. We are often shortsighted and think only for the moment. In times of temptation, may we consider the consequences of our choices and choose to cling to the right.

One song states, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing thru, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.” 1 This lesson is to encourage us to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow Him, knowing He is right. By following Him we will reach that home “beyond the blue.”

Key Verse

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

In the verses that precede the lesson passage, Solomon, as a wise father, pleads with his children to listen to his instructions. He, too, was the beloved son of a concerned father and mother and was taught to retain his father’s words and commandments that he might live. He was instructed to get wisdom and understanding and to keep them in his heart. Wisdom and understanding are precious things; hold them close and obey their instructions, and they will lead you in the right path of life.

The verses in our lesson are the instructions that Solomon gives to his children. The first teaching is to keep away from evil people. Turn away from them, for they may tempt and entice you to walk in their path. They will not rest until they cause you to fall and reap the rewards of the wicked. Their way is the way of darkness; in that darkness we will stumble and fall, perhaps before we realize the path we are on. In contrast, the path of the just is illuminated by a bright and shining light. This light will continue to lead in the right way and will bring us to a beautiful end.

Perhaps the most important instruction in our lesson verses is to keep our heart with all diligence because the thoughts of our heart dictate the course of our life. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). All manner of evil thoughts and actions come from an unregenerate heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” For this reason, Solomon says we must put away evil thoughts and look straight on in the path of light. We must watch our thoughts—shun the evil and cling to the right.

Practical Truths for Today

To successfully shun the evil and cling to the right we need God to help us. Gratefully, God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to abide with us and to lead us in our decisions. The work of the Holy Spirit is to reprove us when we choose wrong, comfort us when we choose right, and guide us into all truth. He leads us in our understanding and thereby teaches us wisdom. Every day we have opportunities to choose whether we will turn to the right or take the wrong path. We may know how a situation should be, but we need wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit as well as His power to carry out the work. Though He will not force His counsel on us, He is standing close by waiting for us to ask Him. As we ask and listen for His answer, a thought begins to form in our mind that soon feels right. We thank God for the solution to our problem.

Human reasoning is not godly wisdom. In the account of Naaman the leper (2 Kings 5), Naaman’s reasoning nearly caused him to forsake his own healing. Human reasoning runs counter to faith and trust in God. When faced with a temptation, our own reasoning can offer many excuses: “Just once won’t hurt, or “Nobody will know” or “I’ll only go a little way” or “I have better proving than they do.” If we follow our own thinking, the Holy Spirit is grieved because we will suffer for failing to follow His guidance. “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

Solomon’s instructions to diligently keep the heart are as pertinent today as when he first wrote them. Obadiah 3 says, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock.” These words describe someone who feels he is in a safe and secure place, not realizing he is mistaken. Somehow, he has failed to allow the chastening hand of God to humble him, and he feels big and important by his own proving.

Those who allow pride in their heart are prone to becoming offended at people who take advantage of them. Their estimation of themselves is such that they quite easily feel mistreated. Pride causes people to be upset with those who disagree with them. Because they esteem their proving of a matter to be superior, they find little appreciation for another’s view. A lack of confidence in the church and her teachings is another indication that one appraises his own thinking too highly. Pride is often in the bottom of the heart of those who are legalistic. Humbly believing in God with all the heart brings a clear understanding of His true justification by faith. Man’s heart is the fountain from where the streams of life flow.

Hatred, murder, and immorality are obvious sins quite easy to recognize, but there are others not so noticeable. Sometimes in our personal relationships we are tempted to feel justified in allowing ill will toward someone who disappoints us. As we lose confidence in one another, we become susceptible to backbiting. Soon, with a breakdown of fellowship, our love for each other grows cold. This may come upon us gradually, and we may not recognize it until God withholds His blessings. Solomon’s instruction to keep our heart with all diligence applies even in the small areas of our daily life.

Pornography is a tool that Satan uses to destroy the moral integrity of society. It works directly against God’s plan for happy Christian homes. It is presented in many and unexpected places. It is very suggestive to the mind—one may think, Surely one quick look cannot hurt. In truth, one look can start a downward spiral; soon the victim is snared, and not far down this path, he will lose his salvation. Hearts and homes are broken as trust is destroyed between husband and wife. God made the union between husband and wife to be beautiful, but Satan has devised a counterfeit to destroy God’s beauty. Godly wisdom shows us the right path: “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Prov. 4:14-15). These verses were written for our day to help us remain pure.

We live in the day of grace and mercy, and if we find we have sinned, true repentance will bring forgiveness, freedom, and peace. The path of the just is as a shining light—what a beautiful way to walk!

Questions

1. What are ways to strengthen ourselves so we can stand when faced with evil temptations?
2. Because Satan’s temptations find an ally in our flesh, how do we discern the right way?
3. When Jesus said, “If thy hand offend thee, cut it off” (Mark 9:43), what did He mean?
4. What are ways to effectively exhort and encourage one another to steadfastness and good works?
5. 1 Albert E. Brumley (1905–1977), “This World Is Not My Home”
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).