Proverbs 4

One of the hardest things for people to do is, find their way around in the dark. Whether someone wakes up in a dark room in hopes of reaching the rest room, or driving on a dark road with dim headlights, it’s very difficult to see the path to a destination without proper lighting to show the way. How many times have you stumped your toe while maneuvering to find a light switch, or veered off the the road until it eventually became more visible? Light does many things, but one of it’s most important functions is, to make things visible. Our text mentions two very profound verses concerning light and darkness, in reference to the way of the believer, contrasted with the unbeliever. “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble” (vs. 19). “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (vs. 18). Those who disregard the importance of the Gospel, and the necessity of God’s gift of salvation, are literally traversing the earth in darkness, or lacking the wisdom and knowledge of God’s written Word. All who refuse to accept Jesus as their Savior and the Son of God, allow their own thoughts and judgment to lead them. In fact, walking along the path of darkness only leads to an unpleasant end, and the lifestyle that precedes such an end is always unpleasant to God. Jesus is the light of the world, and the Word of God opens the eyes of those who lacked wisdom and understanding, then begins to shine a bright light on the righteous path, that all the children of God should follow. Evil men stumble over things in their darkness, but the righteous can avoid falling short of God’s glory, because the light that shines before them will reveal every ditch, trap, and stumbling block set before them.