10 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
And the years of your life will be many.
11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And [e]they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they [f]stumble.
As this passage contrasts the “path of the righteous” with the “way of evil men”, something occurs to me. It describes the wicked as having this craving, almost as if they are addicted to making trouble for others, to the extent that they don’t even know their own trouble (over what they stumble). Their way is like darkness, but there’s this funny like about darkness and light.
They cannot co-exist, no matter how hard you try. Naturally, there are varying degrees of light, but once the light is there (and God’s light is never far away), the darkness isn’t dark enough to stumble without seeing. So how does one live in a darkness so black they cannot see? Well, you could go deep into a cave, but there will hardly be anyone else around to bother.
Or, you can shut your eyes fast, and block out the light. I’ve seen and heard this myself, and I think many of us could say we’ve done it ourselves also. We are so set in our own way, that we don’t want to be bothered with the idea there might be a better way. Or worse, that the way we are going is no way at all, just stumbling along over rock and tree.
The antidote? Open your eyes, and keep them wide open. Let the light in, and let God’s light, that is like the “light of dawn” and indeed brighter than the full day, let it show you the way. It is no mere “lamp” unto your path, God’s light exposes everything, even our hearts. That isn’t easy, it isn’t comfortable, but we need it so desperately.
Let God’s light shine in and through your life. Let it shine so brightly that you don’t even consider the “way of evil men”, so that you don’t even pass by it at all (v. 15). There are the obvious ways, to talk with God, often and always, but also to read His word. Do not neglect the most basic fundamentals. It may be by accident that we stumble and fall, but we cannot walk in the light by accident. Live intentionally and full of purpose, His purpose.