Proverbs 13:20a, Life in the Balances of Destiny!

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July 18, Proverbs 13:20a

Psalm 101; 2 Cor. 6:14-16 “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23).

Life in the Balances of Destiny!

While there are plenty of fools everywhere, thank God there are wise guides to be found on the path of life. Find them now! Please read prayerfully Psalm 101. It has been called The Psalm of Wills (9) and Shalls (5). It presents a series of resolutions and reservations, things he is resolved to do, and things to be handled with reservation. It is a beautiful testimony to the perfection, that is, to the uprightness and maturity of the Psalmist’s walk. It begins by singing of God’s mercy to him, and ends with sad judgment to be visited on the wicked. This Psalm is a fitting introduction to our Proverb today.

1. The Determinative Character: A person’s own character goes a long way in determining the company he or she will keep. It is equally true that your company will have a determinative influence on your character. Let this word be heard, especially by our younger readers who are in the process of forming those first companions outside the home. If you are wise, you will seek to walk with, seek the company of, the wise, as early as possible. The law of God is simple. Walk with the wise, and you will become wiser. Walk with fools, and you invite eternal disaster. In the OT he who touched a dead beast was unclean, but only until evening (Lev. 11:24), but he who touched a dead man was unclean for seven days (Num. 19:11). This suggests that man is the most dangerous of all other creatures. The Apostle says that the wicked are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) even while they live (1 Tim. 5:6). Consider this carefully, yes, most prayerfully, because it is your life that is in the Balances of Destiny. Be wise, therefore, and cast the determining weight on the side of safety. After all, it is your life, your destiny.

2. The Definitive Consequence: He that walketh with wise men shall be wise (20a). The wise are those who aim at the highest end or purpose of life, namely, what my Creator intended for my true happiness. The wise use the best means to attain that end, not mere morality, or religious rituals, but only the power of the Gospel can accomplish this. The wise know that the best time to do this is not tomorrow, but today, now! Will any say this is not wisdom? Will any say that one can ignore these things and still be wise? We know well enough that wheat and tares may grow together, but they shall not remain together forever. Therefore, to be wise and to become wiser, keep company with the wise. That is a definitive consequence worth striving for. Choose wisely your closest friends and associates. A godly life in a close companion provides a mighty motive and a powerful incentive for us to follow. Take and heed such direction! Be very sure, there is a transforming power for good in their words. They are the finest and best friends you will have in this world. It is true that, “Wise men give good counsel, but wiser men take it.” The point is simple. It requires more genuine sense to take guidance than to give it. To humbly submit is a rare grace, but this is the hallmark of genuine wisdom.

Thought: Make friends with those you would like to become.

Prayer: Lord, help me to choose the best companions.