a way above death

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 14:12

What chilling words! Grim news awaits the end of all world-gained wisdom. Human religions, culturally driven philosophies, and social platforms all may seem to have some element of benefit to them. But they all have the same bitterly realized termination point... a literal fatal flaw: death. No philosophy ends that real truth. No social program will wipe out the effects of mortality. No science or medicine ends the eventual descent into the grave that awaits each human being. The day of our birth and the day of our death are both human experiences over which we have no control.

The point of this proverb is to sober us to see the benefit of following God's wisdom. It is the only "way" that leads to life with Him. We are already warned that wicked living yields destruction, while those who seek God's righteousness ultimately flourish (Proverbs 14:11). We are then warned after considering the end of human efforts that the laughter and joys of human experience are tempered by heartache and grief (Proverbs 14:13). We have to look for a life wisdom, a controlling philosophy, that exists above the mortal plane of human experience. Wise people seek God's truth for perspective on life. It gets us above the canyon lands of the grave. And God freely and abundantly supplies a truly right way that leads beyond death.

"The unfolding of God's Word gives light" (Psalm 119:130). We are promised that the Bible will give understanding to the simple. And when it comes to truth that guides us, that shows us how we must really live, that helps us handle the heartaches and the grief of our own mortality, we must look to the Bible where God has revealed Himself and His ways to us. God's Word is the "way" that doesn't just "seem right"... it IS right. The Word of God speaks clearly. God gives His wisdom in scripture that we can read and understand and follow. I will follow it for life, letting God lead me forever into life.