Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Of the 915 verses in the Book of Proverbs, only six are repeated with this proverb being one of those select few.  To appear in Scripture twice, clearly God wants us to get this truth and to get it good.  Not only is this proverb repeated, but on the surface, it appears rather vague.  The “way” that we’re being warned not to travel isn’t identified.  In fact, its entrance isn’t described at all except that it “seems right unto a man.”  We’re not told anything about its width, its surface or its nature.  We don’t know who travels on that “way” nor are we told who would lead us to it.  Outside of it “seeming right,” we really don’t have a clue of what it looks like, where it starts and how we get on it.  Frankly, it seems odd to warn of a “way” that ends in death but not give any details by which one could identify it.  But because God doesn’t inspire men to pen confusing, odd or useless statements, there must be a reason for stripping this “way” of any notable markers.

Before we conclude why this dangerous “way” isn’t identified, let’s make note of another strange but important detail at the end of this proverb.  Solomon is warning of “A way” but then informs us that the END of “A way” isn’t just one way – it’s many ways.  “The end thereof,” or “OF THERE” (“there” being “a way”) isn’t “the way of death,” but “ARE the WAYS of death" ("are" instead of "is").  The reason this particular “way” is so dangerous is not just because it ends in death but because whichever way it ends, it ends in death.  This particular “way” is so treacherous because once you get on it, there’s no ”WAY” that doesn’t end painfully.  This is the problem with this path in life – there are no good turns to take and there are no safe roads to turn onto.  Once you get on this road that seemed so right, the only turns you can make are bad ones.  If you turn left to avoid a cliff, you’ll find yourself in danger of a raging forest fire.  If you make another adjustment to avoid the forest fire and turn left again, you’ll find yourself in danger of an angry mob blocking the street.  If you quickly do a U-turn and go back to the main road but this time, make a right turn to avoid the cliff, you’ll be dealing with a mud slide.  Every turn on this particular path is another path that leads to your demise.  This way that seemed so right has many optional routes but every single one of them leads to great harm.  

The picture that this proverb paints is not just a road that ends in danger at every turn – it’s a road that leads to many roads and as such, you can’t see the end of all of these roads at the start of the road.  In other words, the “way that seemeth right unto a man” isn’t a straight path that from the beginning, you can look down and see the fiery blaze at the end of it.  It’s not a straight line with smoke in the distance.  This “way” isn’t one on which the prudent can “foresee the evil and hide themselves.”   This path doesn’t declare its danger at the beginning.  This road doesn’t disclose its hazardous end.  This highway doesn’t give any hint that every outlet is painful.  In fact, it seems so right that no one would think there would be danger at every outlet.  It seems so right that no one would suspect anything but sunshine and blue skies at the end of the journey.

Why then would Solomon tell us about a path that seems so right at the beginning but ends in tragedy at every turn without identifying this particular path?  Could there be a worse path in life?  Could there be a worse way in life?  Why not tell us how to see through its deceitful entrance?  Why not instruct us how to identify its deceptive signage?  Why not give us the tools to discern this particular way so we never get on it?   Without knowing what makes this dreadful “way” any different from every other good way, we’re left to question every way because good ways “seem right” too.  PRECISELY.  Therein lies the reason for the ambiguous nature of this proverb.  In this repeated proverb, God isn’t telling us how to discern the safe way from the dangerous way – He’s teaching us to question every way.  By stripping this dangerous “way” of any unique markers in the proverb, God is exposing our inability to get things right on our own.  Just because a particular direction in life feels so good doesn’t in any way make it good.  Just because a particular “way” in life seems so right doesn’t in any way make it right.  Just because a particular position on something seems so appropriate doesn’t in any way make it appropriate.  

Because we’re deficient in foreknowledge and lacking in general knowledge, no one can be certain of what the future holds for us on any path or in any position.  Emotions, suspicions and intuitions can be right but they should never be trusted for they are often wrong.  Solomon isn’t declaring every way that seems right wrong.  Good ways may seem right and because they’re good, they are right.  There are also neutral ways that may seem right and because they’re neutral, they’re not bad ways.  Solomon is informing us of ONE PARTICULAR WAY that ends in tragedy no matter which turn you take and as bad as it is, it still “SEEMS RIGHT.”  This proverb is meant to get our attention so that we question every way and that we question every way with Divine input, not with our feelings.  We can’t trust our assessment.  We can’t rely on our feelings.  We can’t rely on our intuition.  We can’t rely on our gut.  We can’t even rely on our experience.  Decisions are too important and their consequences are too substantial to trust our limited understanding.
 
Samson stands as the tragic example of this proverb.  He was no stranger to success and to the leading of God.  Time after time, God filled him with power to get military victory over the Philistines.  Sadly, he became complacent in his decisions and foolish in his choices.  Eventually, he lost his hair and when he did, he lost his strength.  When Delilah woke him with a warning that the Philistines were attacking, he rose to action saying, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself” (Judges 16:20).  He was confident that he would prevail because he had gotten accustomed to prevailing.  He was confident that he was to fight them rather than flee from them.  It SEEMED RIGHT to fight the enemy.  It always SEEMED RIGHT to fight the ungodly Philistines, especially when God had brought so many victories to him.  He didn’t question his gut.  He didn’t pause to pray.  He didn’t delay in Divine deliberation.  He didn’t get God’s counsel.  In his confidence, he didn’t feel the loss of locks nor did he sense the loss of strength with the Bible reading, “And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.”   The result, no matter what he did from that point on, was going to be tragic and indeed it was.
 
It is no wonder that this proverb is repeated twice because we can be so foolish in our minds and so stubborn in our souls.  We can convince ourselves that the right way is the wrong way simply because we don’t have a good feeling about it.  We can convince ourselves that the wrong way is the right way simply because we have a good feeling about it.  Rarely do we feel good about change and yet, that is what God is constantly trying to do in us.  Rarely do we ever feel correction is right and yet, that too is what God is consistently prompting.  Only God knows with absolute certainty what way is right and only God knows with the same level of certainty which way is the way this proverb speaks of.  This proverb is meant to unnerve us with the ultimate intention to bring us to a place of desperate dependence on God’s guidance in life.  This repeated proverb is designed to make us question everything about ourselves so that we learn to “lean not on our own understanding” and instead, “in ALL our WAYS acknowledge Him” (Proverbs 3:5).
 
Even if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re not smart enough.  Even if you have a good feeling about something or someone, your feelings aren’t good enough.  There is a way out there that seems so right to us but it is so cruel to us – do you trust yourself to discern it before it destroys you?  Don’t do anything, don’t go anywhere, don’t start anything, don’t move anywhere, don’t marry anyone, don’t leave anyone, don’t say anything, don’t decide anything until you first consult with the All-knowing and Almighty God.