There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
There is a way or course that can seem right to a person and yet end in death. Sincerity, good intentions, and confidence do not make such a mistaken choice true or safe. When God's guidance and word give direction, ignoring them and choosing by personal judgment puts a person on the wrong path.
The verse therefore calls for careful examination of one's path and for having one's ways established, rather than trusting one's own judgment. This is done by searching Scripture to learn God's will instead of relying on one's own judgment or another person's claims. The course must be tested by God's law and word rather than by one's own standards, feelings, judgment, or human claims. Judging oneself by one's own standards can lead to thinking oneself holy while violating God's law, and following one's own desires leads to ruin that can endanger others as well.
Solomon himself illustrates the warning, for though he wrote it in wisdom he later departed from purity and approved idolatrous rites. He mistook license for liberty and tried to unite good with evil. His course ended in a degraded life, shaken faith, and misery.
There is a way or course that can seem right to a person and yet end in death. Sincerity, good intentions, and confidence do not make such a mistaken choice true or safe. When God's guidance and word give direction, ignoring them and choosing by personal judgment puts a person on the wrong path.
The verse therefore calls for careful examination of one's path and for having one's ways established, rather than trusting one's own judgment. This is done by searching Scripture to learn God's will instead of relying on one's own judgment or another person's claims. The course must be tested by God's law and word rather than by one's own standards, feelings, judgment, or human claims. Judging oneself by one's own standards can lead to thinking oneself holy while violating God's law, and following one's own desires leads to ruin that can endanger others as well.
Solomon himself illustrates the warning, for though he wrote it in wisdom he later departed from purity and approved idolatrous rites. He mistook license for liberty and tried to unite good with evil. His course ended in a degraded life, shaken faith, and misery.