Scripture Reading:

Proverbs 12:26-28

Proverbs 12:26

The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduces them. 

 (NKJV) The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them away. 

You can see from the above example how the English translations vary widely for this verse. Sometimes it can be difficult to get to the heart of the Hebrew idiom. What we can say with certainty is that the Bible marks a hard and fast division between the righteous and the wicked. In any sort of community, whether it be neighborhoods or workplaces, people rub off on each other. So this proverb reminds us to always be aware of who is rubbing off on whom. When more of the wicked rubs off on the righteous than the other way around, then the righteous should reevaluate the situation. For example, consider a Christian teacher who works diligently in the context of godless public schools. As best as he can, he teaches young students to fear God in the chemistry and history classes throughout his career. Meanwhile, his children attend the same schools. Over a 12-16 year academic experience in godless schools, the institutions oppose the
fear of God and inculcate a man-centered way of thinking about all areas of life. Although the children may attend church on Sunday, they still receive thirty hours per week of godless instruction in secular schools. If they take to heart the worldview taught in these schools, they will walk away from the faith in their adult years. The story has been told millions of time over in the Western world. After forty years of involvement in the public school machine, this teacher finds that the six opportunities he had to “witness” about Jesus were drowned out by a system of humanist indoctrination, in a stridently godless
educational institution. If he participated in promulgating this godless education, he must know that his life work contributed to the ongoing secularization of society. Again, the question we all must ask is this, “Can we remain holy, separate, and undefiled while participating in this or that aspect of the world’s system?” In a flagrantly godless age where the apostasy from Europe is spreading to North America, Christians must be more discerning than ever. The Apostle Paul warns that none of us be robbed by vain philosophy, after the basic principles of the world, being devoid of that knowledge which is after
Christ (Col. 2:8). The warning is just as appropriate for our children.

Proverbs 12:27

The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting: but the substance
of a diligent man is precious

There are various forms of diligence carefully distinguished for us in God’s holy revelation. What is taught in this verse is a conscientious, meticulous diligence. Most children have a hard time turning off lights to conserve energy when they leave a room. I doubt the lights in comparison with the kilowatt-hours of energy wasted by leaving the lights on. By nature, children are not given to diligence. In almost every situation, they exhibit some lack of conscientiousness in what they do. As a young Algebra student works on a lengthy problem, he may neglect to put the decimal point in the right place or he might leave out a parenthesis. At the end, he arrives at the wrong answer, and no, he must not receive credit for his work. Neither will the engineer who makes the same error in the design of a bridge receive any credit when his construction collapses. Mathematics is a great context in which to train this special trait of conscientious diligence. Both the scientific and business fields require a high level of attention to detail, and a parent’s investment in a child’s character will certainly pay off later in life.

This verse encourages us to a careful use of the resources God gives us. Naturally, we all face the deleterious effects of the law of entropy. Things grow old and dilapidated over time. But when we take due care of our belongings, carefully maintaining our homes, automobiles, and yards, they do not lose value as quickly as they would if we were careless with them.

Proverbs 12:28

In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death. 

The way to life is a road. Salvation is a path. To think of salvation as a
solitary event apart from a life of faith, repentance, and relational obedience is to misunderstand the Christian faith. The Apostles in the New Testament refers to the faith as “the way” (Acts 9:2, 16:17, 18:26, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22). Applying this lesson to the discipleship of our children, we wish more than a one-time religious experience for them. We want to see them walking in the truth (2 John 1:4, 3 John 1:4).

Family Discussion Questions: 

1. Does our association with godless people yield more or less fruit for the kingdom of God? What are the ways in which the wicked might seduce us away from God?

2. In which way do you walk? Are you walking in the pathway of life or are you walking in the way of the wicked? How do you know that you are walking in the way of righteousness?

3. How are we doing in the area of conscientious diligence? In what areas of our lives are we most conscientious? In what areas are we the least conscientious? Are we wasteful or frugal with the resource God gives to us?