Proverbs 4:27 states, “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
The first time I was put on a tractor to plow was during spring break my freshman year of college. It was an old International crawler, pulling a one-way plow. I climbed on at 6:00 p.m. and got off at 6:00 a.m. Circling the huge field all night long, I wasn’t sure where I was most of the time. The lights were bright enough to see about 30 feet in front and behind the tractor. I stayed warm from the engine heat and a couple short canvas walls on each side of me. The idea was to keep the plow wheel in the groove in the soil made from the prior round, leaving no skips. In the morning, the farmer was pleased. He kept me all week. I never saw what the field looked like in the daylight.
In Proverbs 4, Solomon is giving instructions as a father to his children. He reminds them that he was once a child also and was taught by his dad. Truth handed down from generation to generation is worth heeding. Solomon first said to get wisdom, “the principle thing” (V. 7). He then pointed to two paths in life; the path of the wicked (V.14), and the path of the just (V. 18). He described the path of the just as a shining light getting brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. In verse 19 he says that the way of the wicked is darkness, the way of stumbling.
I believe that you and I want to travel the path of the just. Solomon himself asked for that path (I Kings 3:9). God was pleased with this wise choice. Solomon walked that path for a long time before he turned to the evil path. In our text the advice is to not turn to the right hand nor to the left. In the end of the chapter, Solomon gives three ways to stay on the path that David, his father, gave to him.
In verse 23 he says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” This is where Solomon fell down in his old age. His many wives turned away his heart after other gods (I Kings 11:4). The right and wrong choices in life are made first in the heart. Stay on the path first by keeping and guarding your heart.
In verse 25 we have the second piece of advice: watch your eyes. Look straight ahead. Your eyes are the window to your heart. They put blinders on horses to keep them looking straight ahead. It is easy for a horse to turn to the right hand or the left, forgetting that the carriage behind him cannot go there. The forward focus avoids many pitfalls.
Finally, we are warned in verse 26 to control our feet. They are the instruments that actually walk off of the path to the right or left. We must ponder everyday how we are walking after the Spirit.
After a couple of years of driving tractor, I finally learned how to make a perfectly straight line. By finding a fence post, a tree, or some stationary object at the other end of the field near to where I wanted to end up, and continually pointing the radiator cap of the tractor on it, I was able to not veer to the right hand nor to the left.
When Jesus hung on the cross, His heart was pierced. The crown of thorns caused blood to run down His face, probably into His eyes. His feet were nailed to the cross. There is power in the blood to keep our heart, eyes, and feet on the path. Set your sight continually on the cross, on Jesus. The way of the cross leads home. Let’s stay on the path. All together now—FORWARD MARCH!
