Shevat 24
Which Path?
“Blessed is the man
who shall not walk in the
counsel of the wrong, And shall not stand in the
path of sinners …” (Ps 1:1 ISR)
I see a downward spiral in
this verse: from “not walking (and listening)
in the counsel of the wrong”, to the avoidance of “standing in the path of
sinners”. We have also switched from a
group of people that are “wrong”, to those who are now “sinners”.
I would suggest that this is going from bad to worse …
Our friend Noah Webster uses
the following for one of his definitions of “sinner”: “One
that has voluntarily violated the
divine law; a moral agent who has voluntarily
disobeyed any divine precept, or neglected any known duty”[1]. Please notice, folks, that this person willingly and knowingly violated the Torah of our Elohim; an accidental
transgression because we did not know any better does not necessarily make us “sinners.”
Walking is movement; it
can also refer to the manner in which we conduct ourselves, our way of
life. However, if our walk leads us into the “path of sinners”,
we have a problem. From our opening verse, we
find one who is not only trying to stay on the correct path, he is also making
an attempt to not stop, and stand still, in the middle of somewhere he knows he shouldn’t be. When
we reach the place where we are investigating the path – the lifestyle – of
those who intentionally disobey the Word of our Elohim, we are no longer
cultivating the “fear of YHWH” (see
Deu 10:12-13), with imminent consequences.
A dangerous situation to find ourselves in.
The Hebrew word that has been translated as “path”
is the word derek (Strong’ #H1870), and also describes a manner, a habit, or a course of
life. When linked to “sinners”, this
should never be the path of those who belong to the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. Our Father has given us a
path to walk, and its name is Torah. On
this path, we find safety, security, blessings and fulfillment. Please, people, pay attention to where your
feet (and eyes) have been, and be careful of where you stop (and look around)
to catch your breath.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light
to my path.” (Ps 119:105 ISR)
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of
dawn, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” (Pro 4:18 ISR)
©2018
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