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Man's way.
The book of Proverbs provides a comprehensive commentary upon the way of man.
Conceit is taken from man by the impossibility he finds even of understanding his own
way, to say nothing of clear sighted analysis or unbiased judgment.
"Man's goings are of the Lord: how can a man then understand his own way?"
(Prov. 20: 24).
The sense of this passage is obscured by the failure of the translation to differentiate
between the two words used for "man". The LXX more truly gives the extremes--
"a full-grown man" and a "mortal". The sense is better expressed thus:--
"The steps of a powerful man are from the Lord;
Then a common man, how shall he discern his way?" (John Miller's Translation).
That man is unable correctly to discern his way, Proverbs teaches most clearly:--
"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of
death" (14: 12 and 16: 25).
This proverb is repeated and therefore its truth is doubly impressed. The word
"seemeth right" is literally, is right to his face or before him. This is in direct contrast
with the "end" which is literally "its after part". To be taken up with "things seen" blinds
the mind to that "afterward" that is the inevitable wage of sin. Prov. 16: 26 which
follows (according to the A.V) speaks of man labouring for himself, the following
translation being terribly suggestive:--
"The labouring soul labours for it" (i.e. death). (John Miller's Translation).
It is a solemn thought that the whole way of man and all his labour is for nothing else
than death. Nevertheless this is most certainly true. There are but two ways. Call then
the way of man, and the way of God, the way of lying, and the way of truth, the way of
death, and the way of life. Prov. 15: 19 has one of these contrasting pairs:--
"The way of a slothful man is as an hedge of thorns; but the way of the righteous is
raised up as a causey" (see margin).
There are fourteen references to the "slothful" or the "sluggard" in Proverbs, and the
child of God could spend the time taken in their consideration on many other things with
less profit. Faith, though it be not "works" is not slothful. For a connection between
sloth and thorns as applied to the believer see Heb. 6: 7-12. Those who think their own
ways to be right, Proverbs says are "fools":--
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes" (12: 15).