What is the meaning of Proverbs 2:15? Whose paths are crooked Proverbs 2:15 opens with the image of people “whose paths are crooked.” The word picture is vivid: God lays out a straight, safe road (Proverbs 3:6; Isaiah 26:7), but these individuals bend away from it. • A crooked path signals deliberate divergence. Proverbs 10:9 warns, “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” The contrast highlights that a straight path is transparent, while a crooked one is hidden and twisting. • Crookedness invites danger. Proverbs 28:18 notes that “he who walks in blamelessness is kept safe, but a man whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.” The fall may come in this life—through fractured relationships, shattered reputations—or in final judgment before Christ (Matthew 7:23). • The pattern is progressive. Those who turn aside once often keep veering until the whole course of life is misshapen, as in Romans 1:21-24 where rejection of truth leads to deeper corruption. • Believers are called to discern these detours. Wisdom “guards the paths of justice” (Proverbs 2:8), empowering us to spot sharp turns that lure us from holiness. Whose ways are devious The verse continues, “and whose ways are devious.” A “way” points to daily conduct; “devious” stresses craftiness and rebellion (Proverbs 3:32). • Devious ways are deceitful. Proverbs 6:12 describes “a worthless person, a wicked man” who “walks with a perverse mouth,” using deception as his normal mode. • They oppose God’s order. Isaiah 30:1 labels the rebellious “children” who “carry out a plan, but not Mine,” illustrating that devious paths are self-designed, not Spirit-directed. • They entangle others. Second Timothy 3:13 says “evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Devious walkers don’t travel alone; they recruit companions, often through flattery (Proverbs 7:21). • God’s verdict is clear. Proverbs 12:22 states, “Lying lips are detestable to the LORD.” Devious ways may look clever, but the Lord exposes and judges them (Luke 12:2). summary Proverbs 2:15 paints a sober contrast to wisdom’s straight road. A crooked path represents intentional, accumulating departures from God’s revealed will; devious ways showcase stealthy, rebellious conduct that ensnares both actor and bystander. Scripture consistently warns that such detours end in exposure and ruin, while the straight, honest course—kept by God’s wisdom—leads to safety, clarity, and lasting fellowship with Him. |
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