In high school, I remember reading Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” It describes Frost’s coming to a fork in the road and having to decide which of the two forest paths he would travel. He chose the one that was less traveled, and it was a great adventure. I suppose the point of the poem is that one should not always follow the crowd.
Solomon gives similar advice in Prov 1:10-15. He tells his son not to follow sinners who want to rob and kill. Even though such an invitation comes from fools (1:7), peer pressure can be a powerful influence to resist. But the path (v 15) in question leads to death. Greed and violence might have been the most popular road for a young man to travel during Solomon’s time, but Solomon says there is a better road available.
Instead of following fools, the young man should follow wisdom. There is an implication that the foolish sinners speak in the dark, or in secret. They invite others to join them when nobody else is around. You don’t want to publicize that you want to rob and kill.
Wisdom is not like that. She stands in the marketplace—in public—and calls for all, including Solomon’s son, to walk with her (1:20). There is nothing secretive about her. Solomon says she yells out at the gates of the city, where everyone can hear.
It is clear in Proverbs that wisdom is found in the Word of God (1:7). Godly people through the centuries have studied that Word and have also learned from experience the wisdom of obeying it. Life is the testing ground for those principles, and Solomon is passing down his knowledge and experience to his son.
The road of wisdom is one that brings honor and reward (1:9). Instead of death, it brings safety and security (v 33). Those are the two “roads” in Proverbs 1.
No doubt, Solomon’s son had heard the fools’ invitation. What they proposed sounded more exciting. It made his adrenaline flow. Many had answered that call and could show the temporary riches they had gained (v 13). One might assume that all those people could not be wrong.
Solomon is telling him to walk a different path. There will be no immediate gratification. His son might find the path lonely as his friends choose to walk a different road. On this road, rewards are promised in the future—maybe way in the future.
It would be a mistake to think that the fool in these verses—the one who robs and kills—refers only to unbelievers. Solomon’s son is certainly seen as a believer. But he could be duped. He could act foolishly. He could jump onto the road his friends were traveling.
It is easy to see the connection with the Lord’s teaching in the NT. He often spoke about believers having to choose what kind of life they were to live. A believer can be foolish and walk according to his desires. Many implore the believer to do so.
The other option is the way of wisdom, found in His teachings. Honor and rewards are found on that path. The book of Proverbs emphasizes rewards in this life. The OT believers understood, however, that faithful believers would be rewarded in the world to come as well (Heb 11).
But the teaching regarding eternal rewards is more developed in the NT. From Proverbs, it is clear that living according to the Word of God is wise. In the NT, it becomes even more clear that only a foolish believer would live any other way. This is true even though many of the rewards given by wisdom will not be realized until this life is over.
At the Judgment Seat I hope we all can say, “Two roads diverged in a wood. I chose the one less traveled. It was the one my King told me to walk on. It has made all the difference.”
