July 7, 2026
Dear Church of the Open Bible,
I love the “path theology” of Proverbs. It’s found throughout the book but is most explicit in the first nine chapters. We are exhorted to walk in the straight paths of righteousness and warned about the crooked paths of the unrighteous. Once you see this theme, you will notice just how pervasive it is.
The perspective of these opening chapters is that of a father encouraging his son. He describes what these paths look like and where they lead. This is wisdom that he had learned from his father. Listen to a brief description from chapter four.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble. - Proverbs 4:18-19
These paths seem pretty clear. One is well lit, and the other is dark. One is easy to walk, and the other causes stumbling. But they don’t seem so at first. This is the whole point of the father’s instruction. And so we find a particular encouragement a few verses later, “Ponder the path at your feet…”
As much as parents desire their maturing children to do this, it is something necessary for each of us. Ponder, consider, think seriously about your daily habits and decisions, how you spend your time and who you spend it on. The summer is a great time to do some pondering. So grab a coffee, or make a fire, or take a walk and evaluate the paths of your feet, and where they are leading you.
In Him,
Pastor Jeremy