Proverbs 2:15 (Mini Sermon)

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15. Pro 2:15 - "Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:" A. Whose ways are crooked i. This verse is the conclusion of the description of the evil men Solomon has been warning his son about. ii. Given that these wicked men "leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness" (Pro 2:13), it is little wonder that their "ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths." a. Crooked adj. Bent from the straight form; having (one or more) bends or angles; curved, bent, twisted, tortuous, wry. Applied to everything which is not ‘straight’ (of which crooked is now the ordinary opposite). b. The way of the righteous is a straight path which is not to be deviated from, either to the right hand or to the left (Pro 4:25-27). (i) To leave the straight and narrow path of uprightness, a man must bend his direction; hence his way is crooked. (ii) Thorns and snares are laid in the bends and curves of the crooked paths of the wicked (Pro 22:5). (iii) To keep out of the traps, avoid the path altogether. c. Trying to walk the twisted path of the wicked with hopes of straightening it out is a fool's errand (Ecc 1:15). (i) Here are a few examples. 1. Hanging out with friends at the bar to try to convince them to stop being drunkards by your good example. 2. Straightening out Washington D.C. by running for congress. 3. Continuing to go to a errant church with hopes of converting them. d. Just stay off of the crooked path altogether before you fall into a ditch (Pro 4:14-15). iii. In the context of Proverbs 2, crooked is being used figuratively, since one's ways can't literally be bent. a. Crooked n. - 3. fig. a. The reverse of ‘straight’ in figurative senses (esp. with reference to moral character and conduct); deviating from rectitude or uprightness; not straightforward; dishonest, wrong, perverse; perverted, out of order, awry. b. Even in this perverse generation in which we live, those who have a godly, normal sexual orientation are called straight by both the righteous and wicked alike. c. This is a tacit admission that the way of sodomites is not straight and is therefore crooked. d. Since the way of the sodomite is crooked, it is therefore "the way of the evil man" (Pro 2:12). e. And to this agree the words of scripture (Lev 18:22; 1Ki 14:24; Rom 1:26-27). iv. In this evil generation, it is as important as ever for Christians to hold fast to the faith, that we "may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world" (Php 2:15). B. And they froward in their paths i. Froward adj. - Disposed to go counter to what is demanded or what is reasonable; perverse, difficult to deal with, hard to please; refractory, ungovernable ii. A man who has a rebellious spirit which is wont to do the opposite of what is asked or commanded of him by a legitimate authority is froward in his paths and is therefore an evil man (Pro 2:12, 15). iii. The Lord does not take a froward spirit lightly (1Sa 15:23). a. No man's authority is absolute; and when any government goes beyond their sphere and requires of Christians obedience that is unbiblical, they "ought to obey God rather than men" (Act 5:29). b. But when a government, or any authority, is exercising its God-given duties, then Christians ought to submit to it. c. Those who "despise government" and are "presumptuous" and "selfwilled" are those who "walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness" (2Pe 2:10). d. Wisdom from the word of God gives the godly man the discretion to avoid such and deliver himself from their pernicious ways (Pro 2:10-15).