The Two Paths
On February 9, 1996, a railroad train ran through a red signal and smashed into the side of another train at a crossing. The crash killed the engineers of both trains and one passenger, and injured 158 other passengers.[1]
One year later the results of the investigation into what caused the accident was announced. The engineer of the train that ran the red signal was going blind. For nine years the engineer had progressively been going blind because of diabetes. He and his doctor both knew it. But he had kept his medical condition secret, no doubt for fear of losing his work, and the doctor, who reportedly knew that his patient was a railroad engineer, had not reported the man’s condition to the railroad.
The law in the State of New Jersey where the accident occurred, requires that its engineers have a physical exam each year by the railroad company’s own doctor, but each year the engineer had “always answered no to the annual questions about whether he had diabetes, was taking any prescription medication or was under another doctor’s care. He even had eye surgeries twice, paying for it out of his own pocket in an effort not to be found out.
Unfortunately, the truth came out in a deadly way! The incident reminds me of the warning Jesus issued when his teachings about defilement offended the Pharisees. “Leave them,” he said, “they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” [2] In this illustration, it was one engineer no longer walking in the light so to speak, whose condition brought great pain to many innocent people!
Today we are looking at Proverbs 4:18 & 19. “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”
Who are the righteous Solomon is talking about here? According to Romans 4, it is everyone who believes in Him who raised Jesus from the dead. Where do these believers walk? Although their way is narrow, it is a path of light — even growing light, as it goes from strength to strength! It reminds me of Peter encouraging the believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. Finally, it is a path that leads to the perfect day, meaning the glorious resurrection and the eternal and unclouded presence of Christ.
The path of the wicked is the opposite of the path of the righteous. It is a path steeped in darkness, one so utterly and totally deep dark that we have to go and re-visit the first use of the original word in Exodus 10:21. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”[3] This rebellion against God includes choosing their own way and thinking their own thoughts – loving the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil, we read in the gospel of John.[4] This spiritual darkness leads to ignorance for they have no idea what makes them trip and unimaginable disappointment as they eventually stumble into death and eternal damnation.
GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: As one of the devil’s main strategies is to hide the consequences of our path, let us consider afresh the destinations of each of these paths, and then make sure we have chosen the one less travelled by – as Robert Frost so eloquently puts it!
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
[1] 750 Engaging Illustrations from Craig Brian Larson and Leadership Journal, nr. 760
[2] Matthew 15:14
[3] Exodus 10:21
[4] John 3:17 AMP
