The Rut ~ Proverbs 2

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity…every good track.” Proverbs 2:9 LSB

              The ground was soft after the abundant rains had come in the night.  As a result, the soil was malleable, easily pressed and formed by weight and pressure placed upon it.  And as the 22 wagons in the train passed along its surface, they did just that.  The first wagon wheels pressed deep into the muck, their scant 2 ½ inch tread leaving clear deep marks of their presence.  The “prairie schooners” that followed the first reinforced the routine, their wheels pressing farther yet into the softened Earth.  And there would be many more wagons repeating this process for some 20 years after them.  For the year was 1836 and the famous 2,170 mile Oregon trail, which stretched from the Missouri river to the Oregon territory, was just being established.  But without even being aware, these early settlers were doing just that.  Establishing a trail.  And they were doing it with the ruts that every wheel left upon the surface.  Ruts that were a scar upon the earth, marking the way for all future settlers.

              Growing up in a small town in Texas on a dirt road, I am well aware of the rut.  As great rains saturated the road, they softened the normally hard red clay of north Texas into a pliant pulp.  And as you drove upon this softness, you left a track.  Yet when the rains passed and the sun returned, the drying process began.  And the tracks of your tires now became set in stone.  Or hard clay if you will.  And those ruts were not easily removed.

              The book of Proverbs is one of the five books of wisdom in the Bible, accompanying the books of Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Primarily authored by the wisest man to every grace this planet, king David’s son Solomon, Solomon gathered up his Holy Spirit-provided wisdom into Proverbs to pour out upon his son as well as countless other eyes. The book of Proverbs contains 31 chapters of short points and principles but should not be regarded as Godly law or even universal promises of God.  The Proverbs are meant to impart wisdom from one party to another based upon the wisdom principles supplied by God.

              As I begin another study of the book of Proverbs, I come across an interesting theme that resonates throughout the entire book.  It is the idea of a path.  A way.  A course. A track.  Yes, Proverbs presents the central idea that to find and follow Godly wisdom and instruction, there is a very certain path that must be found…and then must be followed.  And Solomon does not mention just one path, but two.  Yes, this principle of two paths continues to ring true today just as it did over 2500 years ago when Solomon penned the proverbs.  There is a good path to follow and bad path to follow.  And they both lead to something.

              The interesting nugget found in Solomon’s description of a path, way, or track is found in the original Hebrew word used by Solomon to describe it.  The Hebrew word “ma‘·gāl” carries the meaning of a going path, or trench, with the trench being the ruts made by wagon wheels in soft soil.  And that softness, when dried, soon leaves a hardened rut that can be followed by other wagons.  Huh, who would have thought that wagon wheel ruts were in the Bible?

              As we pull all this together and see Solomon’s words of wisdom manifest as wagon wheel ruts for us to follow, we can deduce a few vital points about the path he desires Godly men and women to follow.  First, you must desire to find the path of wisdom.  Second, you must find value in following it.  And third, you must actually follow it daily and follow it to completion.  Folks, these points may sound ludicrous but look around.  The world is full of people that have knowledge but lack the wisdom to apply it in a Godly way.

              Yet along with the wagon wheel ruts that lead to wisdom, Solomon presents another set of ruts.  And those ruts lead in the opposite direction of wisdom.  They lead to folly, evil, perverted speech, devious ways, sexual perversion, and darkness.  Yes, once again Solomon’s wisdom rings true today.  And the two paths have never been more apparent.  But concerning these two paths, the obvious question looms, which do you value, which do you desire, and which are you willing to follow?

              The ruts of this world run deep and are easy to find and follow.  Will you instead be willing to find the ruts that so few seem to locate?  For wisdom is formed by first knowing who you are and who God is.  Wisdom is found by admitting where it lays and who holds possession of it.  Wisdom lay in the hands of the Lord and for us to share in it, there must be an exchange.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

              Today the Lord has made His ruts and He desires for you to follow in them.  And not only did He create the path, but He knows it and knows it to its very end.  Will you settle down into the rut He has for you, or do you still prefer to walk in your own?  For within this decision, the destination of a life is determined.

Dive into the Proverbs, consume what they speak, and follow the rut of Godly wisdom.

Blessings ~ Dan

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” Proverbs 2:1-6 ESV

"on the street", Jalatlaco, Oaxaca, Mexico