Postings on Proverbs...12:28

"In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death" (ESV)

This can't be saying that those who live righteous lives never die, or that they're never killed for being righteous. Jesus was perfectly righteous, in every thought, word and action (1 Pet 2:22, 1 John 3:5), and He was killed for His righteousness. So, what does this proverb mean?

Who? Anyone

What? Life, and no death

Where? Anywhere

When? Anytime

Why? One's life ("path") is righteous

How? ???

This is what I call a summary proverb. It takes all the details of every individual proverb, which only give a slice of all the minute details of life, and bottom lines all proverbs with "Which path do your actions say you are on?" and then adds "Because your actions reveal the destination you're headed to." Waltke says this proverb "expresses in the most creative and intensive way that the righteous retain a relationship with God forever, clinical death does not separate them from a relationship with the Lord" (I: 543).

Many will disregard the statement about actions revealing our current destination and answer that question with "I'm on God's path," mainly because we don't think our sins are all that bad. We see ourselves in the best possible light and also evaluate ourselves based on our intentions, not our actions, something we then assume God will do too -- wrong!

Here's our logic: our intentions are good (another a lie we tell ourselves) so we're good. Sadly, this dooms us to self-blindness and self-deception, keeping us from ever seeing the truth, that we aren't even close to good so we will not get on God's path by being good. Jesus put it this way:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death" (John 8:51).

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26).

In other words, you receive the benefits of "there is no death" (Prov 12:28) and "shall never die" (John 11:26), not by being good, but by faith in the only One who was good:

"the righteousness of God [read, being right with God] has been manifested apart from the law [meaning, apart from good works to earn it], although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it [see Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4 for instance]—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe" (Romans 3:21-22).


We find the ultimate expression of the "righteousness" talked about here in Proverbs in the Good News of Jesus Christ, His righteousness, His perfect life of no sin, given to those who give their sin-filled lives to Him. At that point, they begin down the "path of righteousness," where they are becoming in their actions what they are, namely, righteous (see Romans 6:13).

The "path" metaphor compares everyone's lifestyle to a journey from wherever it is we start out to our final destination.

I leave you with the question Jesus asked Martha "Do you believe this?" Your answer to that question tells you which path you're on right now.