"Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall" (Prov. 28:18, ESV).
Do you ever read warnings? Warning: do not use this blow dryer in while taking a shower. Warning: do not stick a fork in this toaster while it is plugged in. Warning: this coffee is extremely hot and will burn you if you spill it. Warning: this plastic bag is not a toy and could cause suffocation. Why are there so many warnings? It is probably because there are so many people who do foolish things. There is a reason that common sense is called common and not universal sense. The term "common" implies that it is a "sense" generally experience by most people. It is common as opposed to rare.
Do you listen to warnings? I have to admit the thought of using a hair dryer in the shower never occurred to me until I read a warning against such practices. Why would anyone attempt to dry their hair while still in the shower? It seems counter productive, not to mention extremely dangerous. Yet someone somewhere sometime ago, most likely entered into eternity because they decided to multitask at shower time. It probably went something like this, "I bet I can shave five minutes off of my prep time if I dry my hair while I'm scrubbing my toes." Thus, the warning was born. The inventor of the hair dryer probably thought that using the product outside of the bathtub went without saying, but obviously he was wrong.
It may be that hair dryer companies were thinking ahead. They may have tried to think of every possible situation in which their products would be used (and misused). Foreseeing that there maybe some individual (or several such individuals), that lacked common sense, they may have issued the warning to be on the safe side. However the warning came about, its purpose was to head off severe and dangerous consequences. Let's return to the question. Do you obey warnings?
Solomon here issues a warning to the wise. He states, "Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall." This warning is placed in simple, clear, and concise language. It is so logical, we are tempted to dismiss it without actually heeding it. You might be tempted to voice a sarcastic, "Well, duh!," but it doesn't remove the obligation to respond. Solomon's warning is meant to head off eternal consequences. Let's look at it in more detail.
Often in the Scriptures, the imagery of walking is used to speak of one's way of life. Thus, your walk is how you live. Walking in integrity means that you are living in wholeness, your words and your life are in harmony. A person of integrity practices what they preach. They are the same when they are alone as they are when they are in a crowd. It doesn't mean that they are sinless, it means that they are very candid (and repentant) about their sin. The person of integrity can have confidence that they will be delivered.
However, those who fail to heed the warning will suddenly fall. The imagery here suggest a person taking a very nasty spill while walking down the road. Imagine walking up a very narrow and winding path that curled up the side of a very steep mountain. Such an adventure would require care and effort. You would have to be vigilant, because if you weren't you might fall down the mountain to your destruction.
God has determined the way of integrity. Jesus Christ is the way by which we enter into it. He, through the Holy Spirit, enables us to walk in integrity. As we walk in him, he ensures our deliverance. He has taken the penalty of our crookedness upon himself, and shed his blood for our redemption. He was struck down on the cross, so that we might be raised up. God the Father has raised us up with him, so that we might walk in a manner worthy of his gift.
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