Sunrise or Sunset? (Proverbs 14:12)
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Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
This verse is the same as Proverbs 16:25, and as I always point out when that’s the case – if the Bible said it twice, it’s gotta be important. If Solomon took the time to write it twice, we should put double the energy into heeding his advice.
And what’s that advice?
‘There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.’
I think there are two implicit truths we need to pull out from this verse:
There’s a way that seems right, but it’s not.
That means there is a way, in all of our lives, that has the looks, the glam; it’s attractive in appearance. It looks like Eden – lush, full of promise, every tree pleasing to the eye – but it leads to Egypt, where the fruit turns bitter and the hands that reached for it end up in chains. It looks like the way! But it’s not. Not at all. In fact, its end is the way to death. And that leads to truth two:
The way of death is rarely marked.
Nobody chooses a path that says “death” at the trailhead. If it did, we’d turn around. But this road? It looks like life. It promises light. It feels like sunrise.
Think of it like this: Imagine you’re standing outside, watching the sun hover over the horizon – you know, that glowing gold, spilling warmth, painting the sky with that burnt orange. Now imagine you didn’t have a phone, a watch, or any idea what time it was. You didn’t know if you just woke up or had been up all day. Here’s the question:
Would you know if it was sunrise or sunset?
And don’t any of you weather nerds that know the east/west ‘ra-ra’ say you would, okay? Bear with me. You carry a compass in your sock and read the stars before breakfast. You wouldn’t. I certainly wouldn’t. At least not right away. Sunrise and sunset look nearly identical in the moment. But give it time, and you’ll know.
If it’s sunrise, the light will grow.
If it’s sunset, the light will fade.
That’s what this proverb is getting at.
Some paths the world offers seem like a sunrise at first – they promise light. I’m talking about the hustle path, the romance path, the ‘just be true to yourself’ path. But those are sunsets that start bright and end in darkness. Their appearance doesn’t match their end reality. That’s like the way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
But there’s another path of similar promise, only it comes through. It grows brighter and brighter with each step. This is the path of Christ. And how do we know His path comes through?
By reading the pages of Scripture, knowing that He, at the end of His life, unjustly endured the destination of the path of the wicked, the one that ends in death, yet He came out the other side. He defeated it. The conquered grave is evidence that death has no hold on Jesus, and if you are following Him, it therefore has no hold on you. He is the narrow way that leads to life, the only way, truth and life.
And so how exactly do we know if we’re on the right path?
In the day to day, we hold our steps up to the Word. We test our thoughts, our feelings, our plans – not by how they feel in the moment, but by the light of Scripture.
And in the grand scheme of things, we trust that if we’re in Christ, we are not on the road to death. He already walked through death so we wouldn’t have to.
Like I said – He is the way, the truth, and the life.
And He doesn’t just offer directions – He walks the road with us. And where He walks, light follows.
So what path are you walking today?
Let’s pray.
