Do not be Wise in Your Own Eyes
Introduction. While in school, some tests were so easy we quickly finished them with confidence. Yet it wasn’t uncommon to later learn we didn’t get a perfect score. We soon learned that this would move to every area of our life. We thought we did something right, only to find out later there was something we didn’t know or had overlooked. This is so common that we have proverbs like “everyone makes mistakes” when we want to comfort ourselves after doing something foolish. This has also led to proverbs like “a stitch in time saves nine” and “measure twice and cut once” to remind us that we must take extra time and make sure we look at everything to avoid problems.
Those who are wise grow more cautious as they make each new mistake. Learning from minor mistakes helps us avoid major ones. As we recognize that even our best efforts can sometimes fall short of our expectations, we learn humility. God summed up the full extent of our danger: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Pr. 14:12). This verse sums up the deep concern of every parent as they guide their children through the dangers of life, and more importantly, God’s deep concern for us as His children. Multitudes of both children and adults die every day while doing something that seemed right.
Every mistake comes with consequences. While some cost money and time, others can lead to the loss of a job or a good reputation. The severity continues to climb as we think of losing a friend or costing someone their life. Jesus warned that the gravest outcome of all wrong choices can lead to the loss of our eternal soul. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16:25-26). Some of the choices we must make each day can lead to death or the eternal separation from God and all we love.
Because of the severe cost of some choices, God has given many warnings in His word. If we take them to heart, they can protect us. Not only does God gives us wise counsel about the results of our choices, but He has also recorded the lives of those who lived before us so we can judge these outcomes for ourselves. When Adam and Eve set aside God’s warning because it seemed right, they brought great grief upon themselves and all their children. We see the extreme damage that overconfidence in our own abilities and a lack of trust in God’s warnings can create. As each new generation comes and then leaves this world, the same choices are made and the same outcomes reached. Those with humility and who trusted God were safely led through all the pitfalls and dangers of life, while those who trusted in their own ability to make decisions always ended in death. The quicker we learn this the more successful our life will become.
It was never God’s intention that we should face such dangers. God created Adam and Eve to live in a material creation where He provided everything they needed to have dominion (Gen. 1). With His wisdom and power, He created a perfect home where all the issues and problems we face today did not exist. If they had trusted His single command, they would have been protected. But their overconfidence in their own abilities led them to choose the way the way that seemed right that ended in death. That single mistaken choice brought both sin and death into this creation, affecting not only themselves, but all their offspring (Rom. 5:12).
The knowledge of good and evil sums up all the terrible changes that occurred after they “ate” and “died.” God knew the terrible consequences that the knowledge of good and evil would bring. Every evil thing man can do to man was made possible when that knowledge entered the world. It was that knowledge that led Cain to murder Abel and led to the conditions forcing God to send the flood (Gen. 6). Everything God had done to make our lives pleasant, peaceful, and safe was lost. All the conflicts and problems that exist today entered and all the dead ends of wrong choices became possible.
The safe and peaceful world we should have entered at birth vanished. Dangers now lurk everywhere, not only in the dangers to our physical lives, but also in our relationship to the eternal spiritual creation we will enter after we die. God has done all in His power to bring salvation and joy back into this sin cursed world. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16). But His love, mercy, grace and compassion cannot protect us from the eternal consequences of our decisions based on His justice and righteous character. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Gal. 6:7-9).
What made all these problems possible is also the only way out of them. Adam and Eve’s biggest mistake in judgment was a failure to completely trust and rely on God’s guidance. If they had trusted in God’s love and care for them, His righteous and just intentions for the life He wanted them to live, and His wisdom and knowledge to keep them on the right path they would have rejected Satan’s lies. Nothing has changed. Each of us stands at that same crossroad every day. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” (Pr. 3:5-7). It is this faith that would have protected Adam and Eve and it is this faith that will protect us and those we love. We must learn to trust God! No one can find their way back alone. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 10:23). The more we trust God and the less we trust in ourselves the safer and more successful we will become.
It is important that we never forget those first lessons about our ability to make mistakes. No matter how long we have been studying the Scriptures and how far down the road to maturity and knowledge we have traveled, we are never far from this danger. Jesus gave a powerful warning to His disciples about how a single misunderstanding can lead us right back into the darkness we are seeking to leave behind. Comparing the ability of our eyes to gather information and make the adjustments needed to keep us safe, Jesus points us to that same ability in the spiritual realm. When the eyes we use to make our spiritual decisions are full of the light of God’s guidance through His word, our whole body will be full of light and our decisions will be sound. But if at any point, a misunderstanding or wrong application occurs, it can lead to full darkness.
This is a grave danger, but can be avoided by being aware and taking heed. By comparing our thoughts and attitudes with Scripture we become the most noble and honorable people on this earth in the eyes of God. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11). Like them, we should be those who are daily reading through the Bible with an open and honest heart, comparing the Scriptures with our outlook and life to be certain there are no mistakes.
Conclusion: Regardless of where we are in our path to life, if we can always maintain the caution and humility we learned in our youth, we can protect ourselves from error and find our way out if we fall into it. By putting our full confidence in God’s word and continually assessing our outlook and attitudes by the Scriptures we can avoid the pitfall that has destroyed so many before us.
Those who are wise grow more cautious as they make each new mistake. Learning from minor mistakes helps us avoid major ones. As we recognize that even our best efforts can sometimes fall short of our expectations, we learn humility. God summed up the full extent of our danger: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Pr. 14:12). This verse sums up the deep concern of every parent as they guide their children through the dangers of life, and more importantly, God’s deep concern for us as His children. Multitudes of both children and adults die every day while doing something that seemed right.
Every mistake comes with consequences. While some cost money and time, others can lead to the loss of a job or a good reputation. The severity continues to climb as we think of losing a friend or costing someone their life. Jesus warned that the gravest outcome of all wrong choices can lead to the loss of our eternal soul. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16:25-26). Some of the choices we must make each day can lead to death or the eternal separation from God and all we love.
Because of the severe cost of some choices, God has given many warnings in His word. If we take them to heart, they can protect us. Not only does God gives us wise counsel about the results of our choices, but He has also recorded the lives of those who lived before us so we can judge these outcomes for ourselves. When Adam and Eve set aside God’s warning because it seemed right, they brought great grief upon themselves and all their children. We see the extreme damage that overconfidence in our own abilities and a lack of trust in God’s warnings can create. As each new generation comes and then leaves this world, the same choices are made and the same outcomes reached. Those with humility and who trusted God were safely led through all the pitfalls and dangers of life, while those who trusted in their own ability to make decisions always ended in death. The quicker we learn this the more successful our life will become.
It was never God’s intention that we should face such dangers. God created Adam and Eve to live in a material creation where He provided everything they needed to have dominion (Gen. 1). With His wisdom and power, He created a perfect home where all the issues and problems we face today did not exist. If they had trusted His single command, they would have been protected. But their overconfidence in their own abilities led them to choose the way the way that seemed right that ended in death. That single mistaken choice brought both sin and death into this creation, affecting not only themselves, but all their offspring (Rom. 5:12).
The knowledge of good and evil sums up all the terrible changes that occurred after they “ate” and “died.” God knew the terrible consequences that the knowledge of good and evil would bring. Every evil thing man can do to man was made possible when that knowledge entered the world. It was that knowledge that led Cain to murder Abel and led to the conditions forcing God to send the flood (Gen. 6). Everything God had done to make our lives pleasant, peaceful, and safe was lost. All the conflicts and problems that exist today entered and all the dead ends of wrong choices became possible.
The safe and peaceful world we should have entered at birth vanished. Dangers now lurk everywhere, not only in the dangers to our physical lives, but also in our relationship to the eternal spiritual creation we will enter after we die. God has done all in His power to bring salvation and joy back into this sin cursed world. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16). But His love, mercy, grace and compassion cannot protect us from the eternal consequences of our decisions based on His justice and righteous character. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Gal. 6:7-9).
What made all these problems possible is also the only way out of them. Adam and Eve’s biggest mistake in judgment was a failure to completely trust and rely on God’s guidance. If they had trusted in God’s love and care for them, His righteous and just intentions for the life He wanted them to live, and His wisdom and knowledge to keep them on the right path they would have rejected Satan’s lies. Nothing has changed. Each of us stands at that same crossroad every day. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” (Pr. 3:5-7). It is this faith that would have protected Adam and Eve and it is this faith that will protect us and those we love. We must learn to trust God! No one can find their way back alone. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 10:23). The more we trust God and the less we trust in ourselves the safer and more successful we will become.
It is important that we never forget those first lessons about our ability to make mistakes. No matter how long we have been studying the Scriptures and how far down the road to maturity and knowledge we have traveled, we are never far from this danger. Jesus gave a powerful warning to His disciples about how a single misunderstanding can lead us right back into the darkness we are seeking to leave behind. Comparing the ability of our eyes to gather information and make the adjustments needed to keep us safe, Jesus points us to that same ability in the spiritual realm. When the eyes we use to make our spiritual decisions are full of the light of God’s guidance through His word, our whole body will be full of light and our decisions will be sound. But if at any point, a misunderstanding or wrong application occurs, it can lead to full darkness.
- “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” (Lk. 11:34-35).
This is a grave danger, but can be avoided by being aware and taking heed. By comparing our thoughts and attitudes with Scripture we become the most noble and honorable people on this earth in the eyes of God. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11). Like them, we should be those who are daily reading through the Bible with an open and honest heart, comparing the Scriptures with our outlook and life to be certain there are no mistakes.
Conclusion: Regardless of where we are in our path to life, if we can always maintain the caution and humility we learned in our youth, we can protect ourselves from error and find our way out if we fall into it. By putting our full confidence in God’s word and continually assessing our outlook and attitudes by the Scriptures we can avoid the pitfall that has destroyed so many before us.