Proverbs 4:27 (NASBStr)
Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil.
Satan loves to give us options. He is the master of disguise. Paul tells us that he can change himself into an angel of light:
2 Corinthians 11:14
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
So, it is no wonder that Solomon is warning us in this proverb to not stray from the direct path God lays out for us. We are not to turn to the right or left from the path. Either one can make us be off the mark at the end. Any slight variance off the path will end up causing us to miss the final destination. When you aim an arrow to fly from the string of the bow you might only be off one slight degree to the right or left and think nothing of it. Yet, 10-yards down field the small degree of variance can cause you to miss the center of the target. At forty yards you may totally miss the target. Sin is defined as missing the mark. The mark that God set for us. So, we need to be careful to stay on the path ... directly. Don't move left or right. In the second line of the above proverb Solomon gives us a second way to make sure we are safe. If we see evil, that is the time to turn. The discernment we get from God through wisdom will teach what is evil. The power we get from God will enable us to turn from it. Notice that Solomon doesn't tell us in this proverb that we will NOT see evil. He does not tell us that the path we are on is guarded by God in such a way that evil will not appear on it. Solomon wants us to know that we have a way to avoid evil: Stay on the right path and turn from evil. God gives us both the path to follow and the Spirit to lead us. Satan might disguise himself to look like something we should turn to see or engage upon to fulfill a desire. But, God gives us the tools to avoid even his deceptive ways.
This is the last verse in chapter four. It is the conclusion of Solomon's instruction about wisdom. He has just told "the son" that wisdom will protect you and will even promote you. He warns the reader that there are those who want and seek violence. He warns the son to avoid these characters who promote wickedness and violence. In the final verse Solomon leaves no room for how we are to avoid wicked and viloent seeking people. We are not to turn left, right or follow one step after evil. Even deep-seeded believers have trouble with staying away from evil. Solomon was telling "the son" that to be safe and secure we have to completely avoid those who walk in evil thoughts and evil ways. Solomon gives us no wiggle room. We are to move straight ahead and we are to follow the One in front of us straight ahead, Christ.
By the way, it would have been great for Solomon to follow his own wisdom:
1 Kings 11:1-3 (ESV)
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
The fact that Solomon failed does not diminish the truth of his wisdom. In fact, it shows how easily it is for Satan to transform into light and cause us to fail. We are not to turn to the right or the left. That is the path that is safe.
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