Chapter 14.16

Being Led “In the Way”

 

Table of Topics

A) The Meaning of “The Way” & Related Terms in Scripture

B) The Meaning of “the Way” in Psalm 32:8

C) The Meaning of “Paths” in Proverbs 3:5-7

D) The Meaning of the “Voice” in Isaiah 30:19-21

E) The Meaning of “Directs Every Detail of Our Lives” in Psalm 37:23

Publications & Particulars

Primary Points

• Several passages throughout Scripture speak of God guiding us in “the way.” Mega mysticism would claim such promises apply to extra-biblical divine revelation or other miraculous means of communication in order to specifically guide us in our decision making. On the contrary, the concept refers to the moral commands God has already granted in Scripture so that we may, in a more general way, live righteously.
• We would suggest that biblical language referring to “the way” should be interpreted as applying to the general morality of lifestyle and character of a person, not specific, direct, divine instruction regarding “the way” a person should choose in an amoral extra-biblical decision. This is demonstrated by the biblical words used to refer to a “way.”
• To walk in God’s ways is to simply obey the commands of God in Scripture.
• The promise: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Ps 32:8) is most likely David’s statement to Israel, not God’s promise to us.
• Waltke: “I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5[-6] had nothing to say about [extra-biblical] guidance.”
• The promise: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isa 30:19-21), refers to Teachers who will instruct End Time Israelites in the moral laws of God, specifically referring to idol worship.
• The NLT version of Psalm 37:23: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” is an inaccurate and irresponsible translation.

A) The Meaning of “The Way” & Related Terms in Scripture

Several passages throughout Scripture speak of God guiding us in “the way.” Mega mysticism would claim such promises apply to extra-biblical divine revelation or other miraculous means of communication in order to specifically guide us in all of our decision making. On the contrary, the concept refers to the moral commands God has already granted in Scripture so that we may, in a more general way, live righteously.

We would suggest that biblical language referring to “the way” should be interpreted as applying to the general morality of lifestyle and character of a person, not specific, direct, divine instruction regarding “the way” a person should choose in an amoral extra-biblical decision. This is demonstrated by the biblical words used to refer to a “way.”

In the OT the Hebrew word translated “way” or “ways” is derek which the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament translates as: “way, road, journey, manner, work” and adds that:

[I]t refers first to a path worn by constant walking. Genesis 3:24 mentions the “way to the tree of life,” blocked after the fall of man. . . . Sometimes derek can refer to a major highway, such as the king’s highway (Num 20:17; 21:22). . . . derek can also mean “journey,” usually one of several days’ duration. . . .

More numerous are the metaphorical uses of derek. It often refers to the actions and behavior of men, who either follow the way of the righteous or the way of the wicked (Ps 1:6). The way of the righteous is closely linked with “the way of the Lord.” Parents are to command their children “to keep the way of the Lord” (Gen 18:19; cf. Prov 22:6), which is found in the statutes and commands of God’s law (I Kgs 2:3). ^[1]

Similarly, the Hebrew words ōrah (“path”) and magalah (“track”) are used in this way as noted by William Mounce:

In most of its occurrences, ōrah is used figuratively for one’s [moral] conduct or lifestyle, which can be righteous or wicked. Righteous conduct is described as “the paths of life” (Prov. 2:19), “the paths of justice” (Prov. 2:8), “the paths of the Lord” (Ps. 25: 10), and sometimes just “the path” (Prov. 15:10; Isa. 30:11). We are told that God will make smooth the paths of all who acknowledge him (Prov. 3:6; cf. Isa. 26:7). In contrast, wicked conduct is called an “evil path” (Ps. 119:101) and a “path of falsehood” (Ps. 119:104). Such paths are [morally] crooked (Prov. 2:15). ^[2]

Another related OT term is the metaphorical use of “walk” (OT dārak; hālak) which, “is used in a metaphorical sense to describe actions or the process of living, especially following or walking in the ways of the Lord.” ^[3]

Finally, another term in the OT is yāšār (“straight”; i.e. “upright”) of which Mounce writes: “Often rendered “upright, right, innocent; straight,” yāšār usually denotes appropriate human conduct with respect to ethical norms and religious values.” ^[4] Likewise, the Hebrew word mishor literally means “a level place” but is metaphorically used to mean morally “straight” or “upright.” As we will see below, “straight” is used in the context of divine guidance in the sense of not being morally crooked, not in the mega mystical sense of not making a mistake in an extra-biblical, amoral decision.

The moral concept inherent in the words discussed above is illustrated in several OT texts. For example, when David charges his son Solomon we read:

I am about to go the way of all the earth. . . . So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk [halāk] in His ways [derek], and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go (1 Kgs 2:2-3).

To walk in God’s ways then is to simply obey the commands of God in Scripture, and doing this will be sufficient to make us prosper in everything and everywhere. Likewise, Jethro tells Moses to get some help in governing the people, and to “teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way [derek] to live [hālak]” (Exod. 18:20).

Righteousness is often synonymous with “the way.” Accordingly, God says through the Prophet Isaiah:

This is what the LORD says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you what is best for you, Who directs you in the [moral] way [derek] you should go. If only you had paid attention to My [written moral] commands, your peace would have been like a river, your [moral] righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isa 48:17-18; cf. Prov 8:20)  

Contrary to mega mysticism, “the way you should go” is not a specific direction in an amoral, extra-biblical issue, but obeying God’s “commands” in Scripture which will lead to the “peace” craved in mega mysticism as noted above, and the moral “righteousness,” which is what God is truly after.

The OT concept of “the way” is also illustrated in the command to “Train up a child in the way [derek] he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6), obviously referring to morality.

Likewise, many references to “the way” in Scripture refer to immorality, not amoral foolishness. Accordingly, the psalmist writes:

Blessed is the man who does not walk [halāk] in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way [derek] of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the [moral] law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:1-2; cf. 1 Kgs 16:26; Ps 1:1, 6; Prov 4:14, 19, 26-7; 11:5; 12:26; 15:9-10; Isa 55:7; Jer 12:1; 36:3).

The most common meaning of derek and ōrah in the OT then is a general moral course of life, not a specific amoral direction that God desires to direct us in. This is clearly illustrated in several OT texts:

Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His [moral] ways [derek], so that we may walk [halāk] in His [moral] paths [ōrah].” The [moral] law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isa 2:3)

Lead me, O LORD, in your [moral] righteousness because of my enemies—make straight [yāšār] Your [moral] way [derek] before me. (Ps 5:8)

Make me know Your [moral] ways [derek], O LORD; Teach me Your [moral] paths [ōrah]. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. . . . [Morally] Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs [immoral] sinners in the [moral] way [derek]. He leads the humble in [moral] justice, And He teaches the humble His [moral] way [derek]. All the [moral] paths [ōrah] of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth. . . . Who is the man who fears the LORD [to morally obey Him]? He will instruct him in the [moral] way [derek] he should choose. (Ps 25:4-5, 8-10, 12 NASB)

Teach me Your [moral] way [derek], O LORD; lead me in a straight [mishor] [moral] path [ōrah] because of my oppressors. (Ps 27:11)

Because these terms are clearly used in moral ways above, we should take them in this way where morality is not specified in the context. For example, we would suggest that the following Scriptures are also referring to the moral will of God, rather than amoral, extra-biblical issues:

Teach me Your [moral] way [derek], O LORD, and I will walk [hālak] in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. (Ps 86:11)  

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any [morally] offensive way [derek] in me, and lead me in the way [derek] everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24)

Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the [moral] way [derek] I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. . . . Teach me to do Your [moral] will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level [mishor “morally straight”] ground (Ps 143:8, 10).

Likewise, a statement by David like “Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me” (Ps 31:3), may be assumed to include the mega mystical idea that the Spirit will guide us in amoral, extra-biblical matters. However, David uses the same wording in a context that clearly suggests the divine guidance is limited to moral issues when he writes elsewhere, “He leads me in [moral] paths [magalah] of [moral] righteousness for His name’s sake” (Ps 23:3). These Scriptures simply reflect the great emphasis that God places on virtue apologetics which we have discussed at length elsewhere. ^[5]

These OT concepts regarding the moral metaphorical use of “the way” are reflected in the NT’s use of hodos (“road”). This is precisely why the Apostle Paul writes, “the most excellent way [hodos]” is love! (1 Cor 12:31). Similarly, many NT writers use the phrase “way of life” (anastrophē: “manner of life; conduct”) to describe the general morality of someone’s life. Therefore, Peter writes, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life [anastrophē] handed down to you from your forefathers” (1 Pet 1:18). Accordingly, Dr. Mounce writes regarding how these concepts are used in the NT:

The metaphor of walking in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), walking in love (Eph. 5:2), and walking in him (Col. 2:6) is consistent with and builds on the idea of Christianity as “the Way.” . . .

Paul compares his “way of life” when he was in Judaism (Gal. 1:13) to his way of life after Jesus was revealed to him (Gal. 1:15-16; cf. Phil. 3:7-9). He exhorts believers to put off the old self, which was a part of their “way of life” before they knew Jesus, and to put on the new nature, which is created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22-23).

Peter encourages wives to have a pure and godly “way of life” so that they may win over those who refuse to accept the gospel (I Pet. 3:1-2, 16; cf. 1:15). Christians should avoid an empty “life” that characterizes dead religion (I Pet. 1:18), and instead strive toward a “way of life” that proceeds from humble wisdom (Jas. 3:13).

Paul encourages Timothy to be an example of a godly “life” regardless of his young age (I Tim. 4:12; cf. 2 Pet. 2:7, 12; 3:11). In summary, believers are to be holy in every aspect of their life (I Pet. 1:15). ^[6]

This “metaphor of walking in the newness of life” is reflected in Ephesians 5 where Paul writes:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:15-17 NASB).

Walking “wise” instead of “foolish,” “making the most of the time,” and understanding “what the will of the Lord is” are all in contrast to “the days [that] are evil,” and therefore, all these concepts refer to a moral life.

B) The Meaning of “the Way” in Psalm 32:8

Psalm 32:8 reads: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way [derek] you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” At the least, we would suggest a similar interpretation as those above, with “the way” referring to a moral direction. Above we saw similar language in a clearly moral context when we quoted Isaiah:

This is what the LORD says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you what is best for you, Who directs you in the [moral] way [derek] you should go. ¹⁸    If only you had paid attention to My [moral] commands, your peace would have been like a river, your [moral] righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isa 48:17-18; cf. Prov 8:20)  

That David is speaking of a moral way in which God will guide him is supported by the fact that the first several verses of this very Psalm are focused on David’s moral failure. He expresses thanks for his forgiveness (vs. 1-2), and describes the consequences of not confessing his moral failure (v. 3-4), and the blessing that came by doing so (v. 5). In a Psalm then when David is so concerned about past moral failure, it would seem best to interpret “the way” that he desires God to “instruct,” “teach,” and “counsel” him in is in morality.

Nonetheless, many scholars view this promise of moral guidance as coming from David himself to the reader, (rather than from God to David). This certainly fits with the flow of the passage which is otherwise clearly David’s words to the reader rather than God’s words to David. Accordingly, the noted OT scholars Keil and Delitzsch note with others that Psalm 32 is related to 51 and write:

For a whole year after his adultery David was like one under sentence of condemnation. In the midst of this fearful anguish of soul he composed Ps 51, whereas Ps 32 was composed after his deliverance from this state of mind. The former was written in the very midst of the penitential struggle; the latter after he had recovered his inward peace. . . .

It is not Jahve, who here speaks in answer to the words that have been thus far addressed to Him. In this case the person addressed must be the poet, who, however, has already attained the knowledge here treated of. It is he himself who now directly adopts the tone of the teacher (cf. Ps 34:12). That which David, in Ps 51:15, promises to do, he here takes in hand, viz., the instruction of sinners in the way of salvation. ^[7]

 

This is an important observation as David promises in Psalm 51:

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will turn back to You. (Ps 51:12-13)

Therefore, it is possible that David, who has now been restored, is fulfilling his promise to “instruct . . . and teach” (Ps 32:8) “transgressors” the moral ways of God (Ps 51:13), or “the way” they should live (Ps 32:8). OT scholar Bruce Walke takes this view and comments:

Unfortunately, the church is full of people who mishandle Scripture, particularly on this issue of God’s guidance. I recently heard a Christian talk about Psalm 32:8 (“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go”) and claim the verse as evidence that we need to look to God for special instruction regarding His will. This leads believers right back into the practice of divination that we talked about earlier in this book. It asks Christians to look for signs from God that will reveal some mysterious secret.

In truth, this Christian imposed his own ideas on the text. The author of Psalm 32 is David, who is speaking to the congregation of Israel. He has just celebrated God’s forgiveness, and now he wants to instruct Israel in how they should live. So when he says to the congregation, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go,” he means that he, David, will teach them. ^[8]

Therefore, we would suggest there is no clear support for any mega mystical ideas in this passage of Scripture.

C) The Meaning of “Paths” in Proverbs 3:5-7

In Proverbs 3:5-7 we read:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways [derek] acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths [ōrah] straight [yāšār]. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

Gary Friesen comments on this passage:

This passage may contain the most frequently quoted verses in discussion of God’s will. Usually, it is the King James Version that is noted, for the translation “and He shall direct thy paths” gives a vivid picture of personal leading according to an individual plan. ^[9]

In fact, however, we have seen that the meanings of the Hebrew words used consistently refer to morality, not to the amoral, extra-biblical kind of issues for which mega mystics claim we must have extra-biblical divine revelation. Our interpretation is further supported by verse 7 which describes the kind of wisdom being spoken of here as leading one not to “be wise in your own eyes” (which actually could describe a trust in extra-biblical divine revelation), but rather, to “shun evil,” which, in context, would be the result of God making our “paths straight.”

Secondly, the mega mystical interpretation of Proverbs 3:5-6 essentially leads us to depend on our feelings. Their understanding of what it means to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways [derek] acknowledge Him” is to have a sense of “peace” or some impulse supposedly from God. On the contrary, trusting in the Lord, not leaning on our own understanding, and acknowledging God in all of our decisions is nothing more (or less!) than depending on Scripture. What is the alternative? Mega mystical feelings or subjective interpretations of our circumstances?

Accordingly, Dr. Waltke has written concerning Proverbs 3:5-6:

All of us have had the shock of discovering that a favorite verse in the King James Version was inaccurate, and hence that we had been led into an inauthentic experience. I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5 [-6] had nothing to say about [extra-biblical] guidance. ^[10]

Countless times I have heard people quote Proverbs 3:5-6 as a basis for divining God’s will: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (KJV). Many people read the word “direct” and assume that this verse means God will give them special direction in the everyday decisions of life. But the Hebrew word literally means to “go straight,” so a sound exegesis reveals that if you trust God you will not go outside the bounds of what the book of Proverbs teaches. When it says that “he shall direct thy paths” it does not mean that God will offer you special revelation, but that He will make your track right because you are living your life in accordance with the words of Proverbs. ^[11]

D) The Meaning of the “Voice” in Isaiah 30:19-21

In Isaiah we read:

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your Teachers will be hidden no more; ^[12] with your own eyes you will see them.  ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way [derek]; walk in it. ²² Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!” (Isa 30:19-22)

Again, Dr. Friesen comments:

This passage is often quoted by proponents of the [mega mystical] view as describing the inward work of the Holy Spirit giving specific guidance into God’s individual [extra-biblical] will. It is suggested that whenever a believer strays from the pathway of God’s [extra-biblical] will for his life, the Spirit will communicate that fact and give directions for return to the proper [extra-biblical] road. ^[13]

However, there are again, several aspects of this passage that make it unlikely to bear such an interpretation. First, the time context of this promise would seem to apply to the Day of the Lord after Christ’s Second Coming, not to the Church Age we live in (cf. vs. 25-6). Secondly, we have demonstrated that “the way” (derek) refers to obedience to God’s moral, biblical laws, not amoral direction for personal decision making. According, the result of hearing “a voice” (v. 21) is “Then you will defile your idols . . . and . . . throw them away.” (v. 22).

Finally, this passage is not speaking of a communication directly from the Holy Spirit at all, but through “the Teachers [who] will be hidden no more” (v. 20; cf. vs. 8-11) when Israel repents. They will see these Teachers with their literal “eyes” and audibly “hear” them with their literal ears, not in some mystical way. Keil and Delitzch agree, commenting:

[T]he faithful and well-meaning teachers [will] no longer keep themselves hidden because of the hard-heartedness and hatred of the people [cf. vs. 8-11], as they have done ever since the time of Ahaz. Israel, when penitent, would once more be able to rejoice in the sight of those whom it longed to have back again. . . . As the shepherds of the flock, they would follow the people with friendly words of admonition, whilst the people would have their ears open to receive their instruction. ^[14]

Likewise, Dr. Friesen correctly concludes:

The point of Isaiah 30:20-21 for us is that one of the great blessings of God is teachers who clearly instruct us in the way of God’s moral will and call us to return to the path of righteousness when we stray as Israel did. ^[15]

E) The Meaning of “Directs Every Detail of Our Lives” in Psalm 37:23

The NLT version of Psalm 37:23 reads: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Such a statement could imply that the Lord has extra-biblical direction for every “step” or “direction” for our lives. However, the NASB reveals the Hebrew more literally: “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [derek]” (NASB). It is simply irresponsible to translate the Hebrew derek into “every detail of their lives” as the NLT does.

Overall, the NIV seems to give the general idea: “If the LORD delights in a man’s way [moral life], He makes his steps firm [safe, successful]; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand” (Ps 37:23-24). As repeatedly stated, especially throughout Psalms and Proverbs, God blesses and protects a righteous person. Accordingly, Keil and Delitzsch reject the LXX (Greek OT) translation of Jerome here as referring to God directing the steps of a person. ^[16] Of course, God is sovereign in every detail of our life, intervening whenever He wills and allowing the natural course of things to occur as well. But He is not providing us continual extra-biblical direction for every step or detail of our life.

Publications & Particulars

1. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT), Gleason Archer, R. Laird Harris, Bruce K. Waltke eds., 2 vols. (Moody, 1980), 196-7 ↑

2. William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Zondervan, 2006), 500. ↑

3. Ibid., 772. ↑

4. Ibid., 685. ↑

5. Concerning the idea that God’s most valued apologetic for the Christian faith is the supernatural virtue of His people see Book 5. ↑

6. Mounce, 779-80. ↑

7. C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, (K&D), Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM (Findex.com, 2000), loc. cit. ↑

8. Bruce Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Eerdmans, 1995), 67. Likewise, Albert Barnes writes concerning Psalm 32:8:

   Many interpreters have understood this to refer to God—as if he were now introduced as speaking, and as saying that he would be the guide of those who thus submitted to him, and who sought him by penitence and confession. But it is more natural to regard the psalmist as still speaking, and referring to his own experience as qualifying him to give counsel to others, showing them how they might find peace, and with what views and feelings they should come before God if they wished to secure his favor.

   He had himself learned by painful experience, and after much delay, how the favor of God was to be obtained, and how deliverance from the distressing consciousness of guilt was to be secured; and he regards himself as now qualified to teach others who are borne down with the same consciousness of guilt, and who are seeking deliverance, how they may find peace. It is an instance of one who, by personal experience, is fitted to give instruction to others; and the psalmist, in what follows, does merely what every converted man is qualified to do, and should do, by imparting valuable knowledge to those who are inquiring how they must be saved. Compare Ps. 51:12-13. . . . [“the way which thou shalt go” refers to] the way which you are to take to find pardon and peace; or, the way to God. (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament (BNNT), Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM [Findex.Com, 1999]. ↑

9. Gary Friesen and J. Maxon, Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, 1980), 98 ↑

10. Friesen, 99. ↑

11. Waltke, 17-18. ↑

12. Friesen notes an error in the NASB at Isaiah 30:20:

    In this case, the translators of the New American Standard Bible made an interpretive decision with which we disagree. In capitalizing the word “Teacher,” and adding the italicized “He” (a pronoun not in the original text), they indicated their conclusion that the teacher who gives the directions is the Lord. (101). ↑

13. Friesen, 101 ↑

14. Keil and Delitzch, Isa 30:19-21. ↑

15. Friesen, 102. ↑

16. Keil and Delitzch, Ps 37:23. ↑