Proverbs 25

“A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.” (Proverbs 25:26, NKJV)

In John Bunyan’s classic work “Pilgrim’s Progress,” Christian leaves his home after Evangelist tells him about the City of Destruction that he is in and the Celestial City to which he must go. Christian is carrying a great burden—the knowledge of his sin. Evangelist tells him that he must go through the Wicket Gate for deliverance. Christian leaves his wife and children to save himself, for he cannot persuade them to accompany him. Obstinate and Pliable go after him to bring him back, but Christian is unwilling to return. Obstinate refuses to listen to Christian’s concerns and goes back. Pliable, on the other hand, is persuaded to go with Christian, drawn by the Paradise that Christian says is at the end of the journey. But when the two come to the Slough of Despond, Pliable abandons Christian. The Slough is a mire-like swamp where pilgrims’ doubts, fears, temptations, and guilts sink them into the mud of the swamp.

As I read the above proverb, I think of Chrisitan, Obstinate and Pliable. Christian refuses to falter before the persuasive arguments of Obstinate and Pliable to return to the City from which he was fleeing. If we would be righteous, then we must stand for righteousness against the persuasions of the flesh, the world and the devil. We must also refuse to listen to others who are not motivated by the same Lord we serve. Pliable immediately responded to the message but then faltered when the going became rough. He did not possess adequate conviction to pursue the Celestial City regardless of the cost.

We must be like Christian and not give way to the persuasive arguments of the wicked. If we do, then we will be like a murky spring or polluted well. We will lose integrity, and people will no longer trust us. We must not be like Obstinate, refusing to listen to the truth. Neither should we be like Pliable who bends with every wind of teaching or new idea. May God help us to stand firm in the faith with our feet planted on the rock of God’s Word. There is a kind of sanctified stubbornness that resists evil and obtains the blessing.