Sunday, October 4, 2026 · Chapter 4
Don't Even Walk That Way
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Proverbs 4:14
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Proverbs 4:15
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Proverbs 4:16
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Proverbs 4:17
IThe Hebrew, opened up
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“avoid” — literally to loosen or let go; it’s a root word for a deliberate release, not a nervous side-step
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violence — but also unjust gain, cruelty, getting ahead by hurting someone else
The KJV says “avoid it,” but para doesn’t mean “try to dodge it if you can.” It means let go of it completely — drop your grip on whatever’s pulling you that direction. Solomon piles up four verbs in one verse (avoid, don’t pass by, turn, pass away) because he’s not describing a close call. He’s describing a full change of direction, done on purpose, before you’re even close enough to feel the pull. “The wine of violence” isn’t just a guy getting drunk after a bar fight. Chamas is the word for profit made by stepping on people — the cut-corner deal, the exploited desperation, the “everybody does it” hustle. Solomon’s point: the wicked man’s whole diet runs on somebody else’s loss. That’s what you’re actually being told to stay off the road from.
IIWhat this actually means
This isn’t a verse about staying away from obviously evil people wearing a sign. It’s about the road that leads to profiting off other people’s pain — cutting a corner at work, taking advantage of someone who doesn’t know better, letting a bad habit or a bad crowd keep you up at night chasing an edge. Solomon doesn’t say “resist it when it shows up.” He says get off that road entirely, before you’re anywhere near it. Waiting until you’re standing right next to the temptation to decide what to do is already too late — the decision has to happen now, at a distance.
IIIObey it today
Name the one specific thing right now — a person, a site, a shortcut at work — that’s been pulling you toward an easy, dirty gain. Before noon, do something physical about it: block the number, close the account, tell your boss no to the shortcut.
If a deal, a tip, or a “favor” comes your way today that only works because someone else gets screwed, don’t negotiate with it or sleep on it — say no on the spot and walk away from the conversation.
Before noon, tell one person out loud — your spouse, a friend, your boss — exactly what road you’re getting off of today. Saying it to a real person is what makes the turn stick instead of just being a thought you had.
PrayerLord, give me the guts to get all the way off this road today, not just feel bad about walking near it.
Keep this in your chest
“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.”
Proverbs 4:14