What keeps you up at night? The worries of life keep many from rest. Others have unfinished business hanging over their heads. Some people’s minds race with excitement about an upcoming opportunity. A persistent cough may even keep us from getting a good night’s sleep. However, Proverbs 14:16 offers a different reason why some people are not getting any sleep, and it is meant to serve as a stark warning about the potential dark depths of the human heart.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
Proverbs 4:16 (ESV)
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
This verse is part of a father’s attempt to reach his son, to impart wisdom to him that will save this young man from trouble if he pays attention to his warnings. The writer tried to highlight the contrast between good and evil and how the choices we make throughout our lives put us on one of two possible paths—righteousness or foolishness.
The unrighteous fools in this verse have a strong desire to do wrong. This hunger for evil is so intense that they cannot go to sleep until they have satisfied their desires to do the sin they want to do. But their restlessness to sin goes beyond themselves. Our verse today describes that they will not lay down their heads at night until they have caused someone else to fall with them.
It is important to remember that these people exist. They are in our circles, workplaces, schools, and direct messages. They could be in our families and churches, too. When pressed with seductions, persuasions, and temptations, Christians must remember that God, for the gospel’s sake, has called us to something much better and higher than the path of the wicked. His way is better and brighter, and following Christ becomes more enjoyable the longer we walk with him.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
Proverbs 4:18 (ESV)
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
Believer, your Lord has called you to be discerning, guarding your heart against the pull of unrighteousness. The way of wickedness may seem attractive, but it is a dark path that leads only to destruction. Let’s choose the path of righteousness, a road that shines ever brighter as we learn to better walk in his ways.
Does the desire to sin keep you up at night? Turn to Christ and find your rest. By following Jesus today, you can find not only rest for your soul but also your heart. This is the thing for which you were made. In the words of Augustine of Hippo, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are the wise who turn away from sin to follow the path of the righteous. Their souls and hearts will find rest in God.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
