Proverbs 2:20: So!

“So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
-Proverbs 2:20

So.

It’s hard to begin a sentence with “so.” My high school English teacher very specifically told me not to do. I do it a lot.

It’s not necessarily wrong to start a sentence with “so.” But you usually don’t want to start your thought with it. “So” suggests that you are continuing a thought.

So that is why this verse begins with “so.” Because there was something that came before.

So what is it? What came before? Specifically, the first sentence of the chapter, which encompasses verses 1 through 5. Everything after that point just expands on that. That is why the other four sentences of the chapter begin with “for” (v. 6), “then” (v. 9), and “so” (v. 16 and 20).

So I bring this up because this verse is not a proclamation of what will be if you just avoid one adulteress woman described in verses 16-19. No, we’re going all the way back now to the beginning. This verse is what will be if you follow God and obey His commands.

So what? I mean, the paths of righteousness don’t sound like much fun. Yeah, they do, considering that verse 18 tells us that the alternative is death. The way of the good is not some tightrope of rules you have to walk, where one slip and you’ll fall into the fiery pit. It’s about being with the Creator of everything.

So it works out like this. We’ve all done wrong. The Bible calls this sin. We may not think much of it, but that is only because we judge ourselves based on other people. God judges with righteousness, and when you realize that even unwarranted anger, when measured against the standard of righteousness, is like murder, we can see how far we’ve missed the mark. We’re not worthy of the life God offers. Furthermore, any just judge, as God is, cannot just sweep our sin under the rug.

So He sent Jesus, His Son, who lived perfectly and without sin. He is the only one who does not deserve death, and yet He died anyway. He died to pay our price.

So if we repent, we can place our sins on Him, and He will pay for them with His blood. And in turn, He gives us His righteousness and Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us in the way of the good. It is here we find life rather than death. It is here we walk with Jesus.

So we will walk in the paths of the righteous. I don’t know what you will encounter on this road. It can be very difficult sometimes. But I do know that I am with God every day here, and He watches out for me. And I know where it ends, and I will live with Him forever.

So whatever comes, it’s well worth it. I wouldn’t trade a moment of it for the ways of the world.

Sorry for all the sentences that begin with “so.” I couldn’t help it.