WANDERING

Pastor Thomas Smith   -  

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” Proverbs 27:8

In our Scripture, a comparison is offered that serves as a warning against WANDERING. First, we see a bird that wanders from her nest. When the bird is on her nest, she is usually either sitting on eggs or feeding her young. It would be a dangerous thing for her or the young if she were to get too far from her nest. God uses this as an illustration of the man that wanders “from his place.” Just as the bird’s place is on or near her nest, we have “a place.” God has a specific place in His will for us to occupy. The closer we stay to that place, the better off we are. We are not spiritual nomads, just WANDERING aimlessly or without a fixed station or purpose. God has a place for each of us. When people get out of their places, they expose themselves to temptations and dangers that can be disastrous.

When God moves us, it is one thing, as with Abraham’s trek to the Promised Land. This is not the same as WANDERING, as though following some inclination or impulse. As with the bird, when we are out of our places, we are also absent from our duties. Her responsibility was to guard the nest and protect and feed the young. By WANDERING, she placed others in harm’s way. She left her offspring exposed to unnecessary dangers. Could we not say that the same thing can be true in our lives? When a person wanders away from his post, others will be adversely affected. When we wander from God’s place, we are forsaking our duties and God-given charges. When the prodigal left the father’s house, he was not only leaving his abode, he was also abandoning his responsibilities as a son.

If a man wanders from his place, who will take up the slack and fulfill his purpose in God’s will? The word “wandereth” implies a careless venture away from a designated place. To wander means “To rove; to ramble here and there without any certain course or object in view.” This aptly describes how a man often gets away from “his place.” He becomes haphazard about his place, as though it is not important or divinely appointed. Initially, he may not intend to abandon his place or his duty. Instead, he carelessly drifts away from the place God has placed him, but the results can be devastating. It is a wise person who is resolute in remaining in “his place.”