Man’s Goings are of the Lord
Man’s goings are of the LORD
1. Man’s goings here refers to the goings of both men and women. The term for man is generic—mankind.
2. Goings:
a. This term appears in the Old Testament only three times.
b. It is translated as “steps” twice, and “goings” once.
c. The term is defined as: a step, footstep; a procession.
d. It is used of the way a person’s life unfolds, picturesquely as one walks along a path by moving his or her feet.
3. A man’s goings are of the Lord…
a. The way a person’s life unfolds is under the providential and sovereign guiding hand of Almighty God.
b. The pathway we find ourselves on today… is of the Lord.
c. The circumstances of our lives… are of the Lord.
d. Whatever is on our plate right now… is of the Lord.
e. God guides our pathway in life and also each individual step.
4. We see in this passage a wonderful synthesis of man’s free will and God’s sovereign will.
a. We choose to walk down a particular pathway… but we don’t get to pick what kind of circumstances we meet up with on that pathway.
b. We are the ones who actually take the steps… but the Lord providentially and sovereignly brings His will for our lives to pass.
A man’s steps:
1. Ps. 37:23-24 – The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.
a. Steps: Here David speaks of the steps of a good man.
b. The word “steps” is the same word as “goings” in Prov. 20:24
c. Ordered: To set up; to make firm; to establish; to prepare.
• The primary action of this verb is to cause to stand in an upright position, and thus the word also means fixed or steadfast.
• II Sam. 7:13 – The term was used of God establishing the royal dynasty.
• Ps. 8:3 – “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.”
• Josh. 4:4 – Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel.
• God ORDERED the royal dynasty by bringing all the pieces together for that particular family to reign.
• God ORDAINED the stars… by placing them in the sky exactly where he wanted each one.
• God PREPARED Joshua for leadership. God prepared the way for Joshua and God prepared Joshua himself for that way.
d. In the same way, God ORDERS the steps of a good man.
• He brings all the pieces together in our lives… and providentially arranges each one of those pieces along the way.
• God places us on a unique pathway of His own doing… in the exact locations and in the exact set of circumstances. Like the stars, He places us right where He wants us.
• As He did with Joshua, God prepares our way and prepares us for that way…
• The steps of a good man are ORDERED… established… prepared… ordained… of the Lord.
e. From our perspective, the way our life unfolds is due to the choices we made and the steps we took.
• That is true—but only half the story.
• From the divine perspective the way our life unfolds is also due to the providential and sovereign ordering, and careful shepherding of the Father.
• Even with the very best of human plans, our plans and purposes can be overruled… changed… redirected… and even canceled by the God who orders our steps.
• Sometimes we groan in frustration when our plans do not come to pass… or when our pathway seems to come to a dead end… and we are forced to change directions… or make adjustments… or alterations…
• When God orders our steps in ways that may not be immediately pleasing to us, before we grumble and complain, perhaps we should consider the rest of Psalm 37:23-24 –
1. And he delighteth in his way.
a. God delights in the pathway of His children.
b. He is intimately involved in forming that way… ordering those steps… and He does so out of love not (as we sometimes assume) just to make life difficult!
2. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
a. God keeps us safe along the way.
b. And even when we fall, He holds us up by His hand.
c. Consider the words of the Lord with respect to His sheep: “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
2. II Sam 22:37 – Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip
a. Consider the words of David again as God gave him victory over Saul:
b. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
c. Enlarge = A verb indicating to enlarge, to extend; to open wide.
• It means to gain living space, territory; to advance.
• It also speaks of making room, clearing the way and thus providing relief or creating opportunities by removing obstacles.
d. The result of the Lord “enlarging David’s steps” was that his feet did not slip!
3. Yes, as Solomon said, “Man’s goings are of the Lord.”
a. And while we might be frustrated at times when God providentially closes doors or brings our pathway to a dead end… His purpose is that we do not slip!
b. Even when a good man chooses his steps… he doesn’t always make the best decisions.
c. God in His grace holds us up… keeps our feet from slipping… and redirects our pathway…
d. This is not something we should become frustrated over. This is something we should REJOICE over.
e. Thank you Lord for saving my steps from disaster!
4. Prov. 2:10-12 – I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
a. Yes, man’s goings are of the Lord.
b. The Lord orders our steps. He keeps us from slipping. He enlarges our steps… clears the way for us.
c. In Proverbs 2, Lady Wisdom is speaking. It is she whom the Lord uses to
• “Teach us the way of wisdom.”
• “Lead us in the right paths.”
• “Keeps us from stumbling.”
d. God uses the wisdom in His Word (personified here as Lady Wisdom) to accomplish all that.
e. We choose which way we want to go. We take the steps in that direction. But ultimately arriving at the destination is of the Lord.
f. The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray!
g. Thankfully as we plan and as we walk… the Lord DIRECTS our steps… and brings us to the place He wants us to be.
h. Prov. 16:9 – A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps
It is good to make plans… BUT don’t ever lose sight of the fact that God has the right to CHANGE them and redirect our steps any time He sees fit! He is God!
How can a man then understand his own way?
1. Since God is sovereign in our lives, and since the final outcome is in His hands, it is hard for us to truly comprehend the course of our lives.
a. We are not really sure what the weather is going to be tomorrow, much less what events will transpire tomorrow.
b. And we certainly cannot forecast what will transpire in our lives in the years to come.
c. We don’t know for sure if our jobs will be there tomorrow.
d. We don’t know if our health will go south on us.
e. We have no way of knowing what events will transpire in the lives of those around us… our spouse… our kids… at church… at the job…
f. Nobody can really predict the economy with accuracy… or world events… or local events.
g. Who could have envisioned that Pharaoh’s daughter would go to the river to bathe at precisely the time baby Moses’ in his basket became stuck in the reeds?
2. Sometimes, we look back over life and wonder to ourselves:
a. “How did I ever end up here?”
b. “I never imagined that I would be in the position that I’m in today. This is not the way I planned my life to turn out!”
c. Some might wonder: “After all the foolish mistakes I made, how did I ever end up so blessed?”
d. Others may wonder: “After all the careful planning and preparation I put into my life, how did I ever end up with so many difficulties? This isn’t the way I planned it to be!”
e. Truly, the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
f. Not only so, but don’t forget the providence and sovereignty of God!
g. Matthew Henry wrote: “Our enterprises succeed, not as we desire and design, but as God directs and disposes.”
3. The point of this proverb seems to be to remind us of just how uncertain life is… how unpredictable events are… how changeable circumstances in life are… and therefore, just how dependent we are upon the Lord for everything…
4. Jer. 10:23 – O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
a. Jeremiah’s wisdom lay in the fact that he KNEW just how much he didn’t know!
b. He knew that his own way of life was not in himself.
c. He knew that he was incapable of directing his steps.
d. He knew that he needed the Lord to direct his steps.
5. Solomon asks, “How can a man understand his way?”
a. Way: Way; road; distance; journey; manner; path; direction; course of life.
b. The answer of course is a man CANNOT understand his own way. Thus —
c. Prov. 3:6 – In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
d. Psalm 37:5 – “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
• Commit – Literally means to roll. It came to mean to trust; to hand over; to entrust something into the care of another.
• We are to hand over the course of our lives into the sovereign hands of a loving God and trust Him for the outcome.