Proverbs 29:18
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
The verse above is often used in sermons to motivate people into having a vision for the lost. Several times I have told people that because we need to get a vision for the lost, and that is very true; however, this verse has nothing to do with people getting saved or having a vision for the lost and dying of the world.
The previous verse says, “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” Notice, the father is correcting his son. Why is he correcting him? He is correcting him because his son didn’t keep his law. He then continues in the verse above by saying that the lack of vision will cause people to perish. You will notice the colon after the word “perish.” That means we are about ready to learn what vision we are supposed to have. After the colon he says, “…but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” The vision God is talking about in this verse is to be able to look at a distance and see what hurts people, then use that vision to set the laws to keep people from hurting themselves and even killing themselves spiritually. The person that keeps those laws will be happy.
Sadly, there are too many people who are short sighted and never have a vision to see beyond the immediate. Being short sighted causes death. Being short sighted causes unhappiness. Being short sighted is being an irresponsible leader to those whom you lead. It is irresponsible because you are not setting up the laws that will help a person to live a happy life.
We live in times when many preachers and Christians alike fight against those who believe the Scriptures have standards by which we should live. Many people are saying that standards are cultural, and that each culture must determine their standards by which they should live. This is absolutely false! The standards by which a person should live have nothing to do with culture, but it has everything to do with taking the vision of the Word of God and living by the prescribed laws God set up. Those who choose not to live by those laws will experience unhappiness and eventually death.
Friend, just because someone has rules by which you should live does not make them a bad person. In fact, it truly shows they are not short sighted. The person with rules has enough vision to see what hurts and destroys people, then they set up rules and standards by which they should live so they can enjoy life to its fullest.
Let me encourage you not to be short sighted and live for the immediate. Get a vision by seeing what has destroyed others along life’s pathway and set up laws or standards you expect yourself and your followers to live by. If you do this, you will be criticized and maligned, but in the long run you will be loved and admired for having enough courage to keep people from heartache in spite of the criticisms you faced. If you truly love those you lead, you will not be short sighted, but you will have a vision of the pathway that leads to happiness and life and will correct them when they start veering off that pathway.