Written and compiled by Gary Kukis

Preface:    The phrases the way of God, His way, the way, the path of God, are found primarily in the Old Testament and in the gospels (as Jesus taught what was in the Old Testament). These are very common phrases—like the phrase in Christ—which are rarely given a full theological explanation. Since God the Holy Spirit believed this to be a meaningful phrase, we ought to study what it actually means.

Vocabulary

1.      In the Hebrew, the word way is derek^e (דֶּרֶ) [pronounced DEH-rek^e] which means, way, distance, road, path; journey, course; direction, towards; manner, habit, way [of life]; of moral character. Strong's #1870 BDB #202. We find this word used over 700 times in the Old Testament.

2.      There is a similar word, but not used nearly as often: nâthîyb (נָתִיב) [pronounced naw-THEE^BV], which means, path, pathway, footpath, a trodden down path. Strong’s #5410 BDB #677

3.      This word is used most often to refer to an ancient road or path upon which people, animals and carts moved. Gen. 16:7 24:62 35:19

4.      This phraseology was rarely used in the New Testament epistles. Peter will use this terminology more than anyone else will. Rom. 3:12, 17 (these are quotes from the Old Testament) 2Peter 2:2, 15, 21 and Jude 11 (where the phrase the way of Cain is used). This vocabulary is also found in the book of Acts, which is usually a reference to salvation.

5.      This is called the good way in 1Kings 8:36; and the good and right way in 1Sam. 12:23.

The Way of God Can Refer to Salvation

1.      When it comes to the way of Y^ehowah, there is the way of salvation, wherein we believe in Jesus Christ; and then there is the life of the believer, where he grows in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. You will note both aspects in the doctrine below. And Jesus said to him, Go, your faith has healed you. And instantly he saw again, and he followed Jesus in the way (Mark 10:52).

2.      There is the way of the righteous and the way of the sinners. Psalm 1:1–6

3.      There is no death in the pathway of righteousness. Prov. 12:28

4.      The unbeliever does not know the way of peace so that there is no justice in his own path. Isa. 59:8

5.      The key is our relationship to the Son of God; the key is faith in the Son of God. Kiss the Son, so that He is not angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled in but a little time. Blessed are all who put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:12).

6.      This phrase the way is found used for the way of salvation or the way to peace with God through redemption in the book of Acts. The idea is, most Jews and some gentiles had some sort of understanding of this phrase. Acts 16:17 18:25, 28 19:19, 23 24:14, 22

7.      Sometimes we find the phrase the way of peace. This generally refers to peace between man and God, which is first salvation and then a good temporal walk with Him. Isa. 59:1–13 Luke 1:79

John 14:6 (graphic) from https://taylormertins.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/il_fullxfull-288241452.jpg; accessed January 28, 2015.

Life After Salvation: God’s Will (or Plan)

1.      God’s plan for man is called the ancient paths and the good way; and along this way, one finds rest for one’s soul. Jer. 6:16

2.      His way or the way are phrases which describe the plan of God. Jehovah possessed me [wisdom, Bible doctrine] from the beginning of His way, before His works of old (Prov. 8:22). All creation is preceded by God’s wisdom. Before creating the universe, before creating angels, and before creating man, God possessed wisdom and knowledge, the portion of which He has given us to know, we call Bible doctrine. Inherent in this, is the idea that God does all of this with a purpose or plan.

3.      Throughout the Bible, there is a contrast between man’s way and God’s way. Ezek. 33:9, 11 James 5:20

4.      The Law of God was key to way of the Lord. Psalm 119:1

5.      Therefore, key to the way of God is knowing the Law of God. Psalm 119:27, 33

6.      It is by means of God’s Word that we are guided along the right path. Psalm 119:105

7.      We learn direction from God by means of Bible doctrine. Psalm 25:4–5 Make me know Your ways, O Jehovah; teach me Your paths. Lead me by means of Your truth, and teach me; for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day long.

8.      The path of God is righteousness, whether imputed at salvation or acquired by means of grace in one’s daily life. In the way of righteousness is life, and in that pathway there is no death (Prov. 12:28).

9.      Therefore, we ought not to stray from God’s paths (which would be the paths of wisdom). Prov. 7:25

10.    Walking in God’s way means righteousness and justice. Prov. 8:20

11.    God provides reproofs in order to guide us to His way. Prov. 6:23

12.    God will lead us along His way and His paths. Isa. 42:16

Life After Salvation: the Way of God and Sound Teaching

1.      The key to the way of God is grace and Bible doctrine: All the paths of Jehovah are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies (Psalm 25:10). Cause me to hear Your grace in the morning, for I do trust in You; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You (Psalm 143:8).

2.      God is perfect, and yet He teaches sinners in His way: Good and upright is Jehovah; therefore He will teach sinners in the way. The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His way (Psalm 25:8–10).

3.      Fear/respect for the Lord and Bible doctrine are the keys to learning the way of God. This is known as true humility and teachability. Psalm 25:12

4.      Righteousness is in following the path of the Lord. Psalm 85:13

5.      Priests were to teach the way of Y^ehowah. 2Kings 17:27

6.      In the Old Testament, this was first taught in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple. And many people shall go and say, “Come, and let us go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” (Isa. 2:3a).

Proverbs 3:5–6 (graphic); picture from Blogspot; accessed January 28, 2015.

7.      Knowing the way of God comes from knowing Bible doctrine. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3b). Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your life shall be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in the right paths. When you go, your steps shall not be narrowed, and when you run, you shall not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; do not let go; keep her; for she is your life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not into the way of evil. Avoid it; do not pass by it; turn from it, and pass on! (Prov. 4:10–18). See also Prov. 9:6–7

Life After Salvation: Spiritual Maturity by Following the Way of God

1.      After salvation, the way refers to living the spiritual life: [God is speaking] “For I know Abraham, that he will command his sons and his house after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment, that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him.” (Gen. 18:19).

2.      The function of our free will is tied directly to the way of God. Psalm 119:30

3.      Believers therefore pray to be guided along the path of God. Psalm 119:35

4.      Believers in the way of God are to be hardworking. Prov. 12:26–27

5.      Even fools think that their way is correct, but a believer with grace orientation, who is teachable, can be properly guided to God’s way. Prov. 12:15

6.      The person who guards and preserves God’s way (which would have been enshrined in the Word of God), preserves his own soul. Prov. 16:17

Life After Salvation: Temporal Rewards

1.      God provides protection for those on His paths. Prov. 2:8

2.      God delights in the way of the righteous. Prov. 11:20

3.      Part of this protection is understanding Bible doctrine. Prov. 2:9–12 16:17

4.      There is power in the way of Jehovah. Prov. 10:29

5.      Believers who pursue the way of life will be blessed; believers who do not will suffer the sin unto death; unbelievers will suffer eternal death. Prov. 15:24–26 21:16

6.      The path of God’s wisdom is delightful and peaceful. Prov. 3:17

Life After Salvation: Deviating from the Way of God

1.      The Exodus generation certainly deviated from that way when they worshipped the molten calf. Ex. 32:8 Deut. 9:12

2.      When the people of God do not know the way of God, they are in danger of dying the sin unto death. 2Kings 17:26

3.      God will frustrate the way of the wicked. Psalm 146:9

4.      The way of the criminal is to be avoided by the young believer. Prov. 1:10–15

5.      The path of the wicked is to be avoided by the young believer. Prov. 4:14–15 23:19–21

6.      The wicked stumble in their path. Prov. 4:19

7.      The way of the fools is a lack of understanding. Eccles. 10:3

8.      Some are led from the way through strong drink (which, by application, would include drug addiction). Isa. 28:7

9.      Pursuing other gods causes one to stumble and to veer off the main path. Jer. 18:15

10.    True wisdom is based upon understanding God’s plan; however, fools prefer deceit. Prov. 14:8

11.    False teachers lead us away from the way of God. The negative volition of the people certainly plays a part in this. Isa. 30:8–13

12.    God loves those who pursue the way of righteousness and hates those who pursue the way of wickedness. Prov. 15:9

13.    The wicked man hardens his thinking against God’s way, but the upright man (the man who is saved and a growing believer) establishes God’s way. Prov. 21:29

14.    The believer who forsakes the way of righteousness and cannot be reproved can face the sin unto death. Prov. 15:10

15.    Similarly, the believer who does not forsake his way can die the sin unto death, but still be ultimately preserved. Ezek. 33:9

16.    The way of righteousness is simply and easier road than the way of the lazy. The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the righteous is made plain (Prov. 15:19). See also Prov. 22:5

17.    The foolish man perverts God’s way. Prov. 19:3

Israel and the Way of God

1.      Israel’s time in the land was related to their walking in the way of the Lord. By way of application to today (since we are not in the Age of Israel), this would be long life and great eternal rewards. Prov. 2:16–22

         1)      Let me go off on a tangent here: in the Old Testament, there were particular people who had a particular function in the plan of God. These men were given the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish specifically what God had for them.

         2)      However, most people did not have this, so, after salvation, they were to live by the laws of divine establishment, which provided them the greatest amount of happiness and preserved their nation.

         3)      God views man individually and in groups. God, for instance, looked at Israel as a whole, and dealt with Israel as a corporate body. Their adherence to the laws of divine establishment was key to their preservation.

         4)      However, Israel also had a particular place in the plan of God as those who preserved and disseminated His Word. Therefore, this was also taken into account in God dealing with them.

         5)      Although God deals with man today in corporate entities (marriage, family, local churches, schools, corporations, businesses, neighborhoods, cities, nations), every believer (and, potentially, each person) has a place in the plan of God. Therefore, every believer has God the Holy Spirit in order to function within the plan of God.

2.      Israel was commanded to remember how God led them along the way in the desert. Deut. 8:2

3.      Moses warned the people that they would turn aside from the way which he had commanded them. Deut. 31:19

4.      This was fulfilled many times. Judges 2:17

Deuteronomy 10:12 (graphic); from Christian Bible Study; accessed January 28, 2015.

5.      God told Moses to teach his people the way in which they should go: And you shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall make them know the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do (Ex. 18:20).

6.      Sometimes God contrasted His way with the way of some degenerate king, like Jeroboam. 1Kings 15:34 16:2, 19

7.      It was the prophet who would guide the people in the way of Jehovah. A false prophet was such an affront that God said for him to be executed. And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken to turn you away from Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slaves, to thrust you out of the way in which Jehovah your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you (Deut. 13:5).

8.      Leading Israel along the way of the exodus metaphorically speaks of God leading Israel to Him. Jer. 2:17–21

9.      The Jews will come to a point in their history where they do not know the way of the Lord; to where they do not even know that God is punishing them. Jer. 5:3–6

10.    The way of the gentiles is in contrast to the way of God. Jer. 10:2

11.    God set before Israel the way of life and the way of death. This was actual, as related to the Chaldeans; and metaphorical. Responding to the way of life was listening to Jehovah Elohim. Jer. 21:8–10

12.    When the people promise that they want to know the way in which they should walk, God will give them specific instructions through Jeremiah. Jer. 42:1–15

13.    Some of the people declared the way of the Lord to be unfair. Ezek. 18:23–32

14.    Judah would be judged for walking in the way of Israel. The idea is, when Judah began to walk in the way of her sister, God would deal with Judah as He dealt with Israel. Walking along the same way would lead to the same fate. Ezek. 23:28–35

15.    Israel complained that the way of the Lord was not fair. Ezek. 33:11–20

16.    God would discipline the tribe of Levi for turning out of the way. Mal. 2:8–9

Life After Salvation: Eternal Rewards

1.      Keeping the way of God would result in the inheritance of the earth. Psalm 37:34

2.      The way of God is life everlasting. Psalm 139:24 Prov. 12:28

3.      There are eternal rewards for those who walk the way of righteousness during their lives. Prov. 16:31

4.      The Way of Holiness is for those who have been redeemed by the Lord in the Millennium. Isa. 35:7–10

Additional Points

1.      The measure of a good king was to walk in the way of David. 2Kings 22:2 2Chron. 11:17

2.      Just as God is perfect, so is His way. Psalm 18:30

3.      David’s desire was to teach sinners, like himself, the way of God. In fact, this became even more important to David after having fallen into this great sin. Psalm 25:8 32:8 51:13

4.      It is the responsibility of the parents to Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Prov. 22:6).

5.      God is truth and requires no instruction in the way. Isa. 40:10–14

6.      God’s plan includes storms and the weather. Nahum 1:3

7.      We can certainly contrast man’s way with God’s plan. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Jehovah, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Isa. 55:7).

The Way of God and the Lord Jesus Christ

1.      God the Son makes the plan of God succeed. Isa. 48:15

2.      John the Baptizer prepared the way of the Lord as His herald. Isa. 40:3 Mal. 3:1, 3 Luke 3:3–7

3.      John the Baptizer came to the people in the way of righteousness, but was rejected by the religious hierarchy. Matt. 21:31–32

4.      Jesus Himself is the way of salvation. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6). Jesus illustrates this in several ways:

         1)      “Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:14). Compare to Prov. 8:20 Matt. 7:13, 15

         2)      Then Jesus said to them again, “Point of doctrine: I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7).

         3)      I am the door. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).

5.      The way of salvation, of course, is by faith in Jesus Christ: Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water (Heb. 10:19–22).

6.      Even those who were trying to trip Jesus up, used the phrase the way, without fully comprehending that Jesus Himself is the way. Matt. 22:15–17

7.      It is the Lord Jesus Christ Who teaches us the way. “Come near to Me, hear this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning. From its being, I was there; and now the Lord Jehovah, and His Spirit, has sent Me.” So says Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am Jehovah your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.” (Isa. 48:16–17)

8.      In His incarnation, Jesus had to learn the way of God. Psalm 16:10–11 Luke 2:52