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September-October 2024 - The Path of Righteousness

September 1, 2024 by Nancy Cason
Artist: Bonita Somers 
(USA, Contemporary)

The Path of Righteousness invites us into a verdant landscape where a red clay road has been carved through woods dense with trees and underbrush. In the distance, a golden sunrise bursting over the horizon illuminates the ascending path. In the shadowy foreground a solitary figure stands at the beginning of the path with arms raised toward the light.

Bonita Somers’ painting gives visual form to the rich imagery found in Proverbs 4, where Solomon assumes the voice of a wise father urging his son to choose a life founded on godly wisdom. He uses the metaphor of a pathway to contrast the lives of those who seek to follow God versus those who rebel against God: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (vv. 18-19, NIV).

While Somers’ lush landscape provides a physical depiction of Solomon’s path of righteousness, her inclusion of a figure offers us a way to imagine ourselves in this setting. According to Proverbs 4:9-12, those who pursue wisdom will be given a garland for their head as a reminder of God’s favor, they will not stumble along the path, and the years of their life will be many. In short, they will be blessed, as are all who hunger and thirst for righteousness.


Cover photo courtesy of Bonita Somers. ©2022 Bonita Somers. Prints of cover art are available from bsomers.com or [email protected]


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