“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

Have you noticed it? More and more people insist that common sense will set things right. Here’s how it works: The first person comments that the world has gone haywire concerning some issue. (It can be any hot topic–gender issues, border security, climate change, and on and on.) The second person responds that common sense will fix the problem. Nods and thumbs up follow, and the two people are satisfied that common sense is strong enough for the job.

Common sense isn’t that powerful. We often hear the truism that common sense isn’t common; but, that misses the point. Common or not, common sense shouldn’t be the source of decision-making unless the decision is some ordinary matter.  Commonsense may be enough, for example, to guide us to eat when we’re hungry or to put on ajacket when we’re cold. It doesn’t go much further than that, though.

Proverbs 16:25 offers Truth as commentary on the topic of common sense. Common sense seems right, but it will lead to death in the end. Whether it’s called prevailing wisdom, conventional wisdom, a way that seems right, or common sense, it can be deceptive even to death.

Remember that common sense had to come from somewhere. It’s not a given. If something is reliable, trustworthy, and sound, it came, ultimately, from God. If something is unreliable, untrustworthy, and unsound, it did not come from God. Common sense may seem reliable, but it may be just one more thing that will lead to death. Don’t take my word for that. Read Proverbs 16:25. It points us to uncommon sense, not common sense.

The next time you hear people say that common sense is the solution to some ill, remember that God’s Word communicates divine sense, uncommon sense, not common sense. It was common sense that led Adam and Eve to disobey in the garden; it was common sense that led King Saul to seek the help of a witch; it was common sense that led Israel to worship false gods; it was common sense that led Peter to deny Christ; it was common sense that led men to crucify the Lord Jesus. That’s no exaggeration. Proverbs 16:25 confirms it.