I hate every wrong path. (Ps. 119:104)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 119:104
He was a “missionary kid,” a Scottish sprinter, a rugby player, and a Christian missionary to China. He arrived unexpectedly on the front pages in 1924 at the Paris Olympic Games. His name was Eric Liddell. His story would be told later in the movie Chariots of Fire.
His best event was the 100-yard dash where he was the favorite to win the gold medal. However, he refused to compete in the race because it would require him to run on a Sunday. Even when asked by the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VIII), he declined to run, saying he could not and would not compromise his strongly held beliefs concerning the Lord’s Day. Eric refused to compromise on what would have been, for him, a “wrong path.”
Much debate has been had in the past focused on defining “every wrong path” from this psalm. For Eric, competing in organized sports on the Lord’s Day was a “wrong path,” and so, he declined a request from the future king of England to honor a commitment he made to the King of Kings. Compromising a deeply held, biblically based conviction may be a working definition of “wrong path.”
If you know the rest of the story, you know that he won gold in the 400 and bronze in the 200 in 1924 with his convictions intact. He did not take a “wrong path.”
When certain your convictions are biblically solid, stand your ground.
HC Wilson is general superintendent emeritus of The Wesleyan Church. He and his wife, Debby, reside in New Brunswick, Canada.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
