#929 Proverbs 24 Camaraderie

Be not envious of evil men,

nor desire to be with them,

2 for their hearts devise violence,

and their lips talk of trouble.

3 By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

4 by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;

in the gate he does not open his mouth.

8 Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a schemer.

9 The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

10 If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man according to his work?

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, there will be a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home;

16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

18 lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.

19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not envious of the wicked,

20 for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, fear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

More Sayings of the Wise

23 These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging is not good.

24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,

25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them.

26 Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.

28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips.

29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,

31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

32 Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction.

33 A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man. Proverbs 24 ESV

Proverbs 24

Do not be envious of evil men - They may have sway, power, money, and all the dainties of the kings table, but they have forgotten, justice, truth, integrity. There is no real fear of God nor an eye to eternity, and they seek rather to satisfy themselves with what the fallen nature esteems here.

Do not think with them, for their heart studies destruction to others, but it will prove destruction to themselves. Do not speak like them, for their lips talk of their mischief. All they say has an ill tendency, to dishonor God, reproach religion, or wrong their neighbour; but it will be mischief to themselves at last. It is therefore thy wisdom to have nothing to do with them. Nor hast thou any reason to look upon them with envy, but with pity rather, or a just indignation at their wicked practices.’’ - Matthew Henry

By wisdom a house is built - It is easy to destroy, that takes very little thought, but to build something safe and lasting requires knowledge with the ability to put it to use. What part you cannot do or figure out yourself, the humble will seek counsel for so that the labor is not in vain. 

Will be called a schemer - We should take care what we say about any man, whether it is first true, and then who we are talking to, whether they will manipulate such and calculate evil. It is a harsh reality, that while you may work and go about your day with peaceful intent, there are some that devise the demise of others. They act concerned, but if you repeat what they say, you may unwittingly repeat a lie, and cause harm to one who is more righteous than their accuser.

…11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Aramaic is Gabbatha.… John 19: 11-13

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small - Strength is measured by the resistance it overcomes, and joy cannot be stolen by circumstances. It is easy to talk in times of plenty, to boast in times of ease, but those should be the times of humility.

…4 Your words have steadied those who stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling. 5 But now it has come upon you, and you are weary. It strikes you, and you are dismayed. 6 Is your reverence not your confidence, and the uprightness of your ways your hope?… Job 4: 4-6

…2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.… Hebrews 12: 2-4

Rescue those who are being taken away to death - Spiritually this would apply to everyone we encounter, even the person in the pew in front of me; if I do not know him then I do not yet know whether he trust in Christ or in the pew. 

1. A great duty required of us, and that is to appear for the relief of oppressed innocency. If we see the lives or livelihoods of any in danger of being taken away unjustly, we ought to bestir ourselves all we can to save them, by disproving the false accusations on which they are condemned and seeking out proofs of their innocency. Though the persons be not such as we are under any particular obligation to, we must help them, out of a general zeal for justice. If any be set upon by force and violence, and it be in our power to rescue them, we ought to do it. Nay, if we see any through ignorance exposing themselves to danger, or fallen in distress, as travellers upon the road, ships at sea, or any the like, it is our duty, though it be with peril to ourselves, to hasten with help to them and not forbear to deliver them, not to be slack, or remiss, or indifferent, in such a case. - Matthew Henry

If you say, "behold, we did not know this" - If I knew the peril they were in I would have helped. I didn't know it had gotten to that point yet. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me." The Bible says that all have sinned, and that the wages of sin is death. Did your friend know that, did he see the truth of his own sin, and the way to life in Jesus? Was he born again?

…23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.… Romans 3: 23-25

…31 Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5: 31-32

Know that wisdom is such to your soul - Their is food that profits the body and food that profits the soul. The wisdom from above comes through God's word, as does faith, and blessed is the man who finds it.

For the righteous falls seven times and rises again - The wicked enjoy the calamity of those more righteous than themselves, but God picks up the righteous, leads them to repentance, and cleanses them from all unrighteousness. It is encouraging that He will not leave us in our ignorance, that He will step in, that we must confess our fall, yet He can work all to our good. Providence has shown my suffering to be a blessing.

7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the rage of the LORD, until He argues my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see His righteousness.… Micah 7: 7-9

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls - A hard thing, but the difficulty in forgiveness and empathy is that we think too highly of ourselves.

…19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.… Romans 12: 19-21

Fret not yourselves because of evildoers - Rather have pity, for their end is not good.

And do not join with those who do otherwise - We are called to respect authority, and those that hate it, though passionate, despise God's authority as well.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors as those sent by him to punish evildoers and praise well-doers. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.… 1 Peter 2: 13-15

…2 Consequently, the one who resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. 4 For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.… Romans 13: 2-4

But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight - Do not be bought, don't twist what God says, do not lay on hands quickly, and do not have a separate set of standards for those you like and those you don't. Do not cover for the wicked, though he may reward you, God will require it of you. Tell all men the truth, even some of the wicked may come around, but no matter, you have told the truth, as God has commanded. I could find a million fools who would agree with me in my foolishness, but I don't hold them so high in my thoughts anymore. Their camaraderie means little to me now, but I bless the men and women who cared more for my soul then my approval, and confronted me when I was wrong.

Prepare your work outside - Preparation makes all the difference, the efficiency, and saves time and money.

A little folding of the hands to rest - The thought doesn't count for much if you don't tend your vines. People are confused in our day about how nature actually works, how life functions. The person that promises you prosperity without work may win your vote, but when their utopia cannot be found or maintained, then he will put the whip to your back, because he still wants what he can't give everyone.