God Speaks
Don’t envy evil people
or desire their company.
2 For their hearts plot violence,
and their words always stir up trouble.
3 A house is built by wisdom
and becomes strong through good sense.
4 Through knowledge its rooms are filled
with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
5 The wise are mightier than the strong,
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
6 So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
8 A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.
9 The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.
10 If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.
11 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
12 Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.
15 Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly,
and don’t raid the house where the godly live.
16 The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
18 For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
19 Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.
20 For evil people have no future;
the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.
Don’t associate with rebels,
22 for disaster will hit them suddenly.
Who knows what punishment will come
from the Lord and the king?
23 Here are some further sayings of the wise:
It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
24 A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.
25 But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;
rich blessings will be showered on them.
26 An honest answer
is like a kiss of friendship.
27 Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;
don’t lie about them.
29 And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!
I’ll get even with them!”
30 I walked by the field of a lazy person,
the vineyard of one with no common sense.
31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
It was covered with weeds,
and its walls were broken down.
32 Then, as I looked and thought about it,
I learned this lesson:
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
For the purpose of study in comparison and contrast, this passage is presented here with the good or godly statements in italic. [Thirty sayings of the wise continued.]
Saying Twenty
1. Don’t envy evil people or desire their company.
2. For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.
Saying Twenty-One
3. A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.
4. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
Saying Twenty-Two
5. The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
6. So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisors.
Saying Twenty-Three
7. Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among the leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
Saying Twenty-Four
8. A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.
9. The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker.
Saying Twenty-Five
10. If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
11. Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death.
12. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and He sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
Saying Twenty-Six
13. My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
14. In the same way wisdom is sweet to the soul. if you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.
Saying Twenty-Seven
15. Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live.
16. The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
Saying Twenty-Eight
17. Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.
18. For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn His anger away from them.
Saying Twenty-Nine
19. Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked.
20. For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying Thirty
21. My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels.
22. for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the LORD and the king?
More Sayings of the Wise
23. It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
24. A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.
25. But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them.
26. An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship.
27. Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
28. Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them.
29. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”
30. I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one who had no common sense.
31. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.
32. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:
33. A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–
34. then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Proverbs 24:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God wants to help people who are (at trying to be) diligent, kind, honest, innocent, godly and wise, and will, if they will ask and trust Him to work on their behalf.
2. People, generally, because of our sinful nature, tend to be lazy, uncaring, guilty, ungodly, and foolish. We need God’s help to take charge of our sinful nature.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Proverbs 24?
Dear LORD God, I come to You to help me know with whom I should or should not associate. Help me seek wisdom so that You can grant me riches and prosperity. Part of that is having wise counselors to guide my decision making. Lead me to the right people who will point me to You, Your words, Your works, and Your ways. Help me in turn be a wise counselor for others. Grant me the courage to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Keep me safe from those who plot evil against others or rebellion against You, Your ways, or Your people. Help me to overcome evil with good that comes from You. Help me to do things in a right and godly order. Help me to overcome any tendency toward laziness. I know that seeking Your glory will lead to my ultimate good. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Proverbs 24? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will politely disassociate myself from specific people who are mockers, slanderers, or who are stirring up trouble or planning to do evil things.
- I will work with and/or financially support at least one organization seeking to save both the lives and souls of mothers, children and fathers seeking abortion.
- I will work with and/or financially support at least one organization seeking to save those who have been unjustly accused in any way, particularly regarding religious persecution.
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to convict me and help me stand strong when I am tempted to be lazy.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.