1 Be not thou envious
against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
This
verse along with Pr 24:19 seems to indicate a two-fold need for extreme
caution. It should not surprise us that
wicked and evil men have conspired to gain things that are of great monetary
value. This caution is one with respect
to our hearts and desires. We find ourselves questioning, “why do they have
those nice things while being evil and I am more deserving of them while being
committed to the LORD.” The other part
of the caution is the aspect of desiring to be with them. Wisdom is telling us here to be careful we
don’t get pulled in or lured by the things of this world.
2 For their heart studieth
destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
You
may have heard that many of those in prison are very intelligent. Their minds are trained to cover every angle
of every deed to ensure their success.
In their minds they are only unfortunate in that they got caught. When they talk of mischief it is to get
support and help to carry out their plan.
Wisdom helps us to recognize those devious plans and keep us from
falling into their trap.
3 Through wisdom is an house
builded; and by understanding it is established:
This
is talking about the actual construction of the house. One with Wisdom will consider all that is
required before starting the actual construction. That way when the construction starts there
are no unforeseen obstacles. The word
“established” means firm, stable and secure or enduring. Through “understanding” the house is
steadfast in its reputation. Our homes
are seen from the street as a house but when those around know the inhabitants,
they know of the character of the home by the way it is maintained.
4 And by knowledge shall the
chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
The
word “knowledge” in the Hebrew means just that, knowledge. On top of that however is the skillful use of
that knowledge by perception, understanding, wisdom and discernment. Many have knowledge but there are few that
use it or act on their understanding.
5 A wise man is strong; yea,
a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
First,
I think it is important to understand the difference between “A wise man” and
“a man of knowledge.” They seem similar
and they are similar but the similarity is only in the way we view “strong” and
“strength.” The word “strong” is a form
of shrewd or skillful abilities and the word “strength” means more of a
physical strength. A wise man appears
strong based his ability to craft insightful solutions. A man of knowledge appears to have strength
because nothing stops him from getting things done.
6 For by wise counsel thou
shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Most
of us are not planning a war in the strictest sense of the word yet we are in a
war. That war is the one, which rages
pitting good against evil and right vs. wrong.
This is the verse that tells us to have someone to bounce things off of
when we want another opinion. It also
says "multitude of counsellors" which clearly means more than
one. I guess you could say this; you may
be smart by yourself but you'll be wise if you seek counsel. Recently I heard a speaker say, "before
I make an important decision I always bounce things off of my personal board of
directors." Very Wise!
7 Wisdom is too high for a
fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
The
word “gate” means the gates at the entrance of the city and there were gates at
the entrance of the marketplace within the city. Back in the times of the original writing of
these instructions, men would congregate at these gates. Some would come from nearby cities and
discuss the news of the day and exchange information. It would be similar to our modern day evening
news. This verse is simply saying the
fools may have been there and they could not speak.
8 He that deviseth to do
evil shall be called a mischievous person.
The
word “mischievous” in the evil sense means to plot or plan to do evil. Look at these verses; Pr 8:12 “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty
inventions.” Pr 12:2 “A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked
devices will he condemn.”
Pr 14:17 “He that is soon angry dealeth
foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.”
9 The thought of foolishness
is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
The
word “thought” here is more like a plan and not just a fleeting thought that is
dismissed. It is in the form of being
mischievous and wicked. The scorner is
full of foolishness.
The
“scorner” here is an arrogant blabbermouth, always ranting about how great they
are or mocking them that do good.
10 If thou faint in the day
of adversity, thy strength is small.
This
does not say, “If adversity comes” it says if we faint when it comes our
strength is small. Remember verse
five? “A wise man is strong; yea, a man
of knowledge increaseth strength.”
Wisdom is the source of that strength.
We need to understand clearly that when decisions need to be made they
need to be rooted in sound understanding and if they are rooted then they are
in our nature.
11 If thou forbear to deliver
them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
The
word “forbear” here means to withhold, refrain or keep in check. It is basically saying if we turn our backs
on someone. The word “drawn” is
interesting in that it is the same word used for taking a wife and in
most cases means captured or seized.
Being seized by or unto death is a serious deception. How many times have we seen those around us
headed for death and they themselves unaware?
Hopefully not too many but this verse is instructing us that when we do,
step up to the challenge.
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we
knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that
keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man
according to his works?
How
many times have we been tempted to say we were not aware of something when in
fact we were very aware? Wisdom brings quickly the insight of being aware and
with that awareness the insight of what results might come to pass. Wisdom teaches us that our Maker knows and
not only does He know, He renders to us our just rewards.
13 My son, eat thou honey,
because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
The
things that we seek to have in our lives and the way we would like to have our
efforts rewarded make the reward sweet when they work out in our favor. Wisdom is teaching us to expect that and not
only to expect it but to enjoy the fruit of our labors.
14 So shall the knowledge of
wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward,
and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
“The
knowledge of wisdom” will be as sweet as honey to our souls when we find it. “Expectation” means “hoped for.” It would be
safe to say then, the things you hope to have happen will not be cut off from
you.
15 Lay not wait, O wicked
man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
I know
some folks that don’t want to have nice things for fear of them drawing
attention to them and attracting the wicked.
This verse serves as a warning to the wicked. In essence it is saying, “leave the righteous
alone.”
16 For a just man falleth
seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
First
we have to understand the meaning of the phrase “seven times.” It actually means, often or many. It was used to indicate anytime or when-ever. It is not actually the number seven and on
the eighth time you fall, that’s it for you…last chance and you are done. When Wisdom dwells in us we get back up, we
shake off our mistake, we repent of our sins and draw close to God.
The
contrast is revealed in that those not having Wisdom fall and because they are
without direction often find themselves in trouble. Part of the problem is that the wicked
generally have wicked associates and the council they receive is wicked. Through that wicked council they begin to set
out to get even in order to settle a score where they have been wronged. Evil endeavors yield evil rewards. I spoke with a hockey official one time about
a penalty called on a youngster during a hockey game. The official told me the first violation
often is not called because it is not seen but the retaliation is always called
for two reasons. One, it is seen and
secondly it is unsportsmanlike-like conduct.
The point I am trying to make is that when Wisdom rules your life your
responses are different. Those watching,
and there are many watching you don’t even realize are watching, notice the
difference.
17 Rejoice not when thine
enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
The
heart of a Christian should be set on winning souls so that none should
perish. Matt. 18:14 “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven,
that one of these little ones should perish.” Although there may be some relief in our lives when an
enemy is gone, there should never be a celebration. Actually there should be a confidence in the
promise of our LORD where we know He will judge and punish them that are
against us.
18 Lest the LORD see it, and
it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Further,
when we rejoice at the calamity of our enemy, we harbor pride. In order for the LORD to bring that to a
halt, He will remove His judgment from our enemy for a time.
19 Fret not thyself because
of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
Again,
we are reminded not to be envious of the wicked. We are also cautioned about being fretful
over evil ones. The word “fret” here
means to be grieved or angry. Nehemiah
4:1 “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the
wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” The caution here is in allowing ourselves to
become consumed by the actions of evil men.
I heard a preacher say one time that if we hate someone we will become
like them. What happens is this; when we
are so irritated by someone we notice everything they say or do, especially
those things that are irritating to us.
We begin to focus on them. We may
not take on the specific things they do, but we become consumed by their
character and eventually become like them.
20 For there shall be no
reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
It may
seem that some evil men have a pretty good life and it may appear to be full of
the bounties we seek, however, there is no reward while any of us are on
earth. Our reward comes after this life! The evil one will receive their just rewards
as will those born again.
21 My son, fear thou the LORD
and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
The
form of the word “fear” here is not so much about the trembling within us like
a dog about to receive punishment. It is
about reverence. The sense is a respect
for them because of their position. For
instance, if we are driving down the road and traveling at the speed limit, if
we see the police, is there fear? There
is some sense of fear normally at least from the time we spot them until our
eyes have time to check the speedometer.
Now lets say we pass by the police and they pull out and travel right
behind us for a while. Our breathing
changes, little beads of sweat form on our forehead. We become very focused on our travel.
The
word “meddle” means to get involved by pledge or agreement. It also translated as mortgaged. Generally, when this terminology is used in
scripture the person needing help needs for us to come along and agree to offer
our good name in place of their not-so-good name. Pr 6:1 "My
son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand
with a stranger,” Pr 11:15 "He that
is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth
suretiship is sure." Pr
20:19 "He that goeth about as a talebearer
revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with
his lips."
22 For their calamity shall
rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
When
we are attached by these agreements or pledges when calamity comes to them it
is often transferred to us. They may
even escape judgment all together depending on the law.
23 These things also belong
to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
Now
this is a tough one. If we are in a
position of responsibility and have to correct a matter, remember the policies
and procedures and follow them without regard to whom the correction is
given. If we tend to favor one person
over another those that follow the rules become indignant toward our
leadership. Pr 16:12 "It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the
throne is established by righteousness."
24 He that saith unto the
wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor
him:
When
someone says a wicked person is good there is a form of corruption at
work. The corruption of good causes
those that are good to loose faith and those that are wicked have their
corrupted ways validated. The word
“wicked” here means guilty of a crime or guilty of sin. The reason the people shall abhor him is
because his insight is distorted. There
is little or no hope for the righteous ones.
While the wicked are deemed righteous they will plunder at will.
25 But to them that rebuke
him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
This
is the contrast of the previous verse.
Notice when the wicked are put in their place there is delight and even
the promise of a blessing, a good blessing.
26 Every man shall kiss his
lips that giveth a right answer.
This
is a simple expression of joy.
27 Prepare thy work without,
and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
The
three basic essentials in life are food, clothing and a place to dwell. This verse is basically saying that we need
to have priorities. Those priorities
need to be followed in order to make progress.
Here the priority is have a means to support ourselves first then find a
house.
28 Be not a witness against
thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.
First,
the word “neighbour” here means friend or companion and can be used to refer to
a “fellow-citizen.” The phrase “without
cause” simply means without being provoked or for no reason. The same phrase is used in Pr 1: 11 "If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us
lurk privily for the innocent without cause:” The best policy
is never say anything about anyone you wouldn’t say to their face. Being a witness against anyone, in the sense
this verse is talking about is bad. By
virtue of the fact that the verse ends with “deceive not” means the whole thing
is conjured up or exaggerated in order to create a lie. This principle is critical in our armor
against evil and has the ability to make us a reprobate if we get caught up in
its snare. 2 Cor 13:5-7 "5Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your
own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6But
I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7Now I pray
to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye
should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates."
29 Say not, I will do so to
him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
We all
have a tendency to want to retaliate when we have been wronged. Somehow to us when we are in that condition
we feel it is our responsibility to bring balance back into the world. Our condition immediately worsens as soon as
we open our mouth, as stated in the previous verse. There is a component of our flesh that seems
to propagate a focus on returning wrongful treatment with more of the
same. I know for myself, I want to
return my pain doubled and with interest when I volley back. The key is to know the opposition has the
same intentions and thus the cycle is started.
I have had occasion to render something nice to someone who was angry
with me and that shuts down the cycle, stops it cold. The thing to know here though is that it
enrages them to a point where they may send yet another stream of evil our way,
so be careful. Another word of advice:
don’t be nice just to make them more angry.
That is not the proper motivation of this principle.
30 I went by the field of the
slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
In
this verse a distinction is made between the slothful and the one void of
understanding. Both lack Wisdom but one
works harder at not doing anything than if he just did them and the other has
only his own lack of insight to work from.
31 And, lo, it was all grown
over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall
thereof was broken down.
Have
you ever driven by an abandoned house?
If you have the first thing that made it clear that it was not being lived
in was the over-growth of weeds, bushes, and then the condition of the
structure itself demonstrated its inability to support habitation. The phrase “grown over” actually means to go
up, ascend or climb. Both of these, the
slothful and the foolish have their dwellings and businesses in this condition.
32 Then I saw, and considered
it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
Be
careful not to become like the one who was self righteous in Luke 18:9-14 “9And
he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to
pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast
twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted.”
We can
learn from our experiences as long as we do not become puffed up with our
knowledge and insight. Being trusted
with Wisdom is an enormous responsibility.
Thinking more of ourselves than we should is much like the one void of
understanding mentioned in verse thirty or the Pharisee in Luke.
33 Yet a little sleep, a
little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
For
some reason, lazy, sluggish people find an excuse to sleep. Seemingly there is peace in their
slumber. Thinking it will satisfy them
and make them feel better when in fact; all the work that needs to be done will
frustrate them even more after their rest.
34 So shall thy poverty come
as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
I
remember as a youngster when nighttime would come and the concerns of what might
happen while I slept troubled me greatly.
(That is a nice way of saying I was scared of the dark.) My Father traveled often which left Mom and I
to fend for ourselves. At this one house
quite often, once the lights were out, a prowler would come around and start
pecking on the windows. I remember my
greatest fear was waking up and seeing some guy standing over my bed with a gun
pointed at me. To me, that would have
been the end of the world. This verse is
saying, one day, as if an armed man is standing over you pointing a gun at your
head, poverty will drink you in as long as you dance through life in your
pajamas.