Warnings, for the Wise Proverbs 24:1-34
Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. 3 Through 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 strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. 8 He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of foolishness is sin,And the scoffer is an abomination to men. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. 11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? 13 My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off. 15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; 16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. 19 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; 20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;The lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; 22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. 24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. 25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them. 26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. 27 Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house. 28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? 29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” 30 I went by the field of the lazy man,And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; 31 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. 32 When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; 34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
This evening we are on the 19th wise saying. Proverbs 24:1-2NLT 1 Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. 2 For their hearts plot violence,and their words always stir up trouble.
Evil begets evil, just as the wise beget the wise. There is always two paths, a wise just path, or a foolish path.
20th wise saying: Proverbs 24:3-4NLT 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.
A house here, can refer to a physical structure, or a family.
Remember, Joshua 24:15NLT But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Saying 21, Proverbs 24:5-6NLT 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.
The wise get mightier and mightier, I love that! So wisdom and wise counsel are associated with strength.
Ecclesiastes 9:16-18NLT So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.17 Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king. 18 Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
Wise saying 22, Proverbs 24:7NLT Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
There isn’t any place for fools when leading minds are gathered in one place. (This time, it was the city gate.)
Wise saying 23, Proverbs 24:8-9NLT A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker. 9 The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker.
Fools are alienated from the community because of their evil actions.
Wise saying 24, Proverbs 24:10NLT If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
A wise person has emotional self- control and strength under pressure.
Let’s look at Daniel 1:8-16NLT But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
WIse saying 25, Proverbs 24:11-12NLT Rescue those who a 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.
God is a God of deliverance and we should be too. When it’s in our power to help the innocent, we should. God knows the motives of our hearts.
James 4:17NLT Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Wise saying 26, Proverbs 24:13-14NLT 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.
This isn’t a command to eat honey, but it is an analogy to seek after the sweetness of wisdom’s rewards.
Psalm 19:9-10NKJ The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Wise saying 27, Proverbs 24:15-16NLT 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.
One day, the wicked will fall under God’s eternal judgement; however, when the righteous fall they shall ultimately be successful.
Saying 28, Proverbs 24:17-18NLT 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.
Always allow God to bring His vengeance. This saying, leads to Jesus’ call to love our enemies.
Matthew 5:43-48NLT “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Saying 29, Proverbs 24:19-20NLT 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.
Don’t become angrily excited or envious at the apparent prosperity of the wicked. (Always remember, earthly prosperity is short lived.)
WIse saying 30, Proverbs 24: 21-22NLT 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?
Psalm 2:1-4NLT Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. 3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,“and free ourselves from slavery to God.” 4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
More Sayings of the Wise
Wise saying 1, Proverbs 24: 23-25NLT 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.
Deuteronomy16:20 Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Truthfulness while rendering judgment, is a hallmark of wisdom.
Wise saying 2, Proverbs 24:26NLT An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship.
This is always a desirable kiss.
Wise saying 3, Proverbs 24:27NLT Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
In other words, make sure you have a good financial base before you buy and build a house.
Wise saying 4, Proverbs 24:28-29NLT 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!”
Avenging a neighbor by offering false witness is forbidden.
Wise saying 5, Proverbs 24:30-34NLT 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.
Laziness and love for sleep lead to poverty. (This is repeated several times in Proverbs.) Better take heed!
Prayer.
