1 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? 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.
Commentary
Vs. 1-2 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.
This proverb though geared towards the young and influential is good counsel for us all, given the endless propensity for popular culture and all of its mediums to try to make appealing those who lives seemingly succeed by evil and wicked and violent means. And so, this proverb is warning us against getting involved with them, because if you do you will get caught with them, and reap their terrible end.
Vs. 3-4 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.
Wisdom is the cornerstone upon which one builds an everlasting foundation upon which one lays the groundwork for reaping everlasting riches! Thus, ones life and its quality, along with one’s own prosperity all begins with building on a wise and everlasting foundation. The Lord Jesus Christ is that Foundation!
Vs. 5-6 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.
The wise man is first and foremost strong in his knowledge of the Lord, thus he knows both His works and His ways. And so as he does so, he increases in strength, in his ability to discern between good and evil, and thus wage a wise war in all aspects of his life. Whereas the mighty warrior only lives by the strength of his own arm, of his own resolve, of his own understanding, and so his own pride becomes his own undoing in the end. Again, the wise man is strong because he seeks out and receives wise and Godly counsel, for a wise man knows his own shortcomings, and so he finds refuge and safety in the wise counsel of others, with far more knowledge and understanding and experience then himself.
Vs. 7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate.
Though wisdom is near us all it is always out reach of the fool, because in order to reach it he must first let go of his foolishness, of his foolish beliefs and behavior. Therefore, he does not open his mouth in the gate where the elders and wise men of the city meet and discuss matters, and or render wise judgments, because he can contribute nothing to their conversations except to reveal himself a fool. Now think of how Jesus, even as a young child, impressed the all with His understanding (Luke 2:41-50)
Vs. 8 He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer.
A man who uses his knowledge and understanding to do evil will rightly be called a schemer. This proverb is clearly seen in the psychopath’s ability to cunningly manipulate and charm others, therefore don’t be deceived by them, for they are far more common, and in all walks of life than you realize.
Vs. 9 The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.
Take note then that those who devise foolishness sin, (and so those who think that doing, pursing, and or prompting folly from others is joyous, are only deceiving themselves). Now the scoffer is an abomination to men, because in their prideful arrogance they openly disdain and mock others even when they should be helping them, and not mocking someone when they fail or fall.
Vs. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.
This proverb is given to reveal the resolve (or lack thereof) of us all. That said one should never acquaint struggling with quitting.
Vs. 11-12 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?
Now God gives us who believe in His Son Jesus Christ wisdom, insight, and understanding, for by His Spirit He opens our eyes to see and ears to hear what we once were so ignorant of. First beginning in our own lives and then as we come to see and understand the perils of sin, the downward progression of this world, of the plight and peril of all of those people who in their ignorance are perishing in their own sins and transgressions, because they are following the course of this world and the god of this age (i.e. Satan) who has blinded their eyes. To then remain silent when there is so much need for God’s Word’s truth, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s Redemption and Salvation from sin and death to be proclaimed everywhere because there is so much evil and injustice going unchecked everywhere in this world, is simply untenable. Now that’s the big picture application, on a personal level to watch someone ruin themselves through their own sins and transgressions and say nothing to try to turn them back from them, will not be excusable in the sight of God when He Judges us all (Ezek. 18:23, 30-32; 33:1-6; John 3:17; Acts 18:6; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; 2 Peter 3:9).
Vs. 13-14 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.
Here the wisdom of God is likened to finding and eating of honey which was a desired treasure in ancient times. The person then who finds wisdom, God’s wisdom, and feeds on it will find themselves and their souls pleasantly gratified. For Hope is the cornerstone of God’s Word.
Vs. 15-16 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.
Though a righteous person may fall, fall into sin for a season, or fall into troubles, even severe troubles, and thus seem abandoned by the Lord to all those who are wicked and evil. Nonetheless God's Word here warns not to seek to plunder them during those times, for God Himself will uphold them, and He Himself will bring down the wicked who do so by bringing calamity and ruin into their lives.
Vs. 17-18 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.
Here we are told that we are not to rejoice over our enemy’s misfortune, or to take pleasure in their miseries, for such an attitude is not fitting for any Christian to harbor such ill will against anyone.
Vs. 19-20 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.
Again, we are told not to fret because of evil doers (see Psalm 37), that justice is almost always first delayed before it comes to them, this is especially true of God’s justice which is often delayed but never denied! And so when it does come from Him to them they will have no recourse, no escape, because they refused to turn from their evil ways, whether an individual or a nation (consider Ezekiel 32). Same with the apparent and very temporary prosperity of the wicked, no Christian should then fret about or envy those whose prosperity came at the expense of others. “For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Vs. 21-22 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?
Fearing the Lord and the king (as the one who holds the office He established to govern us, (and thus we respect the office, if not the man holding it), and so we as Christians are to give honor and respect to whom it is due, whether kings or rulers or various government and civil authorities and officials (consider Matt. 22:15-22; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-17; antithesis Jude 5-19). Therefore, we are here warned not to associate with those given to change, who want to usurp God’s Word and rebel against it by rebelling against these established authorities who are to govern us all, whether inside or outside of the church. Now this does not mean that we agree with all that they do, since we who believe in Jesus Christ all have God’s Word and we have Spiritual discernment so we can know what is good and what is evil. And so, it may be necessary at times to take our stand with the Lord Jesus Christ and oppose those who use their God given authority for doing evil, or who try to compel us, or some else to do the same. Now how we do this is most critical, for we are never called to sow dissent in our assemblies, or to be involved in lawless civil uprisings, or evil rebellions, nor should we be involved in needless conflicts and wars etc., for we are all called to peace, to above all to seek the peace and welfare and welling of all, and thus live peaceably with all people as much as depends on us. Something that is not seen when one uses one’s civil liberties and rights to trample all over another’s. Finally, pursuing peace with all people is not forsaking ones own right to self defense against hostile aggression or tyranny, but again those things must be decided individually, and must be done with a clear conscience towards the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.
Vs. 23-25 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.
Showing partiality in judgment, (i.e., favoring one above another) based on social or economic status or clout, or lack thereof, or race or gender or nationality, or whatever else causes one to favor one above another, and not base ones decisions (i.e., judgements) on facts or merits etc., is not becoming a Godly ruler or leader, or anyone professing faith in Jesus Christ (Consider Deut. 10:17; Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; 1 Tim. 5:21; James 2:9; 3:17; 1 Peter 1:17 etc.). In the same vein justifying before others those who are doing wickedly will have neither the favor of God or man. Indeed, we are all called to rebuke the wicked if we want to have a good blessing come upon us.
Vs. 26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
A well thought out answer is likened to a kiss on the lips. Thus, the one who does so is greatly appreciated for doing so.
Vs. 27 Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.
Getting one’s life (and career) in order is foundational to building a long and lasting marriage.
Vs. 28-29 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.”
People who bear false witness against others will one day bear their guilt before God. Therefore, if one is slandered or lied about one should not retaliate by doing the same. God is our Judge and He will not justify the wicked who do so (Ex. 20:16; 23:7; Psalm 50:20-21).
Vs. 30-34 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.
Here we are given a graphic picture of the consequences of being lazy, of being Spiritually idle. And so, the once fruitful vineyard has by idleness now become overgrown with thorns and nettles (in the Spiritual realm this would be sin), and the once protective wall (i.e., the Word of God and one’s faith in it and application of it), has now become broken down; broken down by the cultural lies and philosophies and ideals and pursuits of this world (Luke 8:14). Now this did not happen all at once, but as it were by a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to “rest”, So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. Therefore taking a “little” time away from one’s faith, is not only time and opportunity lost, but quite possibly one’s faith forever lost! Don’t do it! (Consider Matt. 25:1-13; 1 Thess. 5:1-8).
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