PROVERBS 24 (KING JAMES VERSION)

PROVERBS 24   (KJV)

   1) Be not thou envious against evil men,
     neither desire to be with them.
   2) For their heart studieth destruction,
     and their lips talk of mischief.

   3) Through wisdom is an house builded;
     and by understanding it is established:
   4) And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled
     with all precious and pleasant riches.

   5) A wise man is strong;
     yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

   6) For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war:
     and in multitude of counselors there is safety.

   7) Wisdom is too high for a fool:
     he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

   8) He that deviseth to do evil
     shall be called a mischievous person.

   9) The thought of foolishness is sin:
     and the scorner is an abomination to men.

   10) If thou faint in the day of adversity,
     thy strength is small.

   11) If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death,
     and those that are ready to be slain;
   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?

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   13) My son, eat thou honey, because it is good;
     and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
   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.

   15) Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
     spoil not his resting place:
   16) For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:
     but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

   17) Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
     and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
   18) Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
     and He turn away His wrath from him.

   19) Fret not thyself because of evil men,
     neither be thou envious at the wicked:
   20) For there shall be no reward to the evil man;
     the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

   21) My son, fear thou the LORD and the king:
     and meddle not with them that are given to change:
   22) For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
     and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

   23) These things also belong to the wise.
     It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

   24) He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous;
     him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
   25) But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,
     and a good blessing shall come upon them.

   26) Every man shall kiss his lips
     that giveth a right answer.

   27) Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field;
     and afterwards build thine house.

   28) Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause;
     and deceive not with thy lips.

    

   30) I went by the field of the slothful,
     and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
   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.
   32) Then I saw, and considered it well:
     I looked upon it, and received instruction.

   33)Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
     a little folding of the hands to sleep:
   34) So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth;
     and thy want as an armed man.

DEFINITION

FORBEAR:  politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something;  refrain  (dictionary.com)

COMMENTARY

    Verses 7 - 9 warns against taking the advice of three kinds of fools:  the silent fool, the sinful fool, and the scornful fool.  

   The silent fool is the one who is smart enough to keep his mouth shut about those things he knows nothing about.  Many times I am asked about what someone is doing or why they are doing it.  My reply is, "You are asking the wrong guy.", meaning that you should direct your inquiry to the person you are asking about.  This also protects me from gossiping.

   The sinful fool is that one who speaks before he thinks.  He is eventually exposed for the fool that he is by his own mouth.

    The description of the scornful fool in John Phillip's commentary describes many in government today.  Here is an excerpt:

   "As a lad I grew up in Chicago and ran with a street gang.  In the gang there were a few types known as 'gators' ( a contraction of the work 'instigators').  These were the gang leaders.  They were the ones who had the ideas.   The idea may have been to trash someone's car or to murder someone.  The 'gators' came up with the idea, made the plans, spelled out the details, told the various gang members their specific duties, and instigated the action."  

   "Certain criminal types are born leaders....Nazi Germany illustrates what happens when people from the gutter become the leaders of the government.  The Nazi leaders were a gang of thieves and mass murderers.  They lied, cheated, and bullied their way to power.  They launched the nation on a course of crime and conflict."

   Sir Hartley Shawcross of the British delegation described the atrocities committed in the concentration camps:  "People were worked, beaten, and starved to death - if they were not murdered on arrival.  Human hair was baled for commercial purposes and used for stuffing mattresses.  Tattooed human skin was made into lampshades.  Human fat was used to make soap.  Gold teeth were extracted from corpses, melted into ingots, and shipped to the Reichsbank."  He summed it up by saying, "Mass murder had become a state industry, with byproducts."  

   Chilling, isn't it?  The abortion industry is one that comes to mind here, but there are so many more!

   Verses 11:  If we abstain (forebear) from delivering those that are drawn unto death and those that are ready to be slain--is this those who willingly participate in wickedness and evil?  Are we to spend our energy and resources to deliver them when it is their own choices that brought them to this point?

   12) Then we say we didn't know they were in such a condition; will we be judged for "walking on the other side of the street" rather than being "the Samaritan"  (Luke 10: 25-37) and doing all in our power to deliver them?

  Verse 27:  This verse really is simply saying work for what you want and save so you can afford to buy it.  (Live within your means and don't make needless debt.)

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