Proverbs 24:1-22

Proverbs 24:1-22

New King James Version (NKJV)

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?

1. So let’s start with (v. 10) we read “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small”
   1. I find this verse a good starting place because, how we react to adversity says a lot about us as humans and Christians. I have a friend that lost her son about two months ago in a car wreck and her other son was paralyzed about 20 years ago in a diving accident. Now she could have blamed God for all this but she and her family did not, they got down on their knees and prayed. This is what we should do but many times we fall from our faith and that is not good.
   2. Adversity will test us, there is a quote that I like from a Scottish theologian James S Stewart and he said. It is the spectators, the people who are outside, looking at the tragedy, form whose ranks the skeptics come; it is not those who actually in the arena and who know suffering from the inside. Indeed, the fact is that it is the world’s greatest suffering that has produced the most shining examples of unconquerable faith.
   3. On last thought on this topic; I hear most people stand up and say “lord, why me” but I think we should say “Lord, Why not me.” Are we any better than others? Life is tough and we all have a share of tough times, the question is; How will you deal with it?
2. In (vv. 13, 14) we read “My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 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.”
   1.   Just as honey is sweet to the taste so is wisdom to our lives. when we acquire knowledge and assimilate it the wise man will have the tools to face whatever comes at him
3. Let’s finish with (vv. 17, 18) we read “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him”
   1. How true is this statement, I know so many people that spend their life wishing harm to others and the only thing I can do is weep for them. When I lie down at night I always pray for my friends and family but I also say a prayer for everyone that would wish me harm. Now I know that this may sound funny but try it and name names too and you will see a change in your life as well.

“It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and despair.”

During General Colin Powell’s tenure as US Secretary of State, he discovered that a speech he made to the United Nations had been based, in part, on wrong information. In his long and distinguished career, this was a low point and a blot on his record. “I’m disappointed,” he told an interviewer. “I’m sorry it happened and wish those who knew better had spoken up at the time, but there isn’t anything else I can say about it.”

Instead of being chained by the past, Mr. Powell says he has chosen to “focus on the front windshield and not the rearview mirror” of life.

All of us have something in our past that we regret doing. It may have been an honest mistake, a moral failure, or a foolish decision. We wish it had not happened, but it remains in our mind and often drags us down.

The writer of Proverbs said that “honey . . . is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect [future hope], and your hope will not be cut off” (Prov. 24:13-14).

While the past remains part of our lives, it doesn’t have to determine our future. With God’s wisdom and the forgiveness He offers (Ps. 130:3-4; Acts 13:38-39), we can focus on the future with hope. —David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The vain regrets of yesterday

Have vanished through God’s pardoning grace;

The guilty fear has passed away,

And joy has come to take its place. —Ackley

1. What do you think (vv. 19, 20) is saying?
2. What other things do you see in the text?

Prayer Activities

1. Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
2. Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
3. Pray with them and ask for the following;
   1. For God to give us the strength to stand tall in the hard times.
   2. For God to give us an understanding of his heart so we may forgive others.
   3. For the individuals on your pray list.
4. Let’s use (Col. 3:1) for today’s prayer verse.