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More Wise Things to do in 2020 - Part 2 Series

Proverbs 24:15-34

8. (Pro 24:15-16) The resilience of the righteous.

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the

righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;
For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

a. Do not plunder his resting place: This proverb presents its

wisdom in the form of a command to the wicked man against
trying to dispossess a righteous man of his home. Maybe the latter
has been overtaken by temporary hardship, and the wicked man is
ready to pounce on his property.

b. For a righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again: The
reason why the wicked man should not rob the righteous is that in
the end, the righteousman will not be defeated. Even when he
may fall—even seven times!—he shall rise again.

i. Many commentators insist that the fall that a righteous man may
experience here is trouble, not sin. There is no adequate reason
why it cannot include both ideas.

ii. “Though God permit the hand of violence sometimes to spoil his
tent, temptations to assail his mind, and afflictions to press down his
body, he constantly emerges; and every time he passes through
the furnace, he comes out brighter and more refined.” (Clarke)
E.g. Believers getting in trouble (not exempted!); and falling into
sin! (1 John 1:9); The only army that shoots its wounded (by
Gossip!)

c. And rise again: This should not only give warning to the
wicked, but also assurance to the righteous. The righteous can be
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in
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you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).
They can use that confidence to strengthen their resolve to never
give up, even though they may fall seven times.

d. But the wicked shall fall by calamity: The wicked have a

different destiny than the righteous. God will protect and preserve
His righteous ones, but the wicked shall fall and stay fallen.

A righteous man may fall into trouble or calamity seven times,

but he will recover each time. The wicked can stumble to his ruin
in a single misfortune.

9. (Pro 24:17-18) Don’t rejoice in the tragic destiny of the

wicked.

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.

a. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls: Knowing this, we should

not rejoice when one falls. It should not make our heart be glad.
David did not rejoice when Saul died in battle (2 Samuel 1:11-12).

b. Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him: If the LORD sees
anyone harboring a gloating, vindictive spirit, He will consider that
spirit more punishable than the guilt of the enemy.

10. (Pro 24:19-20) Don’t let the wicked make you worry.

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the wicked;
For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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a. Do not fret because of evildoers: Proverbs 24:1 told us to not be

envious of evil men; here we are told to also not worry (fret)
because of them, as well as to not to be envious of the wicked.

Once again we are warned not to get all upset over the apparent
success of evildoers, and not to envy the wicked. This time the
reason given is that the prospects of the ungodly are very bad.
They have nothing good to look forward to. Instead the light of
their life will be extinguished.

b. The lamp of the wicked will be put out: This speaks of death
waiting for the evil man both in this life and the next. Any good or
pleasure they experience in this life is the best they will ever have
or experience. The wicked man has no prospect for the future.

E.g. Prospect of Hosting West Elem’s Grade 6 Recollection (400

students). Building a Strong Foundation (Christ) for the
Superstructure (Their life and their future!). Living a life that
pleases God is aim. There is indeed no prospect (Fulfillment) for
the evil man.

11. (Pro 24:21-22) Respect for God and king.

My son, fear the Lord and the king;

Do not associate with those given to change;
For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

This proverb inculcates reverence and respect for the LORD and
also for the king as His representative. It also warns against those
who are out to change divine institutions or to overthrow civil
governments. Both types of rebelliousness will bring sudden and
unimaginable calamity on the guilty ones.

The Christian is taught to obey human government as long as he

can do so without compromising his loyalty to the Lord. If a
government orders him to disobey the Lord, then he should refuse
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and humbly take the consequences. Under no circumstances

should he join any plot to overthrow the government.

E.g. LGBT’s move to change divine institutions like Marriage and

God’s design for man and woman. This is rebellion vs. God at its
core.

Part 2 - Recollection is teaching 6th Graders about honoring and

obeying Parents, Teachers and Human governments.

God fearing citizens becomes God’s instruments of change from

the inside out!

Pray that This events materialize for His glory!

B. Further sayings of the wise.

1. (Pro 24:23-25) The importance of true justice.

These things also belong to the wise:

It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.
But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

a. These things also belong to the wise: The series of 30 words of

the wise ended at Proverbs 24:22. Here, until the end of Proverbs
24, is a set of additional sayings of the wise.

b. It is not good to show partiality in judgment: Whether it is in

the formal court of law on in daily interactions, we should never
make judgment simply on the basis of partiality. Those like us
can be wrong, and those different from us can be right.
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i. To show partiality in judgment: “Heb., To know faces; to regard

not so much the matter as the man; to hear persons speak, and not
causes; to judge not according to truth and equity, but according to
opinion and appearance – to fear or favour.” (Trapp)

c. You are righteous: This is what should not be said to the

wicked. In a wise, moral society the people will curse someone
with such confused moral judgment, and the nations will abhor
him.

i. It is a mark of the folly of our present age that many monstrous

examples of evil or wickedness today are told, “You are
righteous.” This proverb describes the working of a culture wiser
than our present culture.

d. Those who rebuke the wicked will have delight: Evil should be
addressed and rebuked. We should not romanticize or excuse the
wicked.

2. (Pro 24:26) The beauty of a right response.

He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

a. He who gives a right answer: The proper response to a question

or a difficult problem is always welcome to the wise. We think of
the many occasions when Jesus Christ was presented with difficult
questions yet always gave a right answer.

i. “Note the paradox, that a proper forthrightness, costly though it

may seem, wins gratitude, and has its special charm.” (Kidner)

b. Kisses the lips: The right answer comes from the lips, just like a
friendly and welcoming kiss.

i. “Shall treat him with affection and respect.” (Clarke)

ii. “The symbol of specifically kissing on the lips is mentioned only

here in the Bible. Herodotus (History 1.134) shows that among the
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Persians this was a sign of true friendship. The metaphor signifies

that friendship is characterized by truth.” (Ross)

B. Further Sayings of the Wise (24:23-34)

24:23-26 Here begins a new section of sayings that belong to the
wise, extending through verse 34.
It is a despicable thing to show partiality when judging matters of
right and wrong. The judge who blurs moral distinctions by
acquitting the guilty will be cursed by the people and hated by
nations. On the other hand those judges who rebuke sin will be
rewarded by God and blessed by men. Those who render honest
and just verdicts will win the kiss of approval from the people.

3. (Pro 24:27) Order your work wisely.

Prepare your outside work,

Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

a. Prepare your outside work: The idea is that before a house is

built, proper preparations must be made. The field and the ground
must be readied. Wisdom tells us that work should be done with
proper planning and in the proper order.

i. Outside work: “This would include plowing the land, planting

gardens and orchards, so that it produces its fruit.” (Waltke)

ii. “Do nothing without a plan. In winter prepare seed, implements,

tackle, gears, &c., for seed-time and harvest.” (Clarke)

b. Afterward build your house: Some want to skip right away to

the building without preparing the field. This foolishness will not
be blessed. Do the preparation work first, and then afterward
build your house.

i. “It emphasizes the practical rule of producing before consuming,

a rule the slothful do not accept.” (Garrett)
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ii. “Preparations for Solomon’s magnificent temple were made

before his house was built. The spiritual house is similarly made of
materials that have been prepared and fitted and so grow into a
holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:21-22).” (Bridges)

iii. “As, in a rural economy, well-worked fields justify and nourish

the farmhouse, so a well-ordered life (in things material and
immaterial) should be established before marriage.” (Kidner)

24:27 Just as a man must clear away the trees and cultivate the land
before building a house, so he should get his own life in order
before having a family. Thus, the proverb may be a warning
against rushing into marriage with all its responsibilities before a
person is spiritually, emotionally, and financially prepared.

4. (Pro 24:28-29) The importance of speaking the truth about

others.

Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,

For would you deceive with your lips?
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.”

a. Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause: We

should only speak against someone if there is good and righteous
cause to do so. We often speak ill of others to entertain others, and
ourselves—this is sin.

i. “Profit is the bait to the thief, lust to the adulterer, revenge to the
murderer. But it is difficult to say what advantage the witness gains
from testifying against his neighbor. The allurement of this sin is
the same as Satan himself feels—that is, the love of sin for its own
sake.” (Bridges)
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b. Would you deceive with your lips? When we speak against

others without cause, we usually exaggerate or color the truth,
making it a deception.

c. I will do to him just as he has done to me: This is what wisdom

and grace tell us not to say. We should not return evil for evil (1
Thessalonians 5:15). Just because someone has spoken evil or lies
against us does not mean that we should speak evil and lies
against them.

i. “According to the Bible, an injured party must love his neighbor

(Leviticus 19:18) and commit the injustice to the sublime God and
his elect magistrate to adjudicate.” (Waltke)

ii. “Nothing is more natural than revenge of wrongs, and the world
approves it as right temper, true touch, as to put up wrongs is held
cowardice and unmanliness. But we have not so learned
Christ.” (Trapp)

24:28, 29 Under no circumstance should anyone bring false

accusations against his neighbor or spread lies about him. Even if
the neighbor has done those very things, there is no excuse for
returning evil for evil.

5. (Pro 24:30-34) The tragedy of the lazy man.

I went by the field of the lazy man,

And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
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.
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a. There it was, all overgrown with thorns: This is what the wise
man saw when he looked at the field or the vineyard of the lazy
man. The lazy man did not plant the thorns or nettles, and he did
not deliberately break down the stone wall. Yet his laziness made
these things happen just as much as if he had deliberately done
them.

i. “Isaiah 28:24-29 describes how careful, industrious field-work

looks.” (Waltke)

b. When I saw it, I considered it well: The wise man learned from
the tragedy of the lazy man. He didn’t have to suffer the same
things the lazy man did to learn the lesson. This is one of the marks
of wisdom.

i. “The anecdote invites the reader to recall similar observations of

homes in disrepair and to draw the same conclusions even while
participating in the poet’s disgust over the shameful condition of
the lackadaisical man’s home.” (Garrett)

c. A little sleep, a little slumber: This is how the lazy man

rationalizes his neglect of duty. “A little sleep causes no harm;
surely we all need a little slumber.” The problem isn’t the sleep of
the lazy man; it is his neglect of duty.

i. “Rest assured of that; be best will become the worse if we

neglect it. Neglect is all that is needed to produce evil. If you want
to know the way of salvation I must take some pains to tell you; but
if you want to know the way to be lost, my reply is easy; for it is
only a matter of negligence.” (Spurgeon)

d. So shall your poverty come like a prowler: This is the destiny

of the lazy man or woman. Because of their sinful neglect, poverty
will come upon them as suddenly, as strongly, and as unwelcomed
as an armed man. In this case the lazy man thinks himself
innocent because he did not deliberately, actively sow the thorns
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or break the wall, but his neglect of duty did them—and he is

without excuse.

i. “But let us look at the spiritual sluggard. If a neglected field is a

melancholy sight, what is a neglected soul! Such a soul, when it is
left to its own barrenness, instead of being sown with the seeds of
grace becomes overgrown with thorns and nettles.” (Bridges)

24:30-34 The writer passed by the sluggard’s vineyard and saw

that it was all overgrown with thorns. Plants with stinging hairs or
nettles were everywhere to be seen. The stone wall was in ruins.
There was an object lesson in this. When anyone asks for just a
little more sleep, a few more winks, a few more yawns, you can be
sure that poverty will overtake him like a highwayman and like an
armed robber.
When we succumb to laziness in spiritual matters, our life
(vineyard) becomes infested with the works of the flesh (thistles
and nettles). There is no fruit for God. Our spiritual defenses (the
wall) are down, and the devil gains a foothold. The result of our
coldness and backsliding is poverty of soul.