"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FROM PROVERBS"
Proverbs 24:17 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;”
Proverbs 24:18 “Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.”
Proverbs 24:19 “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;”
Proverbs 24:20 “For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
(Taken from today's reading in The One Year Bible 10/3/14)
Some explanatory thoughts, applications, questions and a prayer:
Here in these words of wisdom, the Lord is telling us what not to do and why.
He also encourages us about how to react to evildoers and the wicked.
Finally, God tells us the sad end of the evil man, what will happen to them.
1. God's people are not to rejoice when their enemies fall into trouble.
Proverbs 24:17 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;”
This is a natural tendency for us in our human nature.
We may have an enemy who runs into some misfortune.
Our natural response might be one of rejoicing.
God is telling us not to do that.
Do not be happy when your enemy stumbles and falls into some trouble.
2. God tells us why we are not to rejoice at the misfortune of our enemies
Proverbs 24:18 “Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.”
Essentially an attitude of rejoicing over our enemies troubles is displeasing to the Lord
God will be displeased with us if we have that attitude.
And, He may just turn His anger away from your enemies.
God loves everyone, including our enemies.
Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.
3. The Lord tells us not to fret because of evildoers, nor to be envious of the wicked.
Proverbs 24:19 “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;”
There are actually two bits of instruction here for us. They are both needed in our lives.
First of all, we are not to fret because of evil doers. Or we are not to allow them to cause us to worry.
Don't let them cause you to worry. That's the message for us from God.
Secondly, we are instructed not to be envious of the wicked.
It's very easy for us to fall into being jealous or envious of the wicked.
If we get our eyes off of the Lord, we can lose sight of His beauty.
And, the wicked can seem attractive to us.
This is something to really consider.
4. Now we are given the reason for the previous instruction.
Proverbs 24:20 “For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
The wicked do not have any future like the children of God do.
They have no future in heaven.
They have a future, but it's not a good one, to say the least.
They will be forever separated from God in the lake of fire.
Their light will be snuffed out is how God puts it.
What a sad ending they have waiting for them.
Some Questions:
1. Have you ever caught yourself rejoicing over the misfortune of your enemy?
2. Have you ever found yourself being happy when trouble has come upon your enemy?
3. I'm certain when we are in our better mind that we don't want to displease the Lord.
4. Have you ever found yourself being jealous of the wicked?
5. Isn't it something that we can lose sight of the future of the wicked?
6. God has a certain future for the wicked based on their choice to reject His love and grace.
A Prayer:
Father, Your Proverbs are appreciated by us. They show us what we are capable of of and give us warnings and reasons to avoid evil and to turn our hearts to You and seek to please you and obey You. Thank You for giving us such precise and detailed instruction about life.
May we take the time to let Your Word sink into our minds and heart and respond appropriately to what You tell us.
It's Your instruction combined with our application that leads to change in our lives. We love You, Father, and wait with great anticipation to see You face to face one day in Glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
