Proverbial Wisdom: Preparing the Foundations

 Read Proverbs 24

Verse 1-2:  When the wicked prosper and when it seems that sinful shortcuts are the better way, it can be tempting to be envious of their position and circumstances.  It can be tempting to want to assimilate to their way of being in order to get the passing pleasures of sin.  But Christians must not desire their evil ways or their companionship.  Evil people love violence, betrayal, harm, and selfish gain.  There is no real trustworthy friendship among evil people, but each uses the other for his own personal gain.  Loyalty, love, peace, and trust are in the house of the righteous, but in the path of evil men comes trouble.  Their eternal destiny is death, and their lifestyles ought not to be envied or copied (Psalm 37).  The righteous will be rewarded and honored in the end (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

Verse 3-4:  Wisdom is how the kingdom of God advances in a heart, in a home, in a church, and in a nation.  All that is spiritually valuable, worthwhile, and lasting requires faith in Christ and wisdom according to His Word.  Christ will one day judge the acts of believers according to whether they are truly fruitful or not, and rewards will be dependent upon whether or not the deeds were done in faith and wisdom and according to the power of Christ alone (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).  Wisdom is required for things of eternal value, and it is what strengthens a church, advances the kingdom of God, and builds a home that honors Christ and provides joy to its members.  The fruit of wisdom and the knowledge of God and His Word is spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3, Psalm 16:11).

Verse 5-6:  Wisdom makes a person spiritually strong, it teaches him how to discern false teaching, and it helps him rightly dissect the Word of truth.  There is power in Christ and in His Word, and the wise man embraces its full power by learning it and believing it.  The fool, on the other hand, may have a form of godliness while denying the power of Christ and His Word.  Thus, his life is powerless against sin as he remains a captive of the devil.  Believers are no longer slaves to sin, but they can by faith present their bodies as instruments of righteousness to Christ for His use in His service.  Believers can do nothing of themselves, but their sufficiency is in Christ and His Word which makes them strong, able, and powerful in and through Him to do all that Christ calls them to do.  Apart from Christ, believers can do nothing (John 15:5), but in Christ and by His power working in them, they will be changed and used to change others (Galatians 2:20).  Wisdom is useful for winning spiritual battles and for navigating the events of this life and this world.  The more a person knows the Word and the more godly counselors he has, the better decisions he will make. 

Verse 7:  Wisdom leads to spiritual success, but such wisdom is too much for the fool.  He has nothing to offer those who walk in wisdom.  He has nothing to say to add value to a conversation between wise men. 

Verse 8-9:  A schemer is not an honorable label to have because it implies exploiting people, deception, lying, and pragmatism over morality.  It also implies intended harm and the advancement of a personal agenda over the welfare of others.  Those who plot evil do so because of the evil in their hearts.  This is foolishness, and plotting foolish deeds is sin.  Those who do not fear God or take sin seriously are abominable before God.  Scoffing at God and His Word is a great way to store up His wrath (Psalm 1).

Verse 10:  Just as physical strength and emotional fortitude helps a person overcome in battle, spiritual strength to do what is right and to keep believing the truth is necessary to persevere and still have joy when trouble and trials come (James 1:2-4).  Those who are strong recognize that their strength comes in and through Christ in them, not by way of their own flesh.  They trust wholly in Him, and the joy of His presence is their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Verse 11-12: The hope, prayer, and desire of every believer should be that none would perish but that all would come to believe in Jesus.  This is God’s desire also (2 Peter 3:9).  The reality, however, is that many people suppress their conscience, ignore the revelation of God in creation, blaspheme the Holy Spirit calling to their hearts, and ignore the commands of the Bible.  They reject Jesus despite the reality of His historical life on earth and subsequent death and resurrection.  Man will not be able to plead ignorance, for God has made Himself known (Romans 1:18-20, 32; Psalm 19:1-2).  The only unforgivable sin is to reject the Spirit’s drawing on the hearts of men (Luke 12:10), and this proves that men are accountable and responsible for their choosing to keep on sinning and raising their fists in the air against God in anger and rebellion.  They willfully choose to refuse to give Him thanks, and God allows them to sin.  He will not force a person to believe, but He wants them all to repent.  Those who earnestly practice the truth and want to know the truth will find it in Christ (John 3:21).  Those who enjoy evil will be punished accordingly.  He will one day judge all people according to their deeds, and only those who are made righteous in Christ will enter His heaven.  Only on account of His righteous life can we be made holy. 

Verse 17-18:  There is a certain joy that comes from seeing God’s vengeance poured out, and there is a certain hope in the reality that God will settle all accounts in eternity.  Justice is something that believers can be encouraged by.  However, that does not mean that this gives believers the right to hate their enemies, for Scripture commands that they love them even as they are persecuting them (Matthew 5:44).  Believers should hate their sin and their master, the devil, but they must love their souls.  Sending a person to hell on account of their evil deeds doesn’t make God giddy with pleasure as a result of their pain and eternal suffering, but it does satisfy His justice.  We can rejoice in justice, but we should never wish bad things to come upon people or enjoy that they are in pain.  Christ kindly calls to the lost and the wicked offering them hope and a chance to start anew.  But when that opportunity is passed over, then justice must be meted out.  In this world, believers should take no joy in evil, and they should hope for justice on earth.  But that doesn’t mean that they can become callous in regard to the state of the souls of the people doing the evil.  If Christians do not love them, how can they ever hope to compassionately share the gospel with them?  Given how harmful it is as far as gospel advancement for a believer to hate an unbeliever, God may actually, according to verse 18, stop punishing the unbeliever temporarily on earth in order to stop the boasting of the disobedient believer.  Believers should boast in the Lord in regard to both His kindness and justice but not concerning the pain and suffering of others, even of their enemies.

Verse 19-20:  Picking up the theme from verse 1, believers are told not to get frustrated when they see wicked people who are not yet being punished for their sin because they will be punished in eternity.  Justice will be served by Almighty God, and their eternal sentence in hell apart from God is sure.  Christians must not ever envy their passing prosperity because spiritual prosperity and eternal prosperity is what counts (Psalm 37).  Jesus will settle all accounts.

Verse 21-22:  It is never wise to stand in opposition to God, for God will bring ruin to the wicked.  It is also generally not a good idea to try to act subversively toward a governing authority, given that it will likely end with their rage being poured out upon the conspirators.  This verse is not denouncing change, reform, social progress, or even political redress.  There are times when a government is so wicked that it needs to be overthrown.  However, in general, it is God-honoring to respect and submit to governmental authorities even if one despises some of their policies and positions (Romans 13:1-7). 

Verse 23-25:  Wisdom does not show partiality or pervert justice, calling the wicked righteous or the righteous wicked.  Those who care for justice hold such judgments and those who make them in spite, and the people, if they have any sense, appreciate a just system where evildoers are punished.  They recognize that justice is for their own benefit, protection, and welfare. 

Verse 27:  It is much more effective and efficient to preplan a building project and gather all of the required materials so that they can be ready when needed.  Otherwise progress is slowed when more figuring has to be done and when more product has to be gathered.  There is wisdom in planning and strategizing, but ultimately even then we still need the blessing and provision of God on our work (Psalm 127:1).  Christians should equip themselves with the Word of God and prepare themselves to be able to share the gospel.  That way, when the opportunity comes for spiritual fruit, they are ready and prepared, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Verse 30-34:  Those who are lazy and who lack sense can expect to starve at harvest time because they have neglected their vineyards.  They can expect to not earn enough money to live on.  The reality of this world is that it takes work to grow food and to earn a living.  Things go from order to disorder, chaos, and destruction.  The world is cursed with thorns and thistles being one such manifestation.  Laziness allows sin and its effects to run amok, but wisdom resists the pull to give in and give up.