Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Saying 27
Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Saying 28
Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them.
Saying 29
Do not fret because of evildoers
    or be envious of the wicked,
for the evildoer has no future hope,
    and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying 30
Fear the Lord and the king, my son,
    and do not join with rebellious officials,
for those two will send sudden destruction on them,
    and who knows what calamities they can bring?

• Proverbs 24:15-22

Proverbs 24:17,18 ”… Gloating over a fallen enemy can be more serious than the sin the enemy committed.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

The Message

Saying 27 talks about the plots of the wicked against the righteous.  If there are any successes, they are temporary.  Falling down seven times means falling a lot, but God upholds them.  They will rise, while the ultimate end of the wicked is death and destruction.

We should never gloat when our enemies have hard times.  God may turn His wrath from them onto us.  Jesus says to love our enemies, and gloating over their misfortune is not loving.  We must forgive those who do evil upon us, and that includes these enemies.  But that does not mean that we should not rejoice that with the pressure on our enemies, the yoke that the enemy has applied on us might be lessened in one way or another.  In fact, the enemy’s calamity might be God guiding them to faith in God and against their evil ways.

The common thought in society and mentioned in Scripture is that the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer.  We should never be envious of the wicked for their gains will be fleeting and the end a very sad one.  We must focus on God’s provision, and He will give us what we need.

The last of these wisdom sayings is to fear the Lord and the king.  Joining a rebellion can lead to a disastrous result.  The Apostle Paul says we are to be subject to civil authorities because those authorities are in place under the sovereignty of God.

There have been rebellions that have led to freedom for the people.  England forced the signing of the magna carta.  The American Revolution has led to a stable and strong country for over 200 years.  But there have been revolutions that have led to totalitarian regimes coming into power.  While the “king” might not be strong enough to quell the rebellion, the Lord may not allow the rebellion to end in a satisfactory manner.  In the end, fearing God is the primary factor in our daily lives.  In fact, the fear of the Lord might be the chief reason that the United States of America has lasted this long, focusing on freedom for its people.  But if we turn totally from God, God will lift any protection He has on this nation.

This concludes the 30 Sayings that Solomon said he would provide, but the rest of this chapter, covered next week, will cover more wise sayings.

And now let us sing.

The following song is God Bless America.  This is sung by the Gaither Homecoming Crowd with Vestal Goodman as the soloist.  I really feel for much of my life, God has either been shoved from our public discourse in the USA.  We are either forbidden to bring God into some conversations or chastised when we do so.  But if God does not bless our nation, it will collapse.  So, if you are from another country, you do not have to sing along but think of what might happen if God takes away His protective hand from your nation.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  Help us to value wisdom.  We should not plan evil plots nor participate in the overthrow of a nation that God has allowed to reign.  If our enemies fall, we must not gloat.  Lord, help us to love those enemies and wish for Your guidance and strength for them so that they might no longer be enemies.  And help us to keep righteousness and its rewards in the forefront of our minds.  In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.