He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Cultivate Godly Attitudes: Justice Not Abuse:
Proverbs 24:15-18
15) Lay not wait, O wicked [man],
against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
16) For a just [man] falleth
seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17) Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be
glad when he stumbleth:
18) Lest the LORD see [it],
and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Solomon
now shares with us teachings on the need to cultivate Godly attitudes…
EXPOSITION:
Here,
we will see the need to treat others justly, being on guard against abusing others…
15) Lay not wait, O wicked [man],
against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
Solomon
now gives a solemn warning against the abuse of God’s people…
1. Morally crooked one, do not set an ambush to
destroy the home of the lawful ones
2. and do not overtake by force the place where God’s
people find peace and security.
Those
who are lawless seek to abuse the people of God. They do this by catching them off guard,
destroying their family, possessions, shelter, peace and security. All of this is done for the personal gain of
the wicked and to hinder the Godly’s walk with Christ.
Why
do the lawless, many times, make the righteous the target of their abuse? For many, it is because, the Godly walk of
the righteous are a constant source of guilt upon the ungody. This takes place as the Lord uses the
testimony of the righteous to convict the lost of their sinful actions and condition.
“The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God [is] in
his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The LORD will not leave
him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.” (Psalms 37:30-33)
16) For a just [man] falleth
seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
1. Those aligned with the law of God may hindered
and cast down seven times (a perfect number of times) yet the Lord continues to
bless them and give them the ability to continue on.
2. But the wicked will live a lifestyle of
wrongdoing and abuse which will result in their permanent downfall.
Although
the Godly will suffer persecution, they will find renewal and eventual success
in their service to Christ. In comparison
a lost man may be temporarily successful in their abuse of others, but will
eventually face ruin.
“The eyes of the LORD [are]
upon the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their cry. The face of the LORD [is]
against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. [The righteous] cry, and
the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD [is] nigh unto
them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many [are] the afflictions
of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones:
not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the
wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeemeth the
soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” (Psalms 34:15-22)
17) Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be
glad when he stumbleth:
1. Do not make fun of your opposition when they
are brought down
2. Do not desire your enemy’s defeat, nor be
glad when he grows faint and falls.
The
Lord desires for His people to be compassionate, forgiving and merciful towards
others. To actively desire our enemies
defeat is showing a lack of all of these. We should be grieved to see the spiritual
condition of our enemies and seek his salvation and the divine forgiveness of
his sins.
“Ye have heard that it hath
been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which
love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your
brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so?” (Matthew 5:43-47)
18) Lest the LORD see [it],
and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
When
we show an unmerciful attitude towards our enemies, when the Lord regards it …
1. it vexes Him to look upon it,
2. and the Lord will remove His hand of judgment
from upon the wicked.
Note: In response to a saint’s unmerciful attitude,
why would the Lord remove His hand of judgment from upon the enemies that oppose
us? It could possibly be a part of His
chastening upon His people. By allowing
the wicked to prosper once again, the Lord is opening the door for the continuing
abuse of the unforgiving child of God. This
would be a very fitting type of chastening as the unforgiving saint must now
face the continuing mistreatment from his opposition.
“Whoso mocketh the poor
reproacheth his Maker: [and] he that is glad at calamities shall not be
unpunished.” (Proverbs 17:5)
SUMMARY:
Although
those who are lost, will in some cases, seek to harm the followers of
Christ. The people of God are to show
them kindness, graciousness and forgiveness.
We can rest assured that the Lord will make all things right. When we see Him working in the lives of the
wicked, we are to not find joy in His hand of punishment upon them. When we do, it is very possible He will
remove His hand from upon them and, as a form of chastening, allow them to continue
their abuse of us.
May
we all possess Godly wisdom and live our lives for Him.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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