SettledInHeaven.org (Blogger): “SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 24:19-22”

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)

Cultivate Godly Attitudes: Look To Lord, not Wicked: Proverbs 24:19-22

19) Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;

20) For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

21) My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: [and] meddle not with them that are given to change:

22) For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Solomon now shares with us teachings on the need to cultivate Godly attitudes…

EXPOSITION:

Here, we will see the need to keep our eyes on the goal of faithful service to our Lord and Savior…

19) Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;

We should not turn our eyes to those who are wicked….

1. Do not be anxious about those who bring ruin and opposition to others.

2. Nor should we desire to be like those who are lawless.

By keeping our eyes upon our Lord and faithful service for Him, we will keep our eyes off the wicked. This will result in less tension, stress and anxiety; as well as keeping our desires and motivations pure and Godly as well.

“I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.” (Psalms 26:4-5)

20) For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Why are we to keep our eyes on Christ and His service?

1. Because, in the end, the lawless will not be blessed by God

2. The Lord will take away all their attractiveness (power, possessions, fame, etc etc)

If we begin to concentrate on the wicked and the temporary prosperity that they enjoy, we can find ourselves being attracted to their lifestyle and methods. However, by keeping our eye son the Lord, we can see “the end from the beginning” and we understand the temporal nature of their success.

“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 1:12-13)

21) My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: [and] meddle not with them that are given to change:

Because keeping our eyes on Christ is of great benefit….

1. We are to always recognize the Lord’s greatness and fear His hand of chastening and respect those who hold positions of human authority over us.

2. We are to not be intermingled with those who are inconsistent and wavering in their lifestyle.

A great motivator to keeping our eyes on the Lord and His service is three-fold: recognize His authority over us; recognize the threat of His hand of chastening upon us; and recognize the human authorities He has set over us. By doing these, we will keep ourselves separated from the wicked that dwell among us.

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using [your] liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all [men]. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1 Peter 2:13-17)

22) For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Why should we keep ourselves separated from the wicked?

1. Those who ignore the authorities over them, will swiftly and unexpectedly face a burning rod that will bring them misery and destruction

2. No one can fully understand the destruction that awaits those who ignore civil authorities and those who ignore their Ultimate Authority, the Lord.

By ignoring the Lord, and the civil authorities that He has set over us, we are destined to a lifestyle of disobedience, selfishness, abuse to others and ultimate ruin. Oh how important it is to focus upon Christ and His service as we live our lives on earth.

“Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, [so is] thy wrath.” (Psalms 90:11)

SUMMARY:

By keeping our eyes upon the Lord and those He has set over us:

1. Relieves anxiety about those who oppose us

2. Eliminates the desire to emulate the lawless

3. Allows escape from the coming judgment of the wicked

4. Allows us to experience the Godly motivations of reverence and fear of chastening

5. Allows us to remain separated from the wicked

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”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org