honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;
if you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house,
do not raid his dwelling place;
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.
19 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son,
and do not join with the rebellious,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction upon them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
23 These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judging is not good:
24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"—
peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.
25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come upon them.
Questions to consider:
- Contrast the end of the (a) righteous and (b) wicked people.
- How does this affect your daily living?
- Relate verses 10 and 16.
- What is your responsibility to (a) your national leader as compared to (b) God?
- Remember yesterday’s proverb?
Possibilities for prayer:
I like verses 17 and 18 from this passage (especially when you read them in the context of verse 16 as well!). Many of the proverbs we’ve been reading talk about the wicked man and his inevitable downfall (among other things). But verses 17 and 18 remind us that we’re not to rejoice in the suffering of others, even others who are our “enemies.” God does not look kindly on our mockery, or gloating--the writer of the passage says that God will see it and disapprove. Today, let’s be particularly aware of situations where we might be tempted to be glad about bad things that happen to people who have hurt us or we consider our enemies. Let’s ask God to give us His heart toward everyone we counter, whether we like them or not. In fact, let’s be challenged to say a genuine prayer for the people we encounter today, especially the ones who have caused us pain.
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