A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice. Proverbs 17:23

When someone reverts to bribing others in matters of justice - you can guarantee that they are doing so because they are guilty of the charge that has been brought. That is what we learn from today's proverb of the day.

The "wicked man" to whom this proverb refers is a man who is guilty of the offense with which he is charged. The Hebrew word used here is "rasha" which means someone who is guilty or wrong. It is used of people who are transgressors, criminals, and honestly - who are just plain wicked. The word is an antonym of the Hebrew word "saddiyq" which has as its meaning - to be righteous or in the right. Therefore someone who is turning to a bribe is wrong - and therefore guilty as charged. When used in the Old Testament it refers to those who are enemies of God - and enemies of His people. God is a God of righteousness and justice - therefore anyone who desires to pervert true justice will find themselves an enemy of God.

The phrase ". . . from the bosom" has the idea of someone who is slipping money to another in a secret fashion. This is how most bribes pass hands - through subversive and secretive ways. This happens because the wicked man offering them - and the wicked man receiving them to pervert justice - both do not want to be exposed. Therefore everything is done in a cloak and dagger fashion.

This is done to "pervert the ways of justice." The one offering it is wicked - and the one receiving it is perjerous. They perjure themselves - for they make it clear that truth is not something they value (at least not as much as money). Where such judges rule - there cannot be justice - because the hearts of such men are corrupted by various means to twist justice as the bribes have purchased. In 1973 Charles Ashman wrote a book entitled, The Finest Judges Money Can Buy. This is a very depressing book because it exposes the chronic problem of bribes in our own justice system. In his book Ashman reveals eight judges involved in Mafia-type organizations, ten who were guilty of receiving bribes, sixteen who were guilty of petter larceny, at least six who were guilty of sexual impropriety, seven who were guilty of being drunk on the job, and ten more who have used their position and authority for impure political gain. Those who bemoan the corruption in our nation should see clearly one of the chief reasons it exists - and that is gross corruption in our legal system. This is why God makes it clear to all the judges within the biblical judicial system that they were NEVER to take a bribe to pervert justice. God also promises special judgment upon those who do!

The one thing we can be eternally grateful for is that our ultimate judge is nothing like these men and women who parade as judges, yet have no integrity. He is the One Who sits enthroned - and Whose very throne is founded upon justice and righteousness. He hears and sees all things - and judges accordingly. He is incorruptible and cannot make an unjust decision, for such a decision is contrary to His very nature which is holiness and purity. When it came down to how God would deal with sin, He even judged His only Son when He took sin upon Himself. He is completely and absolutely just and righteous in all that He does. Therefore know that although justice and righteousness may not be given to us here on this fallen earth - we can know that there will be a day when God will judge ALL men according to His righteous standard.

Therefore be of good cheer and be greatly comforted! Your God has the ultimate bar of justice - which will be held before Him alone. In the meantime, we can thank Him daily for His gracious kindness and for His unparalleled love!

Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.   Proverbs 13:23

God is concerned about the poor - and about justice concerning them.  What is interesting about this passage is that the major concern that God has is about freeing the poor to make the most of their lives by hard work.  Unfortunately in our day too many think that the best way to care for the poor is for the government to take care of them by instituting programs that foster what is called social justice.  This kind of justice involves the government using a taxing power to redistribute wealth so that fairness is reached as far as "outcomes" are concerned.  What we see here is that God is more interested in the poor having fairness in regard to opportunity rather than outcomes.

God is the God of justice and He is very concerned about the injustices that are perpetrated against the poor.  In the Old Testament He makes it very clear through the prophets that one of the reason judgment falls on societies is because they no longer have compassion for the poor.  But, social justice is NOT a compassionate response toward the poor.  It is rather an example of government trying to bring about justice by promising equal outcomes for all.  This is done whether or not the person receiving the promised outcome is deserving of it or not.  Whether we like it or not there is some poverty that is the direct result of choices made by the one who is in poverty.  There is also poverty that is the result of people not being willing to work.  The Bible is clear that if a man is not willing to work, he is not to eat.  Then Proverbs tells us that when he is hungry enough - that will motivate him to work.  The poverty of the prodigal son was due to his own ungodly living and ungodly choices.  When a man wastes his money on drunkenness and riotous living, he should not prosper in life.  To promise him the same outcome as the hard working man is not social justice.  It is social injustice! 

God makes promises to those who work hard and who live wisely.  He also makes promises to those who choose ungodly paths - speaking of poverty and want that will come to them.  We cannot try to stay His hand in these matters without eventually bringing the entire government under His discipline.  That is what we are experiencing today.  The government has decided to work for common outcomes for all in a perverted sense of what is just.  But this is unjust - to confiscate the wealth of those who have worked hard for what they have - and to redistribute it to those who in many cases have not worked hard for it.  When someone gives to the poor freely it is a gift.  But when a government gives to the poor by confiscating the wealth and gain of the productive - it is thievery by taxation. 

God says here that abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor.  That means that the poor could till the ground and make a crop that would lift them out of their poverty.  The abundant food does not produce itself - it is given when the poor have the freedom to till their ground and bring it forth.  What is being restricted here is the freedom of these who have been reduced to poverty.  When this happens, there is poverty abounding.  But where there is freedom instead of injustice, the poor man is able to work hard and over time lift himself out of poverty.  Where the government works to provide a level playing field for all to prosper equally from hard work - there will be a blessing on that society.  The government also has a responsibility to make sure that in doing this the rich do not use their money to keep the poor from succeeding.  This happens as well in the world - and it is the responsiblity of the rulers of a nation to make sure that they are not unduly influenced by money to decide for the rich in disputes.  They are to make just decisions and not allow the rich to abuse the law to keep the poor in their poverty. 

God desires justice and freedom to prevail in the affairs of men.  He desires for these things to free men to be able to work hard and prosper from their labors.  These things can be infringed upon in life, but not without cost.  The cost is that the poor cannot achieve better things through hard work, saving, and investing in something that can give them more in their future.  Whether this is done by the rich oppressing the poor - or a government oppressing all by taking from one class to give to another - God is not pleased.  All men - and all governments will stand before God to give an account of their stewardship of the poor.  May we be wise to free the poor to till the fallow ground of their farms and lives so that they may be lifted out of poverty, not by a government program, but by a work-ethic that encourages them to work hard, save, and build for a better future.

Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked; For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. Proverbs 24:19-20

Ever watch what is going on in the world and wonder if the evil and wicked are winning the day?  It is difficult at times not to fret and become angry (even at God) when we watch the evil men and women of this world seemingly prosper and succeed during our lifetime.  But the wise man knows the Word of God - and knows that God promises that He is just, and knows that in the end it will not go well for the wicked.  His lamp may burn brightly for a season, but in the end his lamp - his influence - his power will be put out. 

We are warned against two things in this passage.  The first is that we do not fret because of evildoers.  The word "fret" here actually does not refer to worry but rather to anger.  The word for fret is the Hebrew word, "nahar" which means to burn, to be kindled and glow, or to grow warm.  It refers to someone becoming angry.  It was the word that was used of Potiphar's anger when he thought that Joseph had raped his wife.  It is also used in Joshua 23:16 of God's anger toward those who disobey His Law.  Here, we are being warned against becoming angry at God - because we watch evildoers prosper in this life.  David struggled with this very thing in Psalm 73.  The more he looked at the wicked and the evildoers in this present life - the more his anger was being kindled.  He reached the point in that psalm where he said that he almost betrayed his generation until he entered the sanctuary and saw the latter end of this wicked people.  His betrayal would have been the things he said about God and His justice.  David would have allowed his fretting to be manifested toward God.  But he saw that all at once these prospering evil people fell - that they faced God's wrath with no recourse.  He saw that they thought all was well until death or calamity crushed their world.  Since they were only living for the here and now - that meant that their entire world was destroyed.  David's fretting ceased - and instead he felt compassion toward them - and awe and fear toward God in his "ULTIMATE JUSTICE." 

We are also warned not to become envious of the wicked.  This second warning comes because we will watch the shrewdness of the worldlings as they use graft and corruption to gain wealth in this world.  We may watch them seemingly succeed in regard to money, sex, and power.  But once again we must see things from God's perspective.  As they gather power, sex, and wealth to themselves - they are also storing up wrath for disobeying God's commandments and laws as well.  Their supposed prosperity comes at an eternal price tag.  In the end their future will be horrific - not blessed. 

That is what these two verses in proverbs deals with in the second verse.  We are told that there will be no future for the evil man.  The word future is our old friend "acharith" which means the end of the matter.  Though the wicked does all his evil desires, and seemingly prospers in them - he is not seeing long term.  He may enjoy the moment - but the latter end of his life will be devastating.  There is NO future - NO latter end - NO prosperity eternally.  He will be damned for his rebellion and destroyed utterly for his wickedness.

Only someone who sees with a ridiculous short term vantage point would trade a few years of pleasure for infinite pain and suffering.  God's Word refers to this life on earth as a mere breath while there is no end to our state in eternity.  The other warning to us here is that the lamp of the wicked will be put out.  As I said earlier, he may burn brightly for a little while - for a breath or two - but his light will be extinguished.  Consider all the terrifying dictators of the past - Hitler, Ghengas Khan, Sadaam Hussein, Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot - and a host of others throughout history.  For a brief moment they seemd to have a bright light burning for themselves and their regime.  Yet all are viewed as horrible men who committed disgusting crimes against humanity itself.  God assured that these men do not live on as famous - but as infamous.  So also will be the legacy of all those who oppose God and live out their wickedness.  Their lights will go out - snuffed out by God Himself.

The wise man does not become angry with God over such men and women.  He certainly does not envy them.  What we should do is pity such men.  We should pity them and pray that they would repent and turn to God.  We should also realize that God is showing them great mercy by not consuming them instantly in His wrath.  He is offering them another day of mercy during which time they have opportunity to hear the gospel and repent.  But know that beyond any shadow of doubt the day is drawing near for them to be judged according to God's law.  Envious?  Angry? - no . . . we should pity them - and we should tremble before the awesome, exact justice of our holy God.  And as wise men - we should depart from their ways and fully embrace those of our Lord.

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15

God is a God of justice - and with Him matters of justice take the forefront.  That is why God refers to someone who completely skews the matters of justice and righteousness as a person who is an abomination to Him. 

Today's proverb tells us that a person who justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous are an abomination to the Lord.  This should be something that causes those in the legal industry to fear God and tremble concerning their decisions of right and wrong within the justice system.  Which brings me to a few comments about biblical justice. 

Several times in the Scriptures the history recorded for us involved the selection of judges.  Each time this took place, God made several things very clear.  First, He declared that matters of justice always involved His Word, which is the ultimate law-book when it comes to what justice is - and what it is not.  This is something we should all heed.  Our legal systems are to be nothing more than legal systems which do their best to mete out justice in the sight of God.  We are not left to ourselves in determining what is legal and what is not.  There is plenty in God's Word to describe any lawless person or delinquent.  It is not necessary to consult with the legal opinions of men (even though we may be required to do so by their laws) if God has commented on the issue.  He is the ultimate dispenser of justice (and will be at the end of the age).  Therefore, if God has commented on the matter - His judgment is supreme. 

Second, that decisions of justice are to be free from favoritism.  This refers to favoritism on the basis of someone being a family member of friend, but it also refers to more sinister favoritism such as a situation where a bribe has been offered to twist justice.  God forbids the acceptance of a bribe to pervert justice - and warns that He will require it of the judge if it is done.  This is why our proverb says that justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous are an abomination in His sight. 

Third, is a reminder that all human judges are to be those who dispense God's justice, not their own.  They are never to be a law unto themselves - or take matters of justice into their own hands.  For those who experience perverted justice, God warns not to take vengeance into their own hands.  The promise of God is that He will take vengeance on those who disregard His laws and ways.  There is a Psalm that should terrify judges as they ascend to the bench.  I wish it was written on their desks for them to see daily. 

"Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!" (Psalm 2:10-12, NASB)  This Psalm reminds every one of us that even the judges and kings of earth are to worship and bow in reverence to God's King, Jesus Christ.  All that they do - every judgment that they make - is made in His sight and under His ultimate jurisdiction.  Therefore every decision that they make should be made under His lordship - and for His justice to be established on the earth. 

The wise man knows that justice has already been decreed - and that all he need do is follow the direction and leadership of the Scriptures on all matters concerning what is just and right.  But before we leave this particular Proverb - we should mention one situation in which some consider that God Himself stepped over the line.  Some think that God condemned the righteous and justified the wicked when Jesus died on the cross - and when sinful men were granted salvation.  But contrary to that thought - God did everything according to His perfect righteousness and justice.  Jesus did not die for His own sin - but when He chose to become sin God's justice had to be fulfilled - even on Jesus.  When by faith we are credited with Christ's righteousness at salvation, God responds with His perfect justice in welcoming us and granting us His blessing and favor.  He is both just and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus.  Rather than being an unjust situation - the cross is actually the ultimate moment of justice in the universe.  For when Christ became sin - God had to respond with wrath and punishment upon His only Son - or else He would have been unjust.  It is not only wisdom for us to grasp God's perfect justice and righteousness - it is glory itself!  Knowing this, though, should make us tremble at His justice and be all the more committed to calling wicked what He calls wicked, and calling righteous what He calls righteous.  Any other choice is an abomination to Him.

Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the LORD. Proverbs 20:10

How do we wisely judge things in our lives?  That is what today's proverb answers for us.  This may seem strange to some who view all judging as wrong.  Their favorite verse in the Scriptures is, "Judge not, lest you be judged."  While they hold fast to this verse with all that is in them - they miss others like, "Judge all things, hold fast to that which is good."  There is a balanced view of judging in the Scriptures - as well as different concepts as we judge things.  But the one thing that holds consistent in all passages about judging is the statement that is made in the book of Proverbs here in chapter 20. 

To understand this proverb, we will have to take a moment and understand how the marketplace worked in the average city and town in Israel.  They did not have packaged items like we do today.  They put their wares out in a booth or a place in the market - and sold their items directly to the people.  This involved a set of scales.  The average scale would consist of two baskets set on a balance bar.  The way the system worked was that the seller would place weights in one basket, while putting produce in the other.  The weights would be marked according to their measurements (we would use pounds or grams) and then they would charge a price per pound of food that the person put into the other basket.  The problem spoken of here is when the seller would have weights that were not accurate on purpose.  He would use one set of weights with some customers - but would pull out a different set to cheat other customers when he could.  These would be lighter in weight - while he would continue to charge the same amount as if they were accurate.  Thus the buyer would get less food for more money.  If an official came by the booth, he would quickly stash the innacurate, cheating weights, and would pull out the accurate ones for a few customers.  When the heat was off from the officials, he would return to cheating those who came to his booth.

There is a cheating in business where we use differing weights and measures.  God says that such actions are an abomination to Him.  He hates this kind (and actually any kind) of lying.  But there are more places where we are guilty of using different weights and measures.  One is in the kind of judging that God despises.  We judge ourselves by one standard, and yet judge our neighbor's actions by a higher one.  Jesus referred to this in the gospels when he spoke of the person who would look for a speck in his brother's eye, while ignoring the huge wooden beam in his own.  This is when we tolerate sin in our own lives just fine - but the fine we use with others is a fine toothed comb.  This is using different weights and measures.  God considers such things an abomination to Him - and He hates when we do this!  David fell into this trap with the prophet Nathan while in the midst of his sin with Bathsheba.  When hearing of the man who took his neighbor's little lamb for a feast - instead of using sheep and lambs from his own flock - David responded in incensed anger - saying that the man should die who has done this.  Little did he know that Nathan's next words would be, "You are the man!"  David's different weights and measures involved his own sin with Bathsheba, which he had ignored - and yet with an imaginary man who had done less with a lamb, David demanded justice and judgment.

God is a just and righteous God.  He judges ALL things with perfect judgment.  He does not have multiple standards which He uses in multiple situations.  He always judges justly.  To use separate ways of judging is an abomination to Him.  And if we are quick to want to point out some supposed injustice in God - say - that Jesus did not have the adulterous woman stoned for her sin - we need to stop and put our hand over our mouth.  All sin was justly judged and paid in full by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  When it came to the one situation we would think would illicit God lessening a punishment and a demand, it would have been when His perfect, spotless Son became sin.  But God did not lessen the punishment - and did not pervert justice.  He poured out the fullness of His wrath and punishment upon His Son.  He was judged to the uttermost when He became sin - crying out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me!"  Yet He knew why that had to happen.  That cry was not misunderstanding . . . it was pure pain and agony.  Jesus was being judged for sin.  So, before we decide God is unjust, we should take a trip to the cross.  It was there where God could forever be not only just, but for all time the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. 

Wisdom rejects multiple standards when it comes to sin.  We judge with a righteous judgment - for that is how God judged and judges even today.  But even as we reject the varying weights and measures of situational ethics - and multiple ways of looking at truth - we need to also embrace perfect justice and righteousness.  That took place on the cross so that God could be both just and merciful.  Just to His Son, and because of His blood shed at the cross, merciful to us.

There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

What does God hate?  This is a good question to ask - because the Lord actually lists for us 7 different things that He hates.  Some think that God doesn't hate anything because He is love.  But when you realize that whereas He loves righteousness and holiness - it means that by nature He must hate the opposite - and that is sin.  This is a good list to remember because it reminds us of at least 7 things we absolutely need to steer clear of in life.  We do this because we do not want to incur God's wrath for loving something He hates.

#1 - God hates Haughty Eyes . . . The proud look is something the Lord really despises.  The eyes, according to Scripture, are the windows of the soul.  When the eyes are filled with a haughty look it is a sure thing that the heart is filled with that same haughtiness or pride.  We remember from the book of James that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  It is no stretch then to say that in hating haughty eyes God truly despises those whose look communicates an arrogance and pride that shows that they have no respect for God and His ways - just an utter disdain of them.

#2 - God hates a Lying Tongue . . . One of the 10 commandments is not to bear false witness.  That means lying is out with God.  He is a God of truth, and He wants us to speak the truth.  When a tongue is a lying tongue, God hates the lies that come from it.  Truth opposes lies at every turn - and we can be assured that God opposes the liar whose lying tongue promotes just the opposite of what God loves and is. 

#3 - God hates Hands that Shed Innocent Blood . . . Here is one that we need to remember.  Innocent blood is murder.  God hates murder.  Once again we find that one of the things God hates is listed in the 10 commandments.  You shall not murder is commandment number five.  Jesus goes further in Matthew chapter 5 when He tells us that even the thoughts and words that are at the core of a murdering heart - God hates.  There is an application of this we also need to remember.  The false god Molech required that his worshippers have their children pass through the fire as a child sacrifice to him.  God hated this worship - and made it clear that the innocent blood shed in this practice would pay dearly for their sin.  I believe we have a similar worship today in the practice of abortion.  This practice is an abomination to God.  We have decided that children (usually conceived due to sexual immorality) are too much of an inconvenience.  Therefore we've devised the most heinous ways of disposing of them.  We burn them alive through saline abortions or puree them within their mother's womb.  And if this is not enough, when we wait too long to decide to dispose of one's conceived immorally, we just birth them partially and kill them in a way that we would NEVER consider for a convicted murderer.  How God hates this shedding of innocent blood. 

#4 - God Hates a Heart that Devises Wicked Plans . . . There are hearts that are thinking of evil - and who begin to plan to do evil.  This is true even of us when we set our hearts on sin and want to do our best to keep it hidden.  But there are those whose plans involve far more than just one man wanting to sin without being caught.  These are those who devise a wicked plan either in business or in the government.  These plans will harm thousands - and possibly millions.  They do not consider that their wicked plans will do this - because they are consumed either by the acquisition of wealth or power.  God hates these people because of how their thinking harms others.

#5 - God Hates Feet that Run Rapidly to Evil . . . Here we have someone who is just itching to run to evil things.  There is no restraint in this one - because when he or she sees evil - they want to run "rapidly" to it.  When a society turns from God - there is a growing stupidity and spiritual deadness that causes them to become insensitive to the warnings of Scripture.  Thus they start to run to evil - rather than stop and think about the harm it will do to them and to others.  When people run rapidly to evil it is also a sign that self is so completely dominant in their thinking that they are deaf to any other voice except the one that is urging them to do what they want.  God hates this because it reveals that a conscience is dead to Him and dead to the warnings of both the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. 

#6 - God Hates A False Witness Who Utters Lies . . . Here we have what seems to be a second time that lying is mentioned.  This second time though it is mentioned in the context of someone who is a false witness on a matter.  This first time is was just a lying tongue.  The false witness could be someone who speaks lies in a courtroom where the role of perjury comes into play.  This would mean a perversion of justice and God loves justice and righteousness.  It can also mean a false prophet or someone who lies about religious matters - thus causing some to put their faith in a god who is not God at all.  Either way God hates it when someone who lies as a witness on a matter.  They encourage people to make decisions based upon deception and lies.  No wonder He hates these things - because the very first sin was due to the work of the devil as he was a false witness to Eve about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  That lie, that deceit - when believed was the impetus that led to the fall of all of humanity into sin and rebellion against God.

#7 - God Hates One who Spreads Strife Among Brothers . . . The final thing in this list of seven is a person who is causing problems - actually who is spreading strife among the brethren.  This person is one who either learns of strife - or is causing it.  He is not content though we knowing it himself.  He becomes the ultimate evangelist for strife among the brethren.  He wants to see as many people upset and involved in this strife as possible.  It should be no small wonder to us then that God does not say, "Blessed are the strife-makers."  He says just the opposite.  It is the peacemakers who will be called the sons of God.  When God could have magnified the ultimate strife of the universe in sin - He did not.  He chose to make peace through the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ.  Therefore it really should be no shock to us that He also hates those who go the opposite way - and spread strife rather than spread peace among the brothers.  We might need to remember this the next time we have a choice to continue a situation of strife and conflict - when we have an opportunity to bring peace instead.

Seven things God hates . . . it is a very sobering list.  There are some things like murder and wicked plans that we would fully expect to be on this list.  But other things that we tend to minimize tend to shock us here.  Some call lying just telling a little fib - or a white lie.  Others might not see spreading strife by gossipping to be something that is not the best - but certainly something that everyone does.  The fact is that when God calls these things the seven things He hates - we need to remember them - and then learn to hate them in our own lives as well.  That, my dear saints - is wisdom.

If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,"  Proverbs 1:11-14

Here is the call of the sinners who want to entice the godly son to come with them.  Solomon has told his son do not consent to go with these young men.  Let's take a closer look at their enticements today and hopefully learn wisdom from seeing why doing what they say is not wise.

First we see that they want to lay in wait for some pour soul from whom they want to take their life and possessions.  They evidently have marked someone and have plans to rob them and either kill them or harm them pretty significantly.  A couple of things we should note from this.  First of all that these people are not the kind of crowd you want to frequent if you are seeking to set your ways rightly in God's sight.  There are some folks who spend a good portion of their lives looking for trouble.  Here they want to ambush some poor schlub who has no idea what is about to happen to him.  Second, they want to attack the "innocent."  This is never a good idea if we read what God thinks about harming innocent people. 

These evil men want to swallow people up - like death itself.  This is not too difficult to see since these people seem to be motivated by death and hell itself.  This reveals a condition in their hearts that is truly evil.  It is as if they embrace death itself. 

This speaks to much of our entertainment industry today.  There is a whole genre of films today that glory in violence and destruction.  It really should not shock us that the same kind of violence also is permeating our society as well.  For years I've believed that the company we keep in the movie industry also has a great deal of influence in our thinking.  Will we rise up and kill someone because we watched a movie - probably not.  But the problem becomes that we are more and more desensitized to violence and evil behavior.  Either way, it is not wise to keep the company of the wicked - or the films that they make.  Just as a principle for future use - Jesus is preoccupied with life.  If someone is preoccupied with death, destruction, the place of the dead, and the pit - probably not someone you need to hang out with in life.

 Here we see the true reason for their violence - greed.  They covet what their victims have - and desire to use it to make themselves wealthy.  Their worldly-mindedness shows itself in their desire to have money, to have wealth, to have houses filled with the spoil they gained from the destruction of anyone who had what they wanted.  Their greedy appetite will be their eventual undoing.  God's Word makes it clear that you shall not steal - and those who choose to do so - will not prosper but will eventually face the jugment of God against their actions.

The enticement for the unwise young man is that they will all have one lot - and when the plunder is theirs - one purse.  They are putting themselves together for a common cause as well as a common financial stake in all that they were going to do.  What is NOT being said here is that they will also wind up sharing a common end.  Since they have embraced violence and death - destruction and the pit - it is only fitting that they will also embrace those things as their common end as well.  This is not an exciting lifesyle (although it may seem that way here on this earth).  It is a destructive one that will end in the destruction of the one who is walking in it. 

Here we have seen the way of sinners.  We have seen the way of those who live for their wealth and schemes to take from others so that they can be rich.  We have seen those preoccupied with death and destruction.  And hopefully - as we continue in another day to see what Solomon has to say about how unwise it is to live this way - we will see how as they open their heart to pour out death and wickedness, they will find that wickedness is poured to overflowing into their hearts as well.  Here is the height of foolishness - may God give us grace that we will not fall into the company or the ways of such fools.  May instead He give us a heart of wisdom.

  Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:15-16

There are times when you wonder about the providence of God.  These are times when you look at the wicked - how they strut about on the earth - and how they attack the righteous and seek to destroy them.  Asaph had one of these times in Psalm 73.  He struggled mightily with the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties and trials of the godly.  Yet in the end, when he considered eternity and the end of the ungodly, David returned to his sanity and found himself worshipping God - and pitying the wicked. 

Here we have a warning given to the wicked - or at least the wicked man who thinks he can destroy the godly.  He is warned not to lie in wait against the dwelling of the righteous.  Here we have someone who is planning to do something destructive.  The word used for "lie in wait" is a single Hebrew word that means to ambush, to lurk, or to lie in ambush as a military tactic.  In the military context it always has the meaning of also doing this for the purpose of killing another. 

I don't want to make you stay awake at night worrying, but there are very sinister forces today that are lying in wait against the righteous.  Radical Islam is one of them.  For years the 9/11 terrorists were waiting and training for their one day of evil.  It was spooky to say the least to learn just how long they were among us - acting like nothing was going on - and all the while they were planning the worst terrorist attack in history against us.  It was even scarier to read an article that listed the top 10 ways that Muslim terrorists were planning to attack us.  The article was written by someone from the homeland security department.  This list blew my mind because the attack that they are planning currently makes the 9/11 attacks look timid in comparison.  In addition to the threat from radical Islamic terrorists, there are also threats from the far left.  The radical homosexual movement wants to destroy conservative Christianity, making it illegal to hold views that are consistent with Scripture.  There are those among the religious and academic elites who think that Christianity should be relegated to the ash heap of ideas - with laws enacted and enforced to make sure this happens.  Like I said, this is disturbing to know - that there are those who are plotting and planning our demise. 

God warns such people that this is not a wise thing to do.  Remember saints, that God considers us the apple of His eye - and warns against those who would seek to harm us.  He warns that such things are very unwise and will elicit his judgment.  God warns specificially against seeking to destroy the "resting place" of the righteous.  It is true that some want to destroy our "physical" dwelling places - but there is also the fact that those who oppose us among academia and the marketplace of ideas - want to destroy the Biblical Christian worldview and the philosophy that goes along with it.  They fight us on the front of creation and science - saying that only their view is acceptable and that creation science is no science at all.  They fight us on the moral front, saying that our views on morality from a biblical standpoint are outdated and should be cast aside for more modern (read immoral here) standards, which wind up being no standards at all.  They fight us in the arena of human value - as they push abortion, euthanasia, and population control.  They fight us in the arena of God's purpose as they exalt the earth with their environmentalism - even saying that humans are a blight upon the planet and should be culled back from our current 7 billion to no more than 300 to 500 million people.  All these things are attacks on our "dwelling place" and "resting place" in the Lord God and in His Word as the ultimate source of truth. 

One could get the to the point of living in fear if he or she did not read the rest of this proverb.  The relentless attacks have not been just in this generation.  They have existed all throughout history.  Whether it has been the emperors like Nero, Diocletian, and Galerius or the attacks of the currently worldly educated like Darwin, Nietzsche, Hitchens, Harris and Freud, Christianity is amazing just for the fact that it is still around and still considered even a marginally valid worldview.  But it is far more that that.  The Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to transform millions every year - and provide for them a resting place for their faith and their lives. 

We should take heart though, because this proverb gives us great hope - even though we are beset on all sides by those who seek to destroy us.  God tells the wicked that even though a righteous man falls seven times - he will rise again.  We have the peace of knowing that He Who began this good work in us, will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.  He will not allow us to be destroyed and decimated.  Even in death His martyrs speak - and the blood of the martyrs becomes the seed of His church.  We may fall seven times - but He will pick us up and make us to stand because of His grace and work in us. 

But this proverb comes also with a warning.  The wicked are warned that they will stumble in times of calamity.  When difficult times come - when evil befalls because of their wickedness or because of God's judgment in their lives - they will stumble in it.  The word for "stumble" here means to stagger, to totter, to be brought down or cast down.  The word is used in the Old Testament to describe not just the fall of individuals, but the fall of cities and nations who fall because of the evil and wickedness that they've committed.  So we come full circle on this proverb to what I began saying in this article.  Asaph almost stumbled when he considered the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73.  But in the end, he remembered the judgment and the sovereignty of God.  He considered their end - and how they were consumed all at once in their wickedness and iniquity.  This moved him to two things.  First it moved him to worship God, who is truly sovereign over all things.  He worshipped God because he knew there was more to this life than - well, just this life here on earth.  In light of the fear and terror of God in judgment, he worshipped with trembling as he considered the end of the wicked.  Second, he was moved to pity and mercy towards the wicked.  Seeing their latter end, he pitied them and grieved over their destruction.  Finally, he was thankful for God's grace and love for him.

Here is wisdom . . . God is sovereign, even when it seems that the wicked are being destructive towards His people.  We should not stumble over this reality - but rather realize that God is working, even in the moments when it seems like the world is out of control - or even worse - under the control of the wicked.  Know this - God is working for His own glory.  If He used a moment as horrific as the cross of Christ to redeem the world - believe me when I say that He can also use anything to eventually bring about His will in this life. 

 

The violence of the wicked will drag them away, Because they refuse to act with justice. Proverbs 21:7

When a man is unjust an violent, he is headed for disaster.  Although at first it may look like his ungodly ways are a means of getting somewhere in life at first, his violence will eventually drag him down to destruction.  In today's proverb, God makes it clear that the violent man is headed no where fast - and that a life of injustice and wickedness will not prosper in the end.

The first half of today's proverb speaks of how the violence of the wicked will affect the wicked man.  We are told that his wickedness will drag him away.  The word for violence here can point to violence itself - but it can also mean robery and a whole host of other socially unacceptable behavior that causes havoc in people's lives.  The wicked think that they can use violence to get what they want.  The extreme examples of this are people who rob others violently - either beating their victims or even shooting them and killing them.  Their actions trigger a man-hunt that works to bring them to justice for their wrong.  In the end, their violence drags them away - and they are either arrested and sentenced to prison for a long time - or in some cases are killed while trying to be apprehended by the police.  Others violently misuse their power to gain things.  The number of CEO's that have gone to jail for abusing the law - and violently stealing the money from their clients and companies is too numerous to list here.  But one thing is for sure.  The violence of their wicked behavior dragged them down in the end. 

The whole problem with these individuals is that they refuse to act justly.  They ignore the laws of the land as if they are immune to them and to the consequences they promise.  They see them and may have even read them - but they think they are above them.  Their refusal to act with justice will destroy them.  That is how God has set things up in this world - that laws are given to identify lawbreakers and bring them to justice.  He even puts the rod and the sword into the hands of government to punish those who do wrong.  The truly wise man sees the laws of society and realizes they are there for the purpose of protecting and keeping people safe from the sinfulness of man.  He does not refuse to act with justice . . . he chooses a just and righteous lifestyle for the wise one knows that it is the way of life.