A man of violence entices his neighbor And leads him in a way that is not good. Proverbs 16:29

This proverb has to do with those who are considered, "men of violence." It would be good to understand what this title or name means before we go further in understanding this particular proverb.

The "man of violence" is an interesting term - since this term is actuially used as the name for a terrorist group or organization. The word for violence is "hamas." The word means an action of violence or wrong-doing. The word implies cruelty, damage, and injustice. It is often coupled with words that speak of physical violence involving the use of a weapon - and is also used to describe acts of oppression and violence that could be described as extremely evil in nature and intent. Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament commentary on this verse mentions that the violent purpose behind such actions often included felonies, robbery, extortion, and even murder).

What I find fascinating is that this passage warns that this "man of violence" will seek to entice his neighbor to get involved with him and with his acts of evil. When caught this will mean that this neighbor will be an accessory to his crimes. That is why there is a warning to stay away from a man who is talking about such things.

Be careful WHO leads you - and know WHERE they are headed before you agree to go with them. The phrase, "A way that is not good," used here meand one that is in stark contrast to the good way - the way of God. We are also warned that it is altogether evil and destructive in where it goes.

One other thing I want to throw in at this point is a warning about a man who begins going down a path of anger. He will begin this path with passion and with many complaints against those whom he feels have not been fair with him. Since we are in a presidential election year - I want to offer some advice to all of us who are in the process of determining who will lead us for the next four years. I am very concerned with what our President is currently doing. There is a lot of time being spent dividing groups of people - the haves and have nots - the races - the religious and non-religious. A great deal of time is being spend whipping up a great deal of anger against various groups of people who are being painted as scape goats. No truly wise leader goes down this path. It is a path that will lead first to the marginalization of various groups - but will eventually go to the point of demonizing these groups. In the end - even violence will be permitted against these groups because they have become the enemy of a political party or candidate. This is also why I am leary of Governor Romney - and to some extent many on the Republican side of this equation. Too many are using negative attacks against their opponent - calling them names - and using political epithets that are not going to help calm our political discourse. As this verbal virtiol continues it will do NO ONE in our nation any good in the end.

A word of warning is wise at this point. We need to learn from history - that the way we are going - with men of violence starting their attacks with words - will only turn to eventual attacks physically upon others in the end. If we choose to ignore this now - we will only pay the price later when these men of violence entice us to act out upon those we think are responsible for our national demise - or honestly - our personal one. Very few of these men care anything about our nation - or else they would not turn to such godless ways. They would know that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. But then again when they turn to be men of violence they are only interested in themselves. In the end they will lead us in a way that is not good - and one that will only satisfy their own lust for power.

Wise men shun those who call for violence - in their words or in their deeds. They know that To be led by men like this is only to start down a path that is not in agreement with that of God our Father. They would choose instead to be sons of God - peacemakers if you will - whose greatest desire is to see peace exalted through the work of Jesus Christ. May God give us men like that to lead us!

Do  not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:31-32

Ours is a society that is enamored with violence.  We glorify it daily in our entertainment mediums - movies, television, magazines, books, and newspapers.  It is interesting that we also try to sit in judgment on cultures like Rome, saying that they were barbaric in their gladiator games and other forms of public violence.  Yet, if we were to look at what we do and how we consume it - there is little difference in our two cultures. 

God says not to envy a man of violence or to choose any of his ways.  The word for violence is very telling in this passage.  It is the word "hamas" in the Hebrew - and it means to do violence or wrong.  The word implies not just violence - but also cruelty, damage, and injustice as well.  We are to stay away from people who are like this - who are violent - and whose violence is manifested in being cruel, unjust, and in doing damage to that which belongs to others.

The reason some might "envy" this violent man is because of the gain that it brings him in the short term.  Think about the people who in history have gained money, influence, and power because of their violence.  Many of the world's most heinous dictators used violence to their advantage.  But Scripture tells us not to choose ANY of the violent man's ways.  This is because everything these men do is tainted by their violence.  This is why I've included verse 32 with verse 31.  There is another reason to reject the ways of the violent man - which is shown to us in verse 32.

The violent are also "devious."  The word devious here is the Hebrew word "luz" which means to be crooked or perverse.  God is telling us here that when a man is a violent man - he will also be a perverse or crooked man as well.  The idea behind this word is that being crooked and perverse is what a person is trusting in - as a way of walking through life.  This word is used in Scripture to describe those who are wicked, perverse, and who reject God.  They reject His ways - things like righteousness and truth - and choose instead to twist the truth to their advantage. 

When someone wants to trust devious and violent ways - they do not have a heart to seek God - or to learn from His Word.  They do not want to walk with Him.  That is why God says that these devious ones are an abomination to Him.  This is because they utterly reject Him and His ways.  We should also note the word, "for" that begins verse 32.  This links what is said here to the previous verse.  The devious are the violent ones - and the violent ones are those who function with a devious and God-rejecting mindset.  They choose violence and deceit because they do not want to trust God with their plans and purposes.  Since they do not have God's power at their disposal, they have to trust their own thinking (which is fatally flawed due to sin) and their own power. 

The last thing said in this verse is that God is "intimate" with the upright.  What a wonderful thought this is for us - that God is intimate with us when we walk in His ways and choose His paths.  The word "intimate" here actually means intimate counsel - and has the idea of being brought into a kind of inner circle where God shares His wisdom with us.  So God is promising us that if we reject the violence and deceit of this present world's ways - that God will bring us into the inner circle with Himself for the purpose of teaching us. 

This particular proverb is one we should consider - especially when we consider the way our current society is so enamoured with violence.  We see it in just about every form of entertainment we consume daily.  When there is not violence in a movie or television show - it is almost completely ignored.  We are inundated with violence - and the tendency is for this violence to more and more graphic in nature.  This is happening at a time when we are watching a corresponding decline in our desire for intimacy with God.  Is this just a coincidence - or - is it exactly what God is trying to get us to see in this proverb?    The more we embrace violence - the more we will embrace deception and a rejection of God and His ways.  The more we embrace violence - the less we will embrace God Himself - and with this we will also place a lesser value on the counsel of His Word.  May God bring to us a return to Him and a corresponding turn from loving violence.  Remember Jesus' name is the prince of peace - and His Word tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  (Matthew 5:9, NASB)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:11

God speaks a great deal about "a fountain of life."  That is why it is truly amazing to read that God says the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.  Let's take a look at what the Word says about being a fountain of life - and learn to embrace the wisdom of having our mouth be all that this means.

In Psalm 36:9 we read that the people of God are given the blessing of drinking the fill of God's presence in His house - and also to drink of the rives of God's delights.  These things are said to bring us to know that God is the fountain of life.  A second time in Psalm 68:26 God is called the fountain of Israel.  Thus we see that "a fountain of life" coming from our mouths is simply that we speak of the Lord and the things of the Lord.  This is confirmed further as we learn that Proverbs 13:14 tells us that the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life.  As we experience these wonderful words, they teach us to turn aside from the snares of death - the sin that can ensnare us and destroy us if left undealt with in life.  Proverbs 14:27 tells us that the fear of the LORD is a fountain of life - again telling us that when we live according to it, we will avoid the snares of death.  Proverbs 16:22 reminds us that understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it - keeping us from the discpline of fools. 

All these various statements tell us something wonderful.  To be a fountain of life - a righteous man or woman whose mouth flows forth with the blessing of God, we should strive to have all these things at work in us.  That means that we embrace God Himself as the source of all that we offer to others - all that we speak and say.  We know that God is also the one who allows us to teach and speak that life to others.  But as we do, we also fear God and embrace understanding things as He does - speaking them as He would speak them to us.  (Remember that the earliest definition of wisdom we had was that it was seeing things as God sees them.)  As we speak according to the fear of God - speaking with His understanding, His wisdom as we teach others - we will be not just a fountain of life - but a fountain that protects them from death - its snares and its lies. 

The opposite of the fountain of life is what the mouth of the wicked offers to us.  The wicked is speaking - but he is speaking falsehood - and he is not offering to others a fountain of life.  What he offers is concealed violence.  Since selfishness reigns in his life - he doesn't have a desire for others to be blessed.  Deep down he wants what they have - he wants things for himself.  There is not a fountain that flows outward - in giving life to others.  He has a type of vortex that sucks all things toward himself.  And when things begin to move toward taking something from him, no longer making him the center of things - he responds with violence.  The example of this is best seen in the example of Saul.  When he realized that God was taking the kingdom from him and giving it to another - he became very paranoid . . . and very violent.  He watched as God blessed David - and it drove him crazy.  He tried to pin David to the wall with a spear - tried to kill him by the hand of the Philistines - tried to kill him in his bed even while David was married to his daughter - and when his son, Jonathan stood up for David, even tried to kill him by throwing a spear at him.  What flowed from Saul's heart was violence, even though he tried to conceal it with his mouth.  It was eventually revealed that he was filled not with love and live - but with violence and hate. 

What is coming out of your mouth?  Jesus let us know that what comes out of our mouths is what dwells in our hearts.  He desires for life to flow out of us - for blessing to be what is spoken as we speak.  But that will only happen as we embrace the righteousness that God offers to us in Christ.  The way that we receive "the mouth of the righteous" is by embracing the only One Who can make us righteous, Jesus Christ.  It is only as His life fills us through the Holy Spirit that we will have that mouth that blesses.  May God give us the wisdom to embrace Him - and in so doing - have Him gloriously transform our mouth to speak so as to give life and blessing to all who hear us.

Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.  So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 1:17-19

Why is it unwise to use violence to get what you want in life?  It is because although you may gain in the short term, you will lose bit time in the end.  Too many people live for the short term good - even if it results in harm over time.  This is why the godly father takes time to warn his son against using violence to get what he wants in life.

This dad uses a great picture to explain to his son why violence is not a good alternative to get ahead in life.  He speaks of how it is useless to set a net with bait right in front of the bird that you are wanting to catch.  The bird sees not just the bait, but more importantly the net.  As a result he will have nothing to do with the set up because he knows it is a trap.  This is a lesson from hunting 101 - and one that even those who know nothing about hunting can understand.  But then the father uses this very simple illustration to prove a very important point to his boys.

When someone uses violence to get what he wants, he is not lying in wait for the other person as much as he is lying in wait for his own life.  Sure in the short term he may attack a few people, spill some blood getting what he wants, and get a little gain.  But in the long term he is only setting a trap for himself.  Worse that this he is setting his own trap right in front of his own face - and not realizing it.  He is setting a trap for his own demise and destruction.  It sounds pretty silly that someone can set a trap for themselves and ambush their own lives - but that is exactly what this young man is doing. 

The father then ties this lesson up for his son by telling him that this is what is happening when someone wants to gain by violence.  It may get him something immediately, but it will take away his life when it is all over.  This father is teaching his son something that is absolutely essential to living a life of wisdom.  It is the lesson that the quick way to something is most often the unwise way to it.  This is especially true when this quick way causes us to disregard Scripture - and walk in a way that is contrary to godliness.

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.

Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger. Proverbs 29:8

As I sit here are write this day's "Little Bit of Wisdom," I am in a local bookstore in front of the political section.  No place is really a better example of our proverb today that this section.  Scorners in America are setting our nation aflame.  Hopefully before our nation bursts into a conflagration of mutually hated political groups - racial groups - and economic groups, we will have wise men rise up who will turn away our anger and propose solutions for our nation - without all the incindiary rhetoric.

The scorner is the one who is causing so much harm in this proverb.  The Hebrew word used here is "lason" and it means a scoffer, a mocker and refers to someone who is foolish, arrogant, and who believes their own bragging talk.  Elsewhere in the Scriptures this one is referred to as a babbler.  Their lack of wisdom from God makes them think that they themselves are god.  Thus they begin to consider themselves infallible on certain matters.  Their lack of any Biblical wisdom also means that they have a worldview that is based out of a fallen, selfish, God-despising heart.  They laugh and scoff at the 10 commandments - and think that life is far better without the Word of God clouding their minds and thinking.  These men come up with philosophies that reject God, exalt man - and that in the end encourage sin and wickedness.  Their scorning talk about God and how life should be - sets the city on fire.  What is meant here is that they inflame the minds of the people against God and His ways.

As history progresses we watch God rejected - and the world set on fire again and again with philosophies that bring destruction to mankind.  Darwin's theory of orgins that rejects God seems innocent enough - but the philosophies that degenerated out of it have caused great destruction.  Adolph Hitler took Darwin's theory seriously and came to believe that the Germanic people were the super-race.  The logical conclusion of Darwinian origins was that survival of the fittest required the destruction of the weaker and less desirable elements of the world so that the next step of evolution could come unhindered.  That kind of "inflamed thinking" led him and the leadership in Germany to systematically murder over 6 million people.  In the African continent we've watched in horror as philosophies and the inflamed rhetoric of national and racist pride have led one tribe and ethnic group to practice an ethnic cleansing of another group which they hate.  The ensuing slaughter that took place in the name of ethnic pride was nothing short of a nightmare.  When men reject God and His Word - bad things happen.  When the hiss of their viper-like philosophies begins to catch the world around them on fire - the end game makes for destruction on a scale that is hard to comprehend. 

Wise men know that such passions are rottenness in men's bones.  Their desire is to be the sons of God who are peacemakers.  They seek to turn away wrath - knowing that these passions when loosed are like pandora's box.  They are difficult, if not impossible to recapture.  All of Europe was set on fire by the twin philosophies of Nazism and Facism.  The world has yet to see the full damage that has resulted from the godless political philosophy of Communism.  Wise men will do all that they can to expose these false philosophies for what they are - the dangerous fires of scoffers who desire to set an entire city - if not an entire country aflame. 

There is an ultimate end to the scorner's tale.  Their will be an eternal fire that will burn the adversaries of God.  The ultimate scorner, Satan himself, has be behind the carnage that is produced by rejecting God and His Word.  He started it all with the question, "Has God said?" in the garden - and has been asking that question to the sons of Adam ever since.  All their wicked philosophies are simply the lie he uttered to Eve when he said, "You will not die!"  He has sought to inflame minds to think that God is withholding something from them when He forbids sin.  Countless billions have listened to his lies - and unfortunately they will be ultimately set afire for eternity in the lake of fire for their rebellion.  But . . . a wise man will turn away wrath.  Mankind deserves the wrath of God that will come for their rebellion.  But the Lord God has provided a way of salvation in Jesus Christ.  He has poured out wrath on His only begotten Son - having Him bear the wrath and punishment on the cross.  He died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day - all according to God's wise plan to turn away wrath.  Now, truly wise man take the good news of that truth - of that infinite mercy - and proclaim a provision of grace to rebels.  These wise men - as they watch the Spirit of God convict men of their sin - show them Jesus Christ - and grant them repentance and faith - turn away wrath one person at a time.  May God increase their number among mankind - and may the flames of the scorners be put out in the minds of those who are granted that His glorious grace that comes through Jesus Christ His Son.

He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish. Proverbs 22:8

The other day something truly amazing happened.  I had planted a batch of tomato seeds, and after a couple of months I went out and harvested a whole bucket full of orages from the vines that grew there.  Now if you are someone who is even the least bit familiar with agriculture, you know that this last statement was false.  If I planted tomato seeds into the ground - the only thing I will harvest from them is tomatos.  There is an unbending principle at work here - whatever you sow is what you will reap.  That principle is what is at the core of what is taught in today's proverb.

Here we have a man who is sowing iniquity.  The word used here is a pretty tough word.  It means unrighteousness, injustice, or wrong.  This doesn't sound too bad until you begin to look a little deeper into the word and its usage.  It is used to describe violent injustice and outright wickedness.  Keil and Delitasch state that this word means, "unsympthizing tyranny, cruel misconduct toward a neighbor."  It describes the actions of one who wants the person who feels his wrong to feel the fury of his anger.  The second half of this proverb makes that clear.  The iniquity that he is sowing is manifest in the "rod of his fury," which is felt by those unfortunate enough to be his victims.  These kind of actions are usually those of a despotic king - or a person who is misusing their authority. 

When one sows like this - they are going to reap vanity.  The word for vanity here is the Hebrew word "aven" which means emptiness or nothingness.  It can also mean sorrow, trouble, evil, or mischief.  The idea here is that this despotic individual thinks he is going to reap the power of his authority - when in reality he is going to reap nothingness.  The thought behind this nothingness is that of utter destruction.  We've watched as this has happened right before our eyes.  Saddam Hussein thought he was building an empire - but what he received in the end was a rude awaking in a hole - and the end of a hangman's noose.  The Word of God warns in Galatians 6:7 that God will not be mocked - whatever a man sows he shall also reap.  If he sows to the flesh, as he is here, he will from the flesh reap corruption.  No one can outrun the hand of God and the principles upon which the Lord has founded this world. 

The wicked man thinks that the rod of his fury will make others bow down and obey him.  He rules only with fear - and trusts that fear alone will bring him the results that he desires.  But the proverb tells us that this man - after all his furious tiraids - will perish.  All his fury will do for him is ensure that his place in history is set as a terrible ruler or leader.  His memory will not be blessed - men will curse it and use it as a byword.  They will remember him not as a wise man - but as a fool.  There lies the man who thought he could rule the world through wickedness and through fear.  No one fears him now - and what awaits him is the utter vanity for which he worked.  Having spent his life living for himself and for his own arrogant pursuits - he will die facing the fury of the One before Whom he will stand and give an account for his actions.  Having rejected His love and His offer of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, unfortunately for him, the fury of God will never cease.

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.