Proverbs 24:7

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:7, “Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.” This verse is talking about one of the practical consequences in life of being a fool: you will not be advanced and will not attain to the positions that others will gain who are wise. The phrase “in the gate” refers to those who are respected and honored and are listened to. Who wants to listen to a fool? That is why we turn off the main stream news and the dividers.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:8, “He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.” We are all sinners. We are weak, and we fail easily. That is why Jesus told us in the Lord’s prayer to ask God for help to avoid temptation. But verse 8 is not talking about our common sinfulness and weakness. It is talking about the kind of people who actually plot and plan to sin. Such people have really gone over the edge. They have become truly wicked people.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:9, “The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination for men.” The first part of this verse is expressing the Biblical principle that sin is in the mind and heart and not just the actions. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” One of the sins of the heart, mind, and attitude is that of a “scorner.” Governments must punish wrongdoing. But God loves everyone and so should we on a personal level. Every person was created in the image of God. Every person has been gifted by God in some way. Therefore, anyone who is a “scorner” of his fellow men has departed a long way from how God wants us to be.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:10, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” There will be a day of adversity. That is the nature of the life that we live on this earth. All human beings have adversity, opposition, enemies, hardships, sorrows, ruined hopes and ruined dreams. Paul looked at his life and said in First Corinthians 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” One of the things that an adversity or a trial will show you is how strong you really are. God’s will is that you grow in strength as a human so that nothing can bring you down. One of the advantages of being a Christian is that we have the Lord Jesus to rely on. Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:11-12, “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;[12] If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” This verse is about man’s responsibility to man. Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes, we are. That truth becomes even more applicable once you become a believer in Jesus. Your soul gets saved through faith in Christ, and so what about all the other people who are not yet saved? Who is going to tell them? It says at the end of Romans 10:14, “…how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:13-14, “My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:[14] So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.” These are two more verses that tell us the goodness and the value of getting wisdom. Just like honey is sweet to the taste, wisdom will be sweet to the soul and to your life. There will be a “reward” for those who find wisdom. The reward will be all of the good consequences that will flow from wisdom for the rest of your life.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:15-16, “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.” This is a warning to the people who do not know the Lord Jesus as Savior. If you are wise, you will want to be on the winning side. Guess who is going to win in this competition of good against evil? It is not the evil ones. One of the benefits of being a believer is that even if you fall, the Lord will help you back up. The Lord will give you another chance. The Lord will forgive you. Even if you lose everything like Job did, the Lord can turn things around and put you back on top. All believers will be on top eventually. We will judge the world. We will inherit the earth and reign with King Jesus.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:17-18, “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.” If you punish your enemies, why should God punish them? God decides who deserves what punishment and when. Of course, this is talking about personal relationships. Governments and courts must hand out punishments to offenders in the community.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:19-20, “Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” The amount of time that we live on the earth compared to eternity is a very short time. Christians know this, and so we should keep things in perspective. Many of the things that people seek after are of little importance and will pass away. Therefore, when the evil and the wicked seem to prosper, think about their final and permanent destiny. That is why we need to pray for them and pity them. They will not be in heaven: “the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” Remember what Jesus taught about a particular rich man who was evil. Jesus said in Luke 16:22-23, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; [23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:21-22, “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?” God has created a system for this world that includes a hierarchy. The Lord is at the top, then the government authorities in all of its levels starting with “the king.” Rebellion against the constituted authorities is a great sin. It says to Christians in Romans 13:1-3, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. [2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.”

There is an interesting phrase at the end of Proverbs 24:21: “meddle not with them that are given to change.” For example, in America our forefathers gave us a tremendous foundation for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and for a limited government. We have a constitution that our forefathers gave to us to follow so that we would not lose our freedoms and so that we would not be ruled by an out-of-control and oppressive central government. Unfortunately, human beings have always had a lust for dominance and control similar to Nimrod who established the first city-kingdom of Babylon. Unless we get back to following the intent of our founders, we will lose all of our freedoms. What has put our freedoms at risk: those who “are given to change.”

In the area of official Christianity we see the same negative consequences of those “that are given to change.” The apostles and other Christians of the first century gave us the New Testament by means of the Holy Spirit using them: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Using scribes, God perfectly preserved the scriptures so that all generations would have the true and perfect Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 13:31, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Over the centuries God has blessed various translations of His Word. For example, even before the first century a Greek translation of the Old Testament was created that God blessed and used. It is called the Septuagint. The old King James translation into the English language was completed in 1611. One of the reasons that this translation was so good was that it was based upon The Greek Textus Receptus, a compilation of the best Greek manuscripts that were known in the 16^th century. We should prefer using the King James translation of 1611 because it is based upon a literal translation from the Greek, because God used it abundantly for hundreds of years proving God’s blessing upon it, because it is based upon the Textus Receptus, and because some things are best not to change as signified by the spiritual truth: “meddle not with them that are given to change.” One source of the concept of discarding the King James translation comes from the unbelieving modern theologians. God does not change His Word, but man tried to deny it and to change it. Using the old King James translation is a testimony to the truth that God’s Word never changes.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:23, “These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.” God loves everyone. God treats everyone equally. Jesus died for everyone on the terrible death of the cross. Everyone gets saved the same way by repenting of their sins and turning to Jesus and calling on His name. Everyone who is saved will live forever in heaven together as brothers and sisters in Christ. That is a lot of equality. Anyone who does not have a good view of the equality of human beings needs to grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. In order for our society to be a just and good society, it is especially important that the halls of justice do not have “respect of persons in judgment.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:24-25, “He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him. [25] But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.” The truth is the truth. Good is good and evil is evil. God wants people to be against the evil and for the good. Anyone who gets that out of order becomes evil themselves. We see this type of error taking place in several things in our society. We see it in politics. We see it with celebrities, and we see it with sports figures sometimes. Sin is sin, and it should be identified. One of the responsibilities of preachers and other believers is to tell the truth at all times. You shall know them by their fruits. If someone does wrong, then that should not be covered over. The wrong-doing should be called for what it is. It should receive its proper “rebuke.” Good people will always hunger for truth, and therefore will always hate it when this principle is violated.

The Bible says in Proverbs 24:26, “Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.” This verse emphasizes the importance and the good result of having the right words to say for a given situation. What a great value there can be with words. Words can comfort a grieving heart. Words can inspire someone to go out and accomplish a great deed. Words can reveal the great love of God. Words can bring peace. Words can heal a grievous wound of the heart. Words can bring the good news of Christ to a lost soul. A happy person you will be, if you say the right words. One of the values of coming to know Jesus as Savior is that you can start on a life where the Word of God becomes a part of your way of thinking, and if that happens, your daily conversation can contain the Word of God and the truth in just the right way and at just the right times, and you will learn to give “a right answer.”

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