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Wednesday 12/10/25
Thru the Bible: Proverbs 24
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These are also the sayings of the Wise…
Proverbs 24:1-34,
“(1) Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, (2) for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.
(3) By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; (4) by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
The key words here are “knowledge” and “filled”.
The word “knowledge” here is identified as that by which the rooms of a house are filled with “all precious and pleasant riches”. This is a feminine noun learning, discernment, insight, and notion.
In this verse in Proverbs 24:3-4, it is the third word in a chain of three words describing the building of a house by wisdom, the establishing it by understanding, and finally, the filling of the rooms of the house by knowledge.
The word “filled” can mean to completely fill, to reach a finish point or to satisfy. Since the
word can carry the idea of bringing something to its intended capacity so that nothing is lacking, this has led some modern translations to use a more dynamic English equivalent to capture the intended image:
Translations such as the (KJV, NASB, Holman, ESV & JPS) use “filled“.
Other translations such as the (GNT, ISV, MSG) use “furnished” because it better conveys the act of putting many valuable things into the rooms, rather than just filling an empty void like a container of water.
Typically I’d be inclined to go with the NASB, Holman or ESV, but in this case I don’t think it makes much sense and in some ways presents knowledge as a means towards excess.
Additionally the words “precious” and “pleasant” are not necessarily words of objective wealth for they can be used subjectively. This would make sense since the decor of a house is a very subjective thing.
Dr. Warren Baker and Dr. Eugene Carpenter states in their dictionary of Hebrew terms that the term riches or treasures is primarily used in the scriptures poetic wisdom literature and that it refers to goods or wealth that are sufficient or enough. Others say it typically is used to represent sizable wealth, and in certain contexts it refers to goods or wealth that are sufficient or enough.
My inclination is this – there are many wise people who possess knowledge and yet have little wealth. So either this passage is referring to sufficient goods of subjective value, OR it is saying that monetary treasures which last are not gained by fools or theft, but through wisdom. So that wisdom in certain people may indeed fill the rooms of a house with treasures, but that such is not always the case.
“(5) A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, (6) for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
“(7) Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.”
“(8) Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. (9) The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.”
“(10) If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”
Though I do not honestly think this was the intention of Solomon in this place as in others, but reading verse 10 WITH verse 11 broadens the meaning and holds up as true across scripture.
“(11) Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”
Now I LOVE verse 12. Many times this has reminded and assured me of the character of the God we serve!
“(12) If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not He Who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He Who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not repay man according to His work?”
It is amazing to me how many times the scriptures offer us reason for hope in God’s lovingkindness but in the same breath reminds us of His justice.
This is necessary for us as humans because we tend to gather on one of two sides of extremes.
Some either take so much solace in God’s mercy as to deceive themselves into thinking they can abuse it.
OR
Others, who are so aware of God’s justice, that often reminders of His powerful mercies are a genuine lifeline to their souls which tend to drown in wallowing and fear.
Exodus 34:6-7,
“(6) The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed:
“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, (7) keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.
But He by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”
And perhaps one of the greatest examples of this in a context is found in Numbers 14:11-19,
“(11) The LORD said to Moses,
“How long will this people despise Me, and how long will they not believe in Me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them? (12) I will strike them with the pestilence, and I will disinherit them; I will make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!”
(13) Moses said to the LORD,
“When the Egyptians hear it – for you brought up this people by Your power from among them – (14) then they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among this people, that You, LORD, are seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night.
(15) If You kill this entire people at once, then the nations that have heard of Your fame will say,
(16) ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that He swore to them, He killed them in the wilderness.’
(17) So now, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have said,
(18) ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.’
(19) Please forgive the iniquity of this people according to Your great loyal love, just as You have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.”
As good as these references are, I almost don’t like to quote them due to almost certain need for explanation lest they be misunderstood as they often are!
This statement is repeated a total of 4 times in the Old Testament and is represented as the truth even under the New Covenant in its indirect references there in the books of Ephesians, Romans, Hebrew, 1 John & Revelation to offer just a few.1
The words “third and fourth generations” actually read differently in Hebrew. First off the word “generations” isn’t in the Hebrew, but was added to the English text for clarity. Also the same truth is stated in the 10 commandments with the additional line “to those who hate Me” as it does for those who love Him as found in Exodus 20:5&6.
The phrase “to those who hate Me” is an important qualification to the principle. The word translated “hate” can also be translated as “reject” and carries with it the idea of defiantly rejecting and opposing God as well as His word. Such people are doomed to pass on by example and DNA their sinful tendencies to following generations.
While there are a few general truths here I believe the primary one has to do with traits passed on from one generation to the next – one of which is blatant hostility towards God. These traits are real and even confirmed countless times being observed in the lives of genetic twins of parents they never met. In studies such as these they have observed a similar continuance through generations, theirs showing 4-5 generations. The specific behavioral traits being monitored may contribute to the generational difference.
It is important to recognize that these character and behavioral traits are not railways with no exits. There is still the responsibility of individual choice, which is why the statement in the 10 Commandments contains the phrase “of those that hate Me.” This very likely suggests that this is true in those future children and grandchildren who follow in the misguided footsteps of their parents which is a real and genuine possibility. I will add one more piece of information regarding this from modern research which accords with scripture as well. One of the factors which contribute to many of these generational behavior traits persisting is because those with the predisposition tend to feed their predisposition by choosing environments suited to it. This is referred to as genetic amplification and is precisely what it sounds like. You have a disposition or tendency inherited genetically but this is both kept alive and amplified by gravitating to environments which accommodate or even exacerbate them. IF a person chooses to distance themself from such external influences, their tendencies often dissipate with time.
For example we know from scripture as well as personal experience that those who are righteous do not always have children who love God. The same is true for those who reject God. Nothing in these verses remove either the responsibility or possibility of free will!
All of that side journey just to make the point that God knows what we do in ignorance and what we do with eyes wide open. He bears these truths in mind and judges us accordingly and with as much mercy as He may justly afford us.
“(13) My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. (14) Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
The Hebrew word ṭôb (טוֹב) translated here as “good” has a dual meaning. It means both “good to the taste” and “good for you” in a general sense of benefit and value.
The verse uses this dual meaning to draw a parallel with the wisdom mentioned in the connected and following verse 14.
Good to the taste: The word ṭôb (טוֹב) in this context is immediately followed by the clarification in the second part of the verse, “and the honeycomb, which is sweet (mâthôwq) to your taste“. This places an emphasis on the sensory experience of honey on the pallet. In the ancient east honey was a highly valued delicacy.
Good for you: The broader meaning of ṭôb (טוֹב) includes the notion of a person’s physical welfare, including even prosperity, benefit, and moral good.
In the ancient world, honey was also known for its medicinal and nutritional value.
Taken together, these two verses function as an analogy which leads into the truth represented. Just as honey is both good to the taste and is physically beneficial, so is the knowledge of wisdom for the soul. Wisdom brings both immediate satisfaction to the heart (it is “sweet to your soul”) and long-term benefits of welfare and hope (“then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off“).
“(15) Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; (16) for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”
When taken together like this, as it appears it was intended – it yields a different teaching than I’ve often heard for verse 16.
Most often verse 16 is used in reference to sin – that a righteous person might fall (as into sin) but will not remain there. Because the overarching expression of their character is bent towards righteousness, they will in fact get up, dust themselves off and continue their race in honor and fear of God. While this IS in fact true and a wonderful secondary truth to be extracted from this verse, it is NOT its primary or intended meaning.
Clearly the proverb is a warning to the wicked to do the righteous no harm, but rather consider the outcome of their lives and turn from your wickedness. The righteous, if the victim of wicked schemes, may temporarily lose a battle, but the greater war will be their victory. The wicked however, when they fall it is severe and often to total calamity.
Now the next two verses should also be read along with verses 15 & 16, but I did not want to bite off more than I can comment on without losing you.
The advice in verses 15-16 is to the wicked. The following is primarily to the righteous (though it applies to the wicked as well).
“(17) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, (18) lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”
God calls His children to a higher standard. When the aforementioned wicked do actually fall to their calamity – do not rejoice in it. This is NOT like God and therefore should not be a character of those who call Him Father! As Jesus revealed on what is often called His ‘Sermon on the Mount’, we see the intentions of God behind His commands and they include the heart. The command is to not murder, but more importantly we are not to hate which leads to murder. The command is to not steal, but more importantly is to not covet in the heart what belongs to your brother. In like manner, we ought not rejoice in our hearts at the fall or calamity of the wicked. If we do, know that God is watching and will be displeased and may turn His anger from the wicked, redirecting it back towards you in Chastisement!
I like the notes of the New English translators on verse 18 in that it brings out an exceedingly important point which redirects the heart towards the fear and respect of God,
“His judgment is not to be taken lightly, or personalized as a victory. If that were to happen, then the LORD might take pity on the enemies in their calamity, for he champions the downtrodden and defeated. These are probably personal enemies…the imprecatory psalms [those that invoke evil, curses, or divine wrath upon someone],and the prophetic oracles present a different set of circumstances for the downfall of GOD’S ENEMIES – even the book of Proverbs says that brings joy to the community.”
This is an important truth and one I wish I had uncovered as we were going through the Psalms. I had taught you that many of these Psalms need to be brought under the New Covenant for modern readers, since we are called upon to bless our enemies and never curse them. However, it seems that at least some of the Psalms were not referring to the personal enemies of the Psalmist, but those who were the enemies of God. These are treated differently as we saw earlier in the multigenerational judgment of Exodus 34 and Numbers 14. This is a very good distinction of which I am now very glad to be privy!
You see, none of us ever truly stop learning!
Now in keeping with one of the things mentioned in the notes of the New English translation is this idea J. Vernon McGee offers. It too is a keen insight,
“When you hear that something bad has happened to someone you haven’t really liked very much, don’t you say,
“I’m glad that happened to him?”
Now, don’t tell me you have never said that, because human nature is like that. If you haven’t said it, you’ve thought it. God says,
“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.” That is not the way to solve the problem.
Why?
“Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and He turn away His wrath from him [Proverbs 24:18].”
If you rejoice when your enemy falls, the Lord may turn around and start prospering that man. Then you really will be miserable. So there is a very practical reason for not rejoicing when your enemy falls.
Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked [Proverbs 24:19].
You may think, We have just read that. Yes, it is the same thought as verse Proverbs 24:1 of this chapter. Then why is it repeated?
Again, it is to show us how important this is. The Lord wants us to learn this!”
“(19) Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, (20) for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Now verses 21-22 I have pushed and shoved into your consciousness for years now from various places in scripture so I will just read them, knowing you are familiar with the wisdom they give!
“(21) My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, (22) for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?”
The wise among God’s children will not read those verses with a “but” – they will simply obey!
“(23) These also are sayings of the wise…
- Partiality in judging is not good.
- (24) Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, (25) but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.
- (26) Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.
- (27) Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.
- (28) Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
- (29) Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
- (30) I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, (31) and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. (32) Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. (33) A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, (34) and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”
Reference:
- New Testament Connections:
- Matthew 10:32-33 & 2 Timothy 2:10-12 Those who confess Him now on earth before men He will confess in association and relationship before the Father and the angels, but those who deny Him He will deny in like manner.
- Ephesians 1:7 & Romans 3:24-26: Speak of redemption and forgiveness through Christ, reflecting God’s merciful nature.
- 1 John 1:9: Assures forgiveness for those who confess their sins, linking to God’s forgiving character.
- Romans 9:22-23: Discusses God’s patience with vessels of wrath and His mercy, aligning with the tension in Exodus 34:7.
- Hebrews 12:29: Echoes the idea that God is a consuming fire, acknowledging His judgment, as mentioned in Exodus.
- Revelation 2 & 3 in Jesus’ strong and even severe warnings to His churches in Asia.
In essence, the New Testament emphasizes the mercy aspect of God’s nature described in Exodus 34:7 and Numbers 14:18, often through the lens of Jesus’s atonement, while still acknowledging His holiness and justice – that it will not endure blatant rejection in word, deed or even in being lukewarm.
Blessings!
