Lessons from Proverbs - Lesson 120 - “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” Proverbs 24:17-18 “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” Proverbs 1:1 Let us glean from the wisdom the LORD gave to Solomon, 1 Kings 4:29, for the purpose of making application in our lives. Solomon said, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” Proverbs 24:17-18 Let us define “falleth”, and “stumleth”. “Falleth”, in the context of this verse means, “5. To die; particularly by violence.” And “stumbleth”, in the context of this verse means, “2. To err; to slide into a crime or an error.” 1611 King James Dictionary The teaching on the subject of not rejoicing when one’s enemy is “dying by violence and do not have a glad heart when he “errs” and “slides into crime” or “an error”, was taught in the Old Testament, here in Proverbs. What was the reason Solomon gave? It is because the LORD who sees all of what is done on earth, is displeased when His people rejoice over the calamity of their enemies. Solomon said, not only rejoicing over one’s enemy will displease the LORD, but He would turn away His wrath from the enemy. It is enough to win a victory over an enemy without rejoicing over the enemies destruction. By way of application, Jesus said, “ 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ “ Matthew 5:9-12 Jesus said, we receive God’s blessing as “peacemakers”: for we shall be called the “children of God.” Jesus also said we are blessed when “when men shall revile” us, “and persecute” us, “and shall say all manner of evil against” us “falsely, for His “sake.” When this happens, we are to “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is” our “reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before us.’ “ Along with this teaching from Solomon, he also taught the following, in this lesson; do not get your mind “agitated” because of evil mean, because they shall have no reward and their end will be having their candle put out; and “fear the LORD and the king”. Let us read our text, Proverbs 24:17-22, and then comment on it in more detail. Proverbs 24:17-22 “17 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. 19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: 20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. 21 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?” In verses 17-18 , Solomon said, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” Listen to what Paul, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, concerning what not to rejoice in and what to rejoice in. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, Paul devotes the whole chapter to what ia and what love does and does not do. “4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth:” By way of application, what helps with what Solomon said, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:” is knowing what Paul said, concerning how love keeps us on the right path, “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” and the truth of what Solomon said is this, be satisfied with the LORD dealing with your enemies and do not rejoice over the destruction of your enemies or have a heart that is glad when they stumble. In verse 19-20, Solomon said, “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.” “Fret” means, “3. Agitation of mind; commotion of temper; irritation; as, he keeps his mind in a continual fret.” 1611 King James Dictionary “Envious” is a “Feeling or harboring envy; repining or feeling uneasiness, at a view of the excellence, prosperity or happiness of another; pained by the desire of possessing some superior good which another possesses, and usually disposed to deprive him of that good, to lessen it or to depreciate it in common estimation.” 1611 King James Dictionary Solomon said do not allow yourself to get your “mind agitated” and your “temper in a “commotion”, i.e., “an agitated disturbance”, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, because of evil men, neither “harbor envy”, “repining or feeling uneasiness,” because of the wicked’s prosperity or their ill gotten feeling of happiness: For they shall receive no reward for their evil deeds; but rather their candle shall be “put out”, extinguished. By way of application, we are never to allow ourselves to get our minds agitated and lose our temper over what evil men do, and we are never to allow ourselves to envy what the wicked have; for they shall not receive a reward from the LORD, but rather their candle will be extinguished. in Verses 21-22, Solomon said, “My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?” “Meddle” means, “1. To have to do; to take part; to interpose and act in the concerns of others, or in affairs in which ones interposition is not necessary; often with the sense of intrusion or officiousness.” 1611 King James Dictionary “Calamity” means, “Any great misfortune, or cause of misery; generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evils, as loss of crops, earthquakes, conflagrations, defeat of armies, and the like. But it is applied also to the misfortunes which bring great distress upon individuals.” 1611 King James Dictionary Solomon told his son to “fear the LORD”, i.e., love Him, revere Him, revere His name, and revere His “Law”, respecting Him by obeying His “Law”, and fear the king, having respect unto him: and do not “intrude” “into the affairs” of those who are given to change, as in changing one king for another: for their ”misfortunes which bring great distress” to them “shall rise suddenly;” and who knows the ruin of those who “meddle” into the affairs of those “given to change”. By way of application, we are to love, honor, revere and respect the LORD and love, honor, revere, and respect His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, by obey His commandments, who is made a “surety of a better testament”. “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” Hebrews 7:22 What have we learned from Solomon? 1. (17-22) “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” Listen to what Paul, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, concerning what not to rejoice in and what to rejoice in. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, Paul devotes the whole chapter to what ia and what love does and does not do. “4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth:” By way of application, what helps with what Solomon said, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:” is knowing what Paul said, concerning how love keeps us on the right path, “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” and the truth of what Solomon said is this, be satisfied with the LORD dealing with your enemies and do not rejoice over the destruction of your enemies or have a heart that is glad when they stumble. 2. (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.” Solomon said do not allow yourself to get your “mind agitated” and your “temper in a “commotion”, i.e., “an agitated disturbance”, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, because of evil men, neither “harbor envy”, “repining or feeling uneasiness,” because of the wicked’s prosperity or their ill gotten feeling of happiness: For they shall receive no reward for their evil deeds; but rather their candle shall be “put out”, extinguished. By way of application, we are never to allow ourselves to get our minds agitated and lose our temper over what evil men do, and we are never to allow ourselves to envy what the wicked have; for they shall not receive a reward from the LORD, but rather their candle will be extinguished. 3. (21-22) “My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?” Solomon told his son to “fear the LORD”, i.e., love Him, revere Him, revere His name, and revere His “Law”, respecting Him by obeying His “Law”, and fear the king, having respect unto him: and do not “intrude” “into the affairs” of those who are given to change, as in changing one king for another: for their ”misfortunes which bring great distress” to them “shall rise suddenly;” and who knows the ruin of those who “meddle” into the affairs of those “given to change”. By way of application, we are to love, honor, revere and respect the LORD and love, honor, revere, and respect His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, by obey His commandments, who is made a “surety of a better testament”. “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” Hebrews 7:22 In conclusion, Solomon said, “ My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? Proverbs 24:21-22 Solomon told his son to “fear the LORD”, i.e., love, honor, revere and respect the LORD, by keeping His ‘Law and the king who has rule over you. Why? The LORD who is supreme must be loved, honored, and respected for He is our Creator and Savior, who gives us exceeding blessings and promises and the king is His minister to execute judgment and righteousness over his people. Jesus gave the explanation of who we should render dues to. Mark 12:13-17 “13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesars. 17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods. And they marvelled at him.” From this passage of Scripture we learn that our “Caesar” is the President of the United States, along with the Congress, who writes and enforces the laws of the land. We are to pay dues, i.e., taxes to our government, because they are the things the government requires of its citizens. Our taxes provide many different services, ranging from helping those in need, to providing a standing army to protect us from the tyranny of our enemies. Therefore, we are to render unto our government the things that are our governments and “to God the things that are God’s.” Paul, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, said there is no power but of God: because the powers that are in the world are ordained of God. Romans 13:1-7 “1 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: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are Gods ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Paul, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, gave the same explanation as Jesus did. The things that are God’s is all power and all of creation. That means that every leader of every government gets his power from God, thus making them God’s ministers, and anyone resisting the power of His ministers resists “the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” Paul goes on to explain that they are not a ‘terror to good works, but to the evil.” Paul asked, will you be afraid of the power of the ruler? “do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good.” But if you do evil, the minister of God does not bear the sword of punishment in vain: “For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that” does “evil”. Paul said it is necessary to be subject to the ruler, not only for the wrath that the ruler can bring, “but also for conscience sake. ”For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are Gods ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Paul backed up everything he said by being subject to the Roman rulers and operated within their framework and preached the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” throughout the world. His three missionary journeys are recorded in the Book of Acts. For Paul was a Roman citizen and knew the laws of Rome. When He was arrested, in Jerusalem, because the Jews demanded it, he was taken to Rome, where he was under house arrest. He did not resit the power of the Roman government, but rather continued to preach the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” from his Roman imprisonment. Jesus’ and Paul’s example is ever before us to “ Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods” as Jesus said; and “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”, as Paul said. Everything that we are and have, comes from God and therefore we should “render” our lives and things that He has given us to Him through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. References: King James Version Bible Gateway - Thank you for public access to Bible verses. By Public Domain 1611 King James Dictionary - Thank you for the definitions of “falleth, “stumbleth, “fret, “envious, “meddle, and “calamity. Merriam-Webster Dictionary - Thank you for the definition of “commotion”.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 21:27:01 +0000
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