Proverbial Wisdom – 6:12-19

Here is a description of worthless and wicked people: They are constant liars, signaling their true intentions to their friends by making signs with their eyes and feet and fingers.  Their perverted hearts plot evil. They stir up trouble constantly.  But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken beyond all hope of healing.

There are six things the Lord hates--no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.

Proverbs 6:12-19 (NLT)

Wow, this is a tough bible study. While it’s always fun to hear about God’s promises of blessings, it is never fun to hear about the consequences of sin. But let’s face it; if we do not accept Jesus Christ as both our LORD and Savior, then we may qualify as these worthless and wicked people who will be broken and destroyed.

Lord, help us to understand Your ways and may we always surrender our hearts, minds and souls to Your merciful refining fire. Amen.

It is important to know what God considers worthless and wicked. Then if we discover any of these behaviors slipping into our own lives, immediately we can stop, bow down, and repent. In addition, we should check the behaviors of our closest friends and make sure that none of them qualifies as worthless and wicked. “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!” (Proverbs 1:10).

Close friendships with worthless and wicked people can contaminate our Christian walk. We are set apart for our Lord and we are not to partner with the wicked world. Therefore, we must be careful whom we allow into our innermost circle of friends.

God says that worthless and wicked people constantly lie; they plan evil and they do evil. “How terrible it will be for you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry out any of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish. When you want a certain piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one's family or inheritance is safe with you around!  But this is what the Lord says: ‘I will reward your evil with evil; you won't be able to escape! After I am through with you, none of you will ever again walk proudly in the streets’" (Micah 2:1-3, NLT).

All I can say is that the end of the wicked will not be well! Let’s be wise and allow our fear of the Lord guide our tongues, our thoughts, and our actions. We must refuse all evil!

Now, let’s move on to look at the seven things that the Lord despises: haughty eyes, lies, murdering hands, evil plots, people who do wrong, false witnesses, and those who sow discord. Six of these things God hates and seven He despises. Thus, a life characterized by these behaviors will be a life that will face a terrible end.

One of the things that God hates is “hands that kill the innocent.”  This is a controversial topic in our world today.

Think about a few things. Do the hands that kill the innocent include ladies who have abortions? What about the doctors who perform the abortions, do they qualify as hands that kill the innocent? Could this even include the ones who decided that it was legal to kill innocent fetuses?  Maybe, it includes all the people who assist the doctors in performing abortions. What will we do if our government attempts to override our right to live by our Christian faith? That time is getting closer.

Not only must we refuse to do evil, but we should also hate evil. We, as holy children of God, must become so close to God that we love what is holy and we hate what is evil. Yes, I did say hate.

Too many times, we are tempted to put on a smug robe of self-righteousness. We may say that we are so much like God that we love everything. But that kind of statement only proves that we are not like God. If we were truly like Him, we would hate some things, and this lesson identifies some of those things that we should hate.

“You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else” (Psalm 45:7).

We are to love what is right, but hate what is wrong. David, a man after God’s own heart understood this and he said, “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride” (Psalm 101:3-5).

We made it through this lesson, maybe with a few cuts and bruises; nevertheless, we should be a bit wiser. We don’t have to be imprisoned by these types of wicked behaviors, because God has provided a way that we can be free. Moreover, if we wish to have eternal life in heaven with the Lord, we must be freed.

Have you been set free?

My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! ‘I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted.

Isaiah 66:2-3 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1. God considers some things worthless and wicked.

2. God hates and despises hands that kill the innocent.

3. There are things that we should love and things that we should hate.

Proverbial Wisdom – 1:10-19

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Proverbs 1:10-19 (KJV)

Last week, I compared the pathway of evil to a steep slippery slope. Once you begin down the slope, it is almost impossible to stop and go back up. Evil seems to take on a life of its own.

Before a man does evil, usually deep within his heart, he feels a few twinges of guilt. His conscience says, “Don’t do this wicked thing.” Nevertheless, he refuses to listen. His cold, hard heart attempts to justify his evil intentions. He may even project his guilt onto his victim, saying that it is the victim’s fault.

Sometimes, as strange as it may seem, an evil man may resort to doing more evil just to prove that he was right. At least in his own twisted mind, he thinks that he is proving that he was right. But no matter how hard he tries to cover up his wrong, his wrong will never be right because wrong will always remain wrong. Right? (I couldn’t resist that little tongue twister.)

In this world, there are evil people everywhere who are waiting for an opportunity to entice you into their wicked schemes. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from falling victim to their conniving tongues, you must resolve in your heart and mind that you are going to serve God, no matter what.

Be wise and arm yourself in advance by practicing saying “NO”—no to drugs, no to violence, no to lies, no to deceit, no to all evil.

God is omnipresent…He hears your words, He sees your actions, and He even knows your thoughts.  Nothing is hidden from Him; therefore, if you do evil, He will know. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Verse 10).

Genesis 39:7-10 tells us that Joseph was enticed by Pharaoh’s wife. She tried to seduce Joseph, but he wisely refused her advances. “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Verse 9). Joseph knew that sin is not only a sin against its intended victim, but it is also a sin against God.

You do not want to sin against God! No one has ever battled against God and won…it is impossible. Learn from this week’s lesson and run from all evil (Deuteronomy 13:6-8, Psalms 50:18-19, Ephesians 5:11).

Satan is a like a roaring lion who walks about waiting to pounce and devour (1 Peter 5:8). So is the wicked man.

A wicked man roams about searching for an innocent victim to devour. In his wickedness, he desires worldly riches at the cost of his soul (Psalms 10:8-9). He may target you as a partner in his crime, telling you how this joint venture will be to your benefit. Don’t fall for his deceit (Jeremiah 5:26-27).

If the wicked man says, “This plan cannot fail and we will get rich,” run away. Do not collaborate with the ungodly…you just might become trapped and destroy your own soul (Psalms 1:1, 2 Corinthians 6:15-17).  

“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:7-8).

The wicked take pleasure in sin. They do not know peace and they cannot even comprehend the word because it is foreign to them. All of their ways are crooked, and as such, their lives are filled with turmoil.

The evil man waits to ambush and destroy his victim, but ultimately, he is awaiting his own destruction.  Compare that to a wise bird. The bird sees a trap being set to capture it, but in its wisdom, it flies away. The evil man sets a trap to capture his victim, but in his foolishness, he is the one that is caught in his own trap. He has ambushed his own soul through hardening his heart and deafening his spiritual ears.

One last thought. People will entice you into collaborating with them in their wicked schemes, perhaps even promising you riches beyond measure. Quick…Runaway! Greed is a powerful sin and it will destroy the hearts, minds, and souls of its victims. “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word” (Psalms 119:101).

So, be careful little mind what you think…Oh, be careful little hands what you do…There’s a Father up above, and He’s looking down in love, so be careful little saint what you do.

 For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  Run away from anyone who entices you to do evil.

2.  The evil man sets a trap and ambushes his own soul.

3.  Greed is a powerful sin that ensnares many.