Posted on 09/22/2022 7:08:36 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:17-18).
“Let not thine heart envy sinners,” if the young people have a failing, or a fault, this is it—it is easy to envy sinners. The world paints sin as the way to a happy life and the good life. All over the billboards the guy has a bottle of liquor and two beautiful women hanging off his arms. Buy this product and the women will find you irresistible. In advertising, illicit sexual adventure sells.
“. . . but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long,” now, the world laughs at such warnings. They picture Christians is the worst light possible, often having them clothed in the garb of puritans somehow to suggest that righteousness is so last century. Well, in Psalm 1:1-6, the Lord is going to destroy sinners. God hasn’t changed, righteousness hasn’t changed, and His judgment has certainly not changed: “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” (Psalms 1:5).
Don’t envy sinners. They may look like they have it all going for them today, but judgment is coming. Now isn’t all there is. Later is still on the way, and their later end is not at all pleasant. Now is just a short time, “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). What about eternity?
Just get the “fear of the Lord,” you just get good and scared of God, and you’ll always be in good company.
“For surely there is an end,” don’t envy sinners. Why? Because “there is an end.” At the end of the road, the wages of sin is death. There is an end. That’s how it turns out. Some people just have no concept of consequences.
“. . . and thine expectation shall not be cut off,” for the man that fears God and does right: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). Serve God, live right, and your expectations shall not fail.
The heart is guided by the reins of what we hear and what we believe, so he said, “guide thine heart in the way.” It is best that we let God be the guide on our heart. “Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.” The Word of God and the Holy Spirit should be those guides. If a man has the wisdom displayed in the Proverbs, he will be yielded to the Lord and to righteousness. Paul said, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (I Timothy 6:11-12).
We read earlier, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Keep your heart where? In the Book. Keep it right. Keep it in the church. Keep it around other committed Christian people. You can’t go wrong if you stay in the right way.
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Thank you for posting this. God bless!
Bump.
Glory to God and his word’s ! Thank you Pilgrim.
I’ve passed over these for some time but since I’m bored this morning I’ll throw out the question that always comes to mind when I see the titles... Profiting from the Proverbs... Doesn’t that include the entire church organization??
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