Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 24:1-22: Rejoice Not When Your Enemy Falls

Solomon begins this section by warning against envying wicked people and emphasizes the value of wisdom and understanding. Solomon highlights the strength that comes from wise counsel and the importance of perseverance in adversity. These proverbs also caution against seeking revenge, underscore the significance of fair judgment, and stress the value of hard work. The section concludes with reminders of the consequences of injustice and the importance of fearing the Lord and respecting authority.

The Rev. Glenn Roseman, pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Franklin, NC, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Proverbs 24:1-22.

Step into the spiritually rich landscape of the Book of Proverbs, a text divinely inspired and attributed to Solomon, the sage king endowed by God with unsurpassed wisdom. This ancient scripture begins with heartfelt lessons from a father to a son, laying a foundation of moral and ethical guidance before unfolding into a collection of timeless proverbs. It uniquely personifies wisdom and folly as two paths that stand before humanity, offering a choice between a life filled with virtue, fear of the Lord, and understanding, and one marred by shortsighted pleasures and foolishness. Proverbs serves as a compass for those seeking to walk in righteousness, offering insights that resonate deeply with the human experience, guiding us toward a life of purpose and discernment according to God’s will.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Proverbs 24:1-22

24 Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
²for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble.

³By wisdom a house is built,
    and by understanding it is established;
⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled
    with all precious and pleasant riches.
⁵A wise man is full of strength,
    and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
⁶for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
    and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool;
    in the gate he does not open his mouth.

⁸Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
⁹The devising^[a] of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

¹⁰If you faint in the day of adversity,
    your strength is small.
¹¹Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
    hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
¹²If 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?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good,
    and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
¹⁴Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
    if you find it, there will be a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
¹⁶for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
¹⁸lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.

¹⁹Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
²⁰for the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
²²for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

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Footnotes

Proverbs 24:9 Or scheming

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.