Proverbs 17:11-13, Evil and Folly are Close Relations!
November 10, Proverbs 17:11-13
Luke 6:27-36 “Evil is Hebrews for a fool.”
Evil and Folly are Close Relations!
These verses set forth Evil’s Fearful Description in three words. First,
1. Evil’s Guise: Satan does more harm in a sheepskin than in his lion skin (Mt. 7:15; Jn. 10:12)! Evil, like the serpent in Genesis, is a dangerous associate.
a. It is Fractious. An evil man seeketh only rebellion (vs.11). He is lawless. His purpose is to smash everything in his path that he does not like. His rebellion may be in a domestic or national setting (2 Sm. 15:12). It describes an unruly spirit, one who is against the law of God and man. John says, Sin is the transgression of the law (1 Jn. 3:4). It is lawlessness (Rm. 4:7, 15). Sin and lawlessness are interchangeable terms. It is the sinful rebellion of the will of man against the authority of God. God tells Ezekiel that Israel is a rebellious house (Ez. 12:2-3). So while some of the wicked may fear the law of the land, there is no fear of God before their eyes. They blatantly rebel against Him with defiance, but, “Satan and the messengers of Satan shall be let loose upon an evil man” (Henry).
b. It is Ferocious. This gives the picture of savage wrath let loose (vs.12). Here is the cruelty of fools. Even the rage of a mother bear, deprived of her cubs is preferable to meeting with a fool in his folly (2 Sm. 17:8; Hos. 13:8; Mt. 2:16). History is replete with examples of political tyranny and religious persecution. The emphasis here is not on the cruelty of the bloodstained warrior, or of the blindness of the religious zealot, but the cruelty of a fool in his folly. Such fools are always dangerous and most often destructive. They are irrational and irresponsible when uncontrolled temper takes over. They impose a mental and emotional burden heavier than any physical load. Arnot, over several pages, depicts the drunkard as the classic example of this fool. Oh! the homes wrecked, innocent children abused, defenseless wives driven to premature graves by the cruel madness of a drunkard father and husband. The rage of beasts is short lived compared to this on-going, mostly hidden, seldom exposed, domestic murder! Avoid the company of the furious man!
c. It is Fallacious. Whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house (vs.13). “Evil for evil is brutish, but evil for good is devilish. He that does so brings a curse upon his family” (Henry). “Evil for evil” we can understand, but evil for good revolts even sinful man. The ungrateful person is a false, heartless, ingrate. Is not ingratitude the most malignant of sins, the basest of vices? “No one ever owns it; even the devil would not defend it!” How base it must be when even sinners, and the devil himself, are revolted by it! Is not the worst ingratitude the continuance in unbelief of the gracious Gospel? Is not this rewarding evil for the Supreme Good (1 Jn. 4:10; 1 Pet. 3:9-12)?
Thought: “Evil enters like a fine needle, and spreads like an oak tree.”
Prayer: “Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”