Proverbs 17:11-13, Sin Will Out!

November 11, Proverbs 17:11-13

Matthew 23:23-29 “Evil for good was Adam’s sin.”

Sin Will Out!

We presented Evil’s Fearful Description yesterday. Now we are duty bound to reveal Evil’s Frightening Destruction. We call this Evil’s Grief.

2. Evil’s Grief for grief it brings and to grief it must surely come. Evil cannot be conquered by evil, but it can be overcome by good (Rm. 12:21).

a. An Inflexible Revenger: A cruel messenger will be sent against him (v.11). He is the bearer of judgment to the sinner. We have had the word cruel before (1:9, 11:17, 12:10). This messenger is “the stern implacable minister of the rebel’s doom” (Perowne). If this all seems too severe, remember Samuel’s words to a king. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (1 Sm. 15:23). Again we find here the general principle that “grief comes to those who sow evil and graces to the good.” You reap what you sow, or “if you play with fire, expect to get burned.” This fierce, inflexible revenger is sent by the Lord as His Minister of Justice. He can strike at any moment, from any place. He is as close as the sinner’s shadow, as venomous as a cobra’s sting (v.13), and more cruel than an angry bear (v.12)! What a description! Make no mistake, God has innumerable messengers of justice to do His bidding. They come as beasts or men, disease or death, angels or devils (2 Cor. 10:14-15). No wonder we are urged to Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 3:3), and to Flee from the wrath to come (Lk. 3:7).

b. An Incessant Reminder: Evil shall not depart from his house (v.13). It will sometimes be felt even unto the children’s children! It is there as an incessant reminder. Ingratitude brings its own fierce vengeance. It is ugly in essence, and infinite in its issue. Someone put it, “Sin is hell twisted together.” When it is exposed, it can aptly be described as “gangrene of the heart” (Isa. 1:5-6). Paul warns Timothy of the word that doth eat as a canker, a gangrene (2 Tm. 2:17). The sinner not only injures himself, but his own house as well. In the very place where he lives, God’s messenger does not just visit occasionally. He takes up permanent residence. He that kicks against the pricks is waited for of the sword. The sword did not depart from David’s house because of his sin against Uriah. What pathos and tragedy do those words contain, His blood be on us and our children (Mt. 27:25)? How they must haunt the dispersed of Israel. And what of you who have heard the “Joyful Sound, Jesus Saves” and yet remain “strangers to grace and to God”? Are not many of you as guilty as was Israel of old? Paul cries in warning, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! For our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 10:31, 12:29). Without question, God’s justice is simply the activity of His holiness. Make your peace with God now, if you have not already done so. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).

Thought: “Nothing will stop your song quicker than your sin” (Anon).

Prayer: “Dear Lord and Father… forgive my foolish ways.”