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“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked” – Part 1

(Pro 24:1-18)

[Study Aired January 8, 2026]

Why would we fret because of evil men, and why would we be envious of them? This entire chapter of Proverbs 24 gives us the answer to these questions, and will put us in remembrance of Christ who is building His temple, His body, the church (Psa 127:1), so that we can be strong against all the wiles of the devil (Eph 6:10-11) at the end of this age, our age, so that having done all we will be able to stand (Eph 6:12-19,  Mat 20:22-23, Mar 14:24-25).

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Eph 6:19  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Col 1:27, Luk 17:21)

Pro 24:1  Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Pro 24:2  For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

What an apt description of humanity throughout history, right from the get-go. We have learned of war, “studieth destruction”, and have waxed worse and worse, the sins of the Amorites being fulfilled “in the fourth generation”, the fourth symbolizing the whole of humanity that will come to this understanding of the warring nature of the beast we are (Gen 15:16, Ecc 3:18).

Our lips talk of mischief and witness against us for years until the day of evil that God created is revealed and we come into judgement which has begun on the house of God (Pro 16:4, 1Pe 4:17).

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

We are told to not be envious against evil men, because before judgement comes upon us that is exactly what we do; we are envious of their supposed wealth and we want to surround ourselves around those who are doing well in the earth (Psa 73:1-3).

Psa 73:1  A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel (Gal 6:16), even to such as are of a clean heart (Joh 1:47).
Psa 73:2  But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
Psa 73:3  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

All of this changes when we begin to be shown the man of perdition within our own hearts (2Th 2:2-4), who is being destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming into our heavens that are being cleansed so that we no longer “study destruction”, or “speak with lips of mischief”, no longer savouring the things of this world (Psa 73:3-9), but are blessed to have minds that are set on the things that are above and not on the earth (Col 3:2, Eph 5:2).

2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.(Mat 24:26-27 the brightness is lightning that represents God’s judgements in our heavens)
2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Psa 73:3  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (the one who prospers in the earth is the man of perdition who must be destroyed)
Psa 73:4  For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
Psa 73:5  They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Psa 73:7  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Psa 73:8  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
Psa 73:9  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling
savour.

Pro 24:3  Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
Pro 24:4  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Remember those chambers of (Mat 24:26-27). There is a positive and negative ‘chamber’, and it is Christ who positively fills the chambers of our hearts and minds with all precious and pleasant riches, revealing exceeding great and precious promises (2Pe 1:4) which tell us that he who is our wisdom (1Co 1:30) is going to build the temple that we are, and by understanding establish it (Psa 127:1, Joh 2:19).

Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Pro 24:5  A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Pro 24:7  Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

We can’t open our mouths in the gate where we should be going to receive the counsel that we need (“the gate” is the place where the rulers of the city sit in judgment), but when the fit man Jesus Christ (Lev 16:21) lays hold of the scapegoat that we are, we take on a new strength, that being the life of Christ within us who is our sufficiency in this life (2Co 3:5): “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength”.

If we are being led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14-15) we will be seeking out wise counsel, and that is where we will find liberty, and safety (2Co 3:17).

That is the wisdom that is too high for our foolish flesh that cannot open our foolish mouth in the gate to speak nor to even seek out that wise counsel, which we must partake of in this life in order to overcome and endure to the end (Psa 73:22, Jer 5:4).

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Jer 5:4  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

There are many verses with the word “counsel” in them, and those words are spirit and they are profitable (Joh 6:63).

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 19:20  Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Pro 19:21  There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Pro 20:18  Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Pro 21:30  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 27:9  Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.

Pro 24:8  He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
Pro 24:9  The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

These verses continue to demonstrate the fruits of one who does not understand nor receive counsel and is what produces thoughts of foolishness, which is sin. We end up being scorners who look down on the body of Christ, ‘going it alone’ and thinking that his relationship with Christ is solely between him and Christ, becoming an “abomination to men” because of this stubborn and self-righteous approach that Saul in us naturally takes, not seeking counsel, or obeying what God tells us to do (1Sa 15:22-23).

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity (Eze 33:13) and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Pro 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Pro 24:11  If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
Pro 24:12  If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

God sees all of mankind’s strength as being small, “thy strength is small”, because we all initially trust in our own arm and not that of the Lord, until the trials start to come that humble our flesh (2Co 1:9). All men’s hearts will faint in the day of adversity, starting with the elect who, out of that adversity, will cry out unto God and will be heard (Act 9:4-5).

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Initially we can’t help others, because we are yet carnal babes in Christ, and so it is written “thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain” [not able to help those who are dying daily (1Co 15:31), being drawn to death, and ready to be slain].

Our works are being tried at this time, and at first we do say, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not [pleading ignorance is no excuse in a court of law]; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”. However, if God is working with us in this age, we will come to know that we are His workmanship going unto perfection because of His mercy shown to his children in this age, “as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (1Co 3:9-15, Heb 6:1-6, Mal 4:2-3, Mal 3:16-18).

1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. [shall not he render to every man according to his works?]
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.
Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Pro 24:13  My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
Pro 24:14  So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

The honey is likened unto God’s word that is sweet in the mouth and bitter in the belly, and if God will permit we will be granted the strength needed via the bread of life (Psa 104:15) to endure that bitterness that represents the seven last plagues that must be poured out upon us in order to go unto maturity in Christ (Rev 15:8).

Keeping the knowledge and wisdom of God, abiding in the truth, will set us free (Joh 8:32) and “there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off”(Pro 23:17-19).

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Pro 23:17  Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Pro 23:18  For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Pro 23:19  Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

Pro 24:15  Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
Pro 24:17  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Pro 24:18  Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

There are two main admonitions in these verses for us. One is speaking to our younger less mature stage in Christ when we blindly lay wait against our older more mature members in Christ, “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief”(Rom 14:1-4).

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

The second admonition is speaking of our not despising those who are less mature, but bearing their infirmity all our life as Christ has done with us, and is doing, “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him”(Rom 15:1).

Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

Next week, Lord willing, we will pick up where we left off, (Pro 24:19-34), as we continue to see why we should not fret because of evil and lawless men, with a strong emphasis on this part of the proverb that says, “Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked”.

Do not be beset by the sin within you that is being destroyed by Christ (Heb 12:1-2), and do not be discouraged or dismayed at a world that is failing and promised to come to the brink of destruction, not just physically, which could happen at any given moment in this nuclear age, but especially spiritually, all for our sakes to remind us that God is judging the nations within us and giving us victory over them through that judgment (Mat 24:6-9).

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

The world has already been ‘spiritually cursed’ (Mal 3:9)and is reaching that zenith of sin by God’s counsel and design, called the sins of the Amorites that must be fulfilled initially in us, and then, Lord willing, as the elect we will go through a lifetime of much tribulation in order to overcome this world of sin within, and be made ready for our Lord’s return (Act 14:22) that will come at the appointed time.

Lord help us to remain faithful watchmen to the very end (Luk 21:36, Mat 24:13).

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.