Proverbs 17:11-15 English Standard Version 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. 13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. 14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. 15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. These verses focus mostly on the evil person and the natural and divine consequences he or she will face. The evil man is in rebellion against God and His Law. It is a willful choice on their part to be disobedient and rebellious. God will send warnings to such people to "turn or burn," but that message may not always be delivered in a gentle spirit because of how urgent and important it is for them to hear the severity of judgment and wrath that they are in danger of (which is actually kind to warn someone away from judgment).
With that said, expect to get attacked worse by the evil person you are calling to repentance than the attack you would expect from a mother bear if you got between her and her cubs. The evil person loves their evil deeds even more than the she-bear loves her cubs and will fight for that wickedness so that they can continue to live as a fool. The LORD will take care of anyone who returns evil for good. God will make evil never depart from them and their household (the members of their family will be affected by their bad actions, not just them). Sin does not just affect you personally but will affect everyone around you too. Solomon says that the just like it's hard to stop the flow of water once the damn breaks, so it is with a quarrel once we lose control of our emotions and allow anger and rage to be in control. Then strife breaks out like a flood of water that has been dammed up. Instead, we should be careful to put an end to the conflict before quarrelling breaks out. The one who calls evil good and the one who calls good evil are both abominations to the LORD, especially if they are doing so to pervert justice from an official position. We will see many messages of the LORD to the kings and judges of the people of Israel about how angry He is that there is no justice for the poor and the widows because they are taken advantage of by the corrupt justice system. It favored the rich and powerful and there was no justice for those that could not pay the bribes the government officials demanded. Comments are closed.
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Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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