“Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble”
Proverbs 24:1 ESV
This proverb aims directly for the heart. Envy is a sinful desire for something that another has. That something may be a status or a possession or an ability. But what is it that we are not to be envious of? The evil person. The reason? Because “their hearts devise violence and their lips talk of trouble.”
This seems pretty straight forward. Proverbs 22:5 warns us that “thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked.” Again, pretty straight forward. So, if the warnings (e.g., 24:1 and 22:5) about what await us on the evil path are so straight forward (i.e., clear or easy to understand) why would we be drawn to the evil person?
Throughout the book of Proverbs the choice is wisdom or folly, which is a matter of the heart. The prophet Jeremiah (17:9) warns us about our hearts, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Proverbs 3:5 directs us toward the Lord, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Trusting in ourselves is folly. Trusting in the Lord is wisdom.
Which path will you choose today?
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