The House that Wisdom Builds

Introduction

God has not left us without instruction on how to live in an evil world. His Word gives us principles that lead to holiness, fulfillment, and blessing. In Proverbs 24, the Lord warns us against the ways of the wicked and then teaches us how to build a life that stands firm in righteousness.

The wise person will not only avoid evil influences, but also build on godly wisdom and find strength in spiritual understanding.

Flee from the Evil Man

Proverbs 24:1–2 “Be not thou envious against evil men, Neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, And their lips talk of mischief.”

Do not desire their lives

Envy is the resentment towards someone because of some part of the lives they live. God says that we are not to envy the lives of men that are evil. There are many things that can fit the definition of an evil man. The author goes on to tell us that they look for evil and that they talk about evil. This is not just a person that commits an evil act, but who loves evil and pursues it with passion and pride.

Sometimes it might be easy to look at the lives of people and see the good parts because it is in our human nature to look for what we would want in our lives. But resenting that an evil man has something or gets something in life that we do not get leads us down a wrong road because it develops in our hearts discontent with the ways of God and puts in our minds the desire to do what it takes to have those things we envy of them and that can develop into an action toward the same. Desiring the life of an evil man is to desire the evil he commits. We may not like that reality, but often times you cannot have what the evil man has without being the man they are in order to get it.

The danger of envy is that it leads to discontentment with God’s will.

What we envy, we may soon imitate.

You can’t have the rewards of the wicked without walking their road.

Do not keep company with them

Not only does God say that we should not envy their life he also cautions us against being in their company. We often become the people we spend time with; at least in some sense. An evil man is not someone that we want near us because we are influenced by the people that we spend our time with.

Do not desire the lives of evil men and do not keep company with them. Sometimes we are tempted to surround ourselves with these people because of their personalities, their power, or their possessions and we can have some idea of what it is like to live in their shoes. The problem with keeping company is that we often then feel tempted to participate in their behavior and sin.

Fellowship influences direction.

Evil companions dull spiritual discernment.

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20

Their ways are destructive

Their heart studieth destruction. This does not mean that they literally look for ways to live destructively, but that the way they live always leads to destruction. If you live liked them or if you keep company with them then you may be in the way of their destruction. We should get very far away from evil men because the temptation to sin becomes very great and the destruction that follows will likely find us as well as them. Do not be deceived that you can play in a mine field and not get hurt in an explosion.

Their hearts plan destruction; their words sow mischief.

To walk near destruction is to invite disaster.

Stay clear of the company and conversation of the wicked.

Do not be deceived that you can play in a mine field and not get hurt in an explosion.

Transition: If we are to flee from the evil man, we must also build our lives on something better—and that’s the wisdom of God.

Establish Your House on Wisdom

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

God supplies the wisdom to live godly

A godly house if built on the wisdom of God and it is established by holy living. God gives us everything that we need to build a godly home. We cannot have the kind of family that we ought to have if we are living like the ungodly or if we are keeping company with the ungodly. We need to use what God has given to us to build a godly family.

A godly home is not built by luck, but by learning from the Lord.

God provides the power to overcome circumstances

Temptation comes to everyone, but God has provided us the power to overcome the circumstances of temptation. We can rely on the wisdom of God to overcome the temptations that are put before us. We can be sure that we have no power to overcome temptation when we put ourselves in the midst of evil men and/or participate in their behavior.

Every temptation is an opportunity to trust God’s Word.

Victory comes not from our strength but His wisdom.

God provides the foundation to withstand evil

We have the power to overcome temptation and we have the foundation in Christ to withstand evil.

Ephesians 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.”

We cannot withstand evil if we walk in it, but we can withstand it if we use the armor that is provided to us.

Transition: When wisdom builds the house, it doesn’t just make us holy—it makes us strong.

Strength is Derived from Wisdom

Proverbs 24:5 “A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.”

The world’s false sources of strength

Some rely on education—but knowledge without godliness puffs up.

Some rely on power—but power without principle corrupts.

Some rely on wealth—but riches doesn’t solve evil character.

The true source of strength

God says strength is found in wisdom—His wisdom.

Wisdom fortifies the heart against temptation, the mind against deception, and the soul against defeat.

The result of godly wisdom

Wisdom produces stability, courage, and endurance.

Spiritual strength is not built in the gym of the world, but with passion for God’s Word.

Conclusion

The world has many ideas about what makes a person successful and strong, but the abundant life that Christ came to give us is built on his wisdom and his word.

God’s wisdom makes one strong and obedience to God establishes our trust in the Lord. It would be in our interest to avoid the evil man and all his dealings, trust in the wisdom of the Lord to guide our lives, and depend upon the strength found in God’s Word.