Introduction

Hello everyone, let's study Proverbs chapter 24. Let me give you a suggestion： Books like Proverbs should be read thirty, fifty, or even a hundred times. Why? Because God has put his wisdom into these two books, and these things are very profound, these books are wisdom books, and you should read them carefully.

Reading is essential. Some people read very strangely. The person didn't read what the author was trying to say but read much of what the author wasn't trying to say. Until today, we live in a very messy state, not because of anything else but because of the logic inside of us. When the Bible is not on par with what you think, it's your choice; either you believe it or consider yourself. Whether you let go of your own set or the set mentioned in the Bible depends on one's choice.

Everyone should know that learning will accompany us till death; it is a tragedy that people do not know how to study. Don't think like this: Someone has a Ph.D., a master's degree, or something, and I haven't studied, and I can't study.

When God created the hardware for humans, everyone had similar CPUs. Later on, it all depended on people's choices. Some people choose this way, while others prefer that way. Why? I want to understand why people are confident about sticking to their ways. Where did this person come from with the confidence to believe they were right? Many people blamed their shepherd, or team leader, or parents, or grandparents, or husbands, or wives. In fact, people have similar CPUs, but some people are lazy and don't want to do anything.

Let's keep Proverbs chapter 24 in our hearts. How can we do this? We must abstract, summarise, conclude, and arrange the text. Reading is just like this; it's about reading what the author wants to tell us. What I said is so straightforward, but what everyone reads is diverse and strange.

I have experienced many incredible things over the years. A few years ago, while I led everyone to study the book of Genesis, a person came in and said to me:" Pastor, you will be cursed by preaching the gospel like this." Why? Because my thoughts are different from his.

Some people dare to say what is not in the Bible, but what is in the Bible, he doesn't say. How can I make people smart? I have textbooks, although I don't have wisdom, but as long as we find a way to understand the ideas of the author of the book, we will become smart. If you can't read, I will teach you. If you come to read the Bible with me every week but still don't know how to read, you need to work hard.

Every week, I take you through the Bible's classics. It's essential to develop a habit: first, read the chapter we are going to study for that week around twenty or thirty times. Then you can find the theme for that chapter. Compare yours with mine. If yours is better, you can share it with me. So don't blame everyone. Who can stop you if you want to learn and become smart? If a person has their own set in their mind and is unwilling to let go, this will harm them.

I want to highlight that everyone is born with similar hardware. But later on, what software you install inside depends on your wisdom. A good actor can play any role, but those who don't study well can only play themselves. If an actor has a sharp-featured face, then he can only play characters with a similar appearance. As actor Chen Peisi said:" he can only play traitors, not heroes. So, we all need to put down what's in our minds and study hard.

The theme of this chapter is obtaining the wisdom to deal with evil people. I have heard people say that teachers are talented and can find the theme. But they don't know that it is because I read the chapter 30 or 50 times. When I search for the theme, I am really trying to understand what the author is trying to convey.

Don't envy evil people

Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company. (Proverbs 24:1 NIV)

Do you feel jealous when you see evil people around you People are jealous because they haven't lived live long enough or seen far through. If you saw the wicked jumping around happily more than a decade ago but now be in prison, would you still be jealous?

For their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. (Proverbs 24:2 NIV)

The world is full of violence and evil because people don't want to do the right thing. People want to make quick money, so they do terrible things. You will earn cash quickly if you are a corrupt official or a wicked person in power. But let us not envy the wicked. It was reported in the news that a corrupt official had piled up 100 yuan into a cubic meter. This corrupt official was later arrested and died of cancer. The person who heard this news forgot that this person was arrested and that the outcome of this person was not good. All he could think of was the pile of 100 yuan bills.

Why do people behave like this? I have met some people who feel their lives are filled with regret; there is no opportunity to be greedy for money. He feels uncomfortable when others bribe each other because no one bribed him. Don't be jealous of evil people. When you are jealous of bad people, you will walk together and hang out with them together. If you do this, you will get into trouble.

People need to know what kind of people are wrong; they will get in trouble sooner or later. Don't envy these villains. The people whom these villains harmed are not good either. If I encounter such a thing, then I'll run away quickly. I won't be around these people; we need to start thinking about our attitude towards evil people.

Rescue those being led away to death

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. (Proverbs 24:11 NIV)

This sentence is somewhat difficult to interpret. If you encounter a mafia, should you go up and stop it or fight? You'd better stay away. This passage should be explained in a manner. To understand its meaning in the Bible, one thing we need to know is precedent. Have you seen Abraham fighting people? Have you seen Jesus go dangerous? They are not doing these things. When a person is dragged to death, you must rescue them. When a person is being killed, you must stop them. This verse is worth thinking about.

I encourage everyone to search for precedents. In the Bible, it is mentioned that Abraham went to rescue Lot, who was quite stubborn. Most people think that Lot was a good person, but I don't think so. After Lot was captured, someone came to tell Abraham. "Are you going to save him or not?" In the end, Abraham offered himself and went on the path of rescuing Lot. Going to war was not a joke.

In Abraham's eyes, Lot was wicked, but Sodom had many evil people. Is it necessary for Abraham to go to Sodom and tell them not to do this? Abraham didn't care; he didn't get caught up in these things. One should never meddle in another's affairs.

There is another lesson in the Bible. God asked King Saul to kill the Amalekites, and God told him to kill them all thoroughly. But King Saul didn't do that. Saul felt that if a person were dragged to death, they would have to be rescued, so he saved their king. If you take just one sentence, wouldn't people become foolish?

If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Doesn't he who guards your life know it? Will he only repay some people according to what they have done? (Proverbs 24:12 NIV)

You can't say:" I didn't know!" Somebody came to Abraham and told him the news. In reality, God knows everything that happens. The one who keeps you alive knows. This is God; he knows everything you are thinking of. So I am teaching you to think carefully. What you learn requires careful consideration and the presence of precedents. In Mingding theology, our focus is on Jesus Christ. Don't think that people who were healed by Jesus Christ were good. They were not.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:17-19I NIV)

Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to follow him. We do what we can do to save whoever we can. Don't try to show off heroism, but you also can't pretend not to know.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice. (Proverbs 24:17 NIV)

Do not rejoice in the fall of your enemy, and do not celebrate his downfall in your heart. What did Abraham say when God was going to destroy Sodom? He didn't say, "God, this is good!" If he said this, there would have been trouble. Why? Because Abraham knows that our God is not a God who delights calamity.

Let me give you an example. Sometimes, people in a village have relatives, and the relationships between the relatives are pretty interesting. There is a sister among us who, since childhood, saw her mother being bullied in the village. She clenched her fists tightly, saying:" When I grow up, I will seek revenge. Why did you treat my mother like this?"

If someone from your neighbor's house has bullied you, and the result is that God has descended on him and God is about to destroy him, don't think, "God, you should have done this ten years earlier!" If you are happy because your enemies are being destroyed, God will take that wrath and put it on you instead. Don't think to yourself that God has 'finally' killed them; if you feel like this, you will become an evil person.

Do not fret because of evildoers

Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. (Proverbs 24:19-20 NIV)

Here, it emphasizes again not to envy evildoers. This world is a whole of wicked people, which is also a trial and test for people. Our attitude towards these wicked people reflects whether we have wisdom within us. We must have wisdom. A person without wisdom will get in trouble and call God's anger onto himself. We should not assume that the wicked will eventually receive good rewards; evildoers will certainly not receive good rewards, even if they seem to living well today.

Do not show partiality in judging

To show partiality in judging is not good; whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent," will be cursed by people and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come to them. (Proverbs 24:24-25 NIV)

During the trial, showing favoritism is not good. If the person sitting in the judge's seat accepts bribes from the wicked and treats them as righteous, then they will be cursed even more. You are the judge, and those who rebuke the wicked will be pleased. Whether you manage in a country, city, or company, managing evil people is the most crucial thing. People who love to work don't need you to manage them.

Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? (Proverbs 24:21-22 NIV)

It's terrible to have evildoers in a city. If there is protection for them, it will cause even more trouble. No matter how big the protection is, they will eventually be defeated, but it is not the government of God to dismantle it, but God to dismantle it. We need to know that God will rule, and we must not assume that humans are in power.

Do not revenge evildoers, God will avenge

Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— Would you use your lips to mislead? Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did." (Proverbs 24:28-29 NIV)

The Bible says, "a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye," which is not meant for us but for those in authority to hear. So Moses judged these people according to the law given to him by God. But some people interpreted this sentence as 'how people treat me, I will treat them the same way.' This is not a right given to you; it is a right given to judges. Don't get it wrong.

Here, we are discussing how revenge and power are both in God. When we encounter unfair treatment, we need to have wisdom and think about how this happened to us. How did I get beaten up by these evil people and figure out where the problem lies? We must find our reasons, and those God protects will never encounter such things. If there are evil spirits in a person, they will attract these misfortunes and unlucky things.

Summary

I hope that you guys will gain wisdom in dealing with evildoers. When dealing with evildoers, never resort to an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. You should know that relying on God is very important. If a person relies on God, then God will protect them.

There is a person who often encounters terrible luck. He runs a business and provides services to others. However, when he meets a nasty customer who doesn't give him money, he comes to ask me, "What's going on?" I told him, "I have told you all about it. You have an unlucky spirit who always makes you unfortunate". People don't believe it. Then just keep it, treat this unluck spirit as a treasure.

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; The honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13-14 NIV)

This verse is not telling you to eat honey but to have wisdom. Brothers and sisters, you should learn to gain wisdom and knowledge. When you gain wisdom, it will be like eating honey.

Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials, for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? (Proverbs 24:21-22 NIV)

An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; After that, build your house. (Proverbs 24:26-27 NIV)

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding, it is established; through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4 NIV)

It would help if you were reliable and wise, so the problem that a person needs to solve in their life is nothing more than a question of wisdom and ignorance. With knowledge and understanding, would they become of good use? This will cause many things to happen.

A few days ago, I saw a story online: Twenty years ago, in a rural area, a little boy's mother was killed by a stick in another person's hand during a dispute with his fellow villagers. When the boy grew up, he joined the army and returned to the village a few years later to kill all the family members who had killed his mother before. He also surrendered himself and was sentenced to death. Everyone thinks about it: what kind of chaotic things are these? It's best not to get caught up in such things.

There are people in this world who lack wisdom. Many people go to war with their strategy. Everyone asks yourself, "Do I have the wisdom in my head?" What are these issues related to? It's all about money. Let's think about it. If I were your neighbor and gave you 100 yuan today and 100 yuan tomorrow, would you come and kill me? No, it's just taking advantage of the other person.

Why do people always want to take advantage of others? Because it's tiring to make money by following the right path. People don't want to make money by following the right path; they always want to go through crooked ways to make money. Can they not be villains? So everyone should know that lazy and ignorant people are both very evil.

I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— (Proverbs 24:30-33 NIV)

People always don't want to do the right thing and work hard, so they turn to evil ways. Chinese people always say that poverty creates evil.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding, it is established; through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4 NIV)

If a person has wisdom and intelligence, how could they be poor? How could a hardworking, diligent person who is always learning, growing, and doing things become poor? I hope everyone can gain wisdom in dealing with evil people. We need to think about and know about this throughout our lives.

May God bless everyone!