Proverbs 24
1Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; 2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble. 3By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; 4through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. 5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength. 6Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors. 7Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place. 8He who plots evil will be called a schemer. 9A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men. 10If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength! 11Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter. 12If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds? 13Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. 14Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off. 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place. 16For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times. 17Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, 18or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him. 19Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. 20For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. 21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious. 22For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring? 23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. 24Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; 25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. 26An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips. 27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house. 28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.” 30I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. 31Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. 32I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: 33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.