Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Proverbs 24:18

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Proverbs 24:18. And he turn away his wrath from him. — Wrath is here taken for the effect of wrath, punishment; and the meaning must be as paraphrased above-lest he take the punishment from him, and inflict it upon thee. And in this way Coverdale understood it: "Lest the Lorde be angry, and turn his wrath from him unto thee." Or we may understand it thus: Lest the Lord inflict on thee a similar punishment; for if thou get into his spirit, rejoicing in the calamities of another, thou deservest punishment.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Godly and ungodly citizens (24:1-34)

In contrast to the destructive schemes of the wicked are the constructive acts of the wise. A life built by wisdom is likened to a strongly built and richly furnished house (24:1-4). Wisdom gives people real strength and success, but folly gives them nothing worthwhile, not even sensible words that can benefit their fellow citizens (5-7). (In ancient times the place where citizens liked to gather was the open area just inside the city gate; v. 7. There they discussed community affairs and dealt with matters of business and justice.)
Those who constantly plan evil or scorn others are a menace to society (8-9). So are the moral cowards who give in when hardship arises or who refuse to help the afflicted and the oppressed, claiming they did not know of their troubles (10-12). By contrast, those who allow wisdom to teach them find that its fruits are sweet and lasting (13-14).
Righteous people need not plot the overthrow of the wicked, for the destruction of the wicked will come of itself. The righteous will overcome repeated hardships but the wicked will not (15-16). The wicked are certain to be overthrown, but when this happens the righteous should not gloat over them (17-20). Rather the righteous should maintain an attitude of reverence towards God and honour towards the civil authorities (21-22).
People respect a judge who is impartial; they despise one who shows favouritism (23-26). It is wise to be assured of a reliable source of income before taking on the heavy financial burden of building a house (27). Revenge is a terrible thing, especially when people combine it with false accusation in order to get their own way (28-29). If people sleep when they should be working, they demonstrate their stupidity as well as their their laziness. They will surely end in poverty and disgrace (30-34).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

Word 28.

"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown; Lest Jehovah see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him."

"This teaches that it is one's duty not to rejoice at the misfortunes of enemies. The word `rejoice' refers to audible expressions of exultation. This, of course is a negative commandment; but the positive side of it, `sympathy for enemies', although not expressed, may be implied (Matthew 5:44)."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 448.

Furthermore, this proverb does not teach that God may allow a wicked man to go unpunished, merely because some person rejoiced at his downfall. "The implication of the passage is that God might be more concerned with punishing his disobedient follower than that of the outright wicked."Ibid.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

See the margin. The meaning is “Thy joy will be suicidal, the wrath of the righteous Judge will be turned upon thee, as the greater offender, and thou wilt have to bear a worse evil than that which thou exultest in.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 24

Again, he continues in twenty-four in putting them together in couplets or in phrases.

Be not envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studies destruction, and their lips talk of mischief ( Proverbs 24:1-2 ).

The next one.

Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all pleasant riches ( Proverbs 24:3-4 ).

Wisdom and knowledge, the value of them.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increases strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate ( Proverbs 24:5-7 ).

The gate was always the place of judgment.

He that devises to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men ( Proverbs 24:8-9 ).

Now we have some more that are... no, not yet.

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If you say, Behold, we knew it not ( Proverbs 24:11-12 );

In other words, if you fail to help someone when you have the capacity to do it, if you do it not, if you say, "Behold, I didn't know."

doth not he that pondereth the heart considereth it? and he that keeps the soul, does he not know it? and shall not he render every man according to his works? ( Proverbs 24:12-13 )

You know, you can't beg off your responsibility because God knows your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And you may try to excuse your actions. "Oh, I didn't know." But yet God is going to ponder your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And God will render to every man according to his works.

My son, eat honey, because it's good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste: and so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto your soul: when you have found it, then there shall be a reward, and the expectation shall not be cut off ( Proverbs 24:13-14 ).

How sweet is a nugget of truth. How sweet it is to get understanding from the Lord on a particular thing. It's just as sweet as honey into your mouth, there is a sweetness in your soul when you gain knowledge and wisdom.

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, but he will rise up again: but the wicked will fall into mischief ( Proverbs 24:15-16 ).

We may fall, but thank God we rise again. I've often said there isn't any great evil in falling unless you just lie there. Everybody stumbles. Everybody falls. None of us are perfect, and God knows that we're not perfect. He knows our frame, that we're but dust. We usually expect more out of ourselves than God expects. And we're usually harder on ourselves than God is. We get so disappointed when we have fallen. We get so disappointed when we have failed. It doesn't disappoint God at all. He knew all the time we were going to stumble. It was just I was expecting more out of myself than God is. And God doesn't judge or condemn when you stumble. It's only when you lie there. God understands. He has great patience with us. Even as you have great patience in teaching your child to walk.

You expect your child to stumble. You expect your child to fall. Oh, of course, you will do your best to keep your child from falling. But there are those times when the child is learning to walk and he falls. Now a wise parent won't get all excited and scream and run over and say, "Oh, are you all right?" He just says, "Well, get up now. Try again." If you show all fear and excitement, then the child will get excited and start to cry and get discouraged. But you say, "Well, that was great! You did real well. You took five steps before you stumbled. That's good." And you encourage the child to go again.

Now God is teaching us to walk and we stumble. And we get all discouraged. "I tried so hard. Failed again." And God is saying, "Hey, that was a good try. Let's go at it again. Now here's where you made your mistake. You got your eyes off of Me. You got them on the way, that's when you began to sink." And the Lord picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us up again. He's so patient with us. He's so understanding with us. And if the righteous falls seven times, he's going to rise again.

Now here's a hard one:

Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turns away his wrath from him ( Proverbs 24:17-18 ).

Now that's not too good a motivation not to rejoice. If you rejoice, God may take it off. So don't rejoice and let God just continue to whip him.

Fret not thyself because of evil men ( Proverbs 24:19 ),

You remember Psalms 37:1-40 , it seems like this is probably something that Solomon picked up from his father David. "Fret not thyself," David said, "for evildoers, for they shall be cut off" ( Psalms 37:1-2 ). Now, "Fret not thyself because of evil men."

neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out ( Proverbs 24:19-20 ).

Don't be envious of them. They're going to be cut off.

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Every man shall kiss his lips that gives a right answer. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build your house. Now be not a witness against your neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me: I will render to the man according to his work ( Proverbs 24:21-29 ).

Don't say that. That's so often. "I'm going to do to him what he did to me. Boy, as we grew up as kids. Always. I just did to him what he did to me, you know." God said don't say that. "Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, I will repay" ( Romans 12:19 ).

Now from thirty on we have ode to the slothful man.

I went to the field of a slothful, and by the vineyard of the man who is void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down ( Proverbs 24:30-31 ).

Now you that have been over into the land, you can picture this. All of those stone walls that are around the vineyards and all, and they are set usually in such neat order. But the slothful man, the stone wall is broken down.

Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and I received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: And so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man ( Proverbs 24:32-34 ).

A lesson from the slothful. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

To complete the thought, we might add at the end of this saying: "and turn it on you." Gloating over someone else’s misfortune is a practice God disapproves-even if the other person is the adversary of the righteous (cf. Matthew 5:44). Fear of God’s displeasure should warn the wise away from this attitude and activity.

"In truth the proverb teaches that the LORD will not promote further moral ugliness by maintaining the situation that exacerbates it." [Note: Waltke, The Book . . . 31, p. p. 285.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Lest the Lord see [it], and it displease him,.... Who sees all things, not only external actions, but the heart, and the inward motions of it; and though men may hide the pleasure they feel at the misery of an enemy from others, they cannot hide it from the Lord; nor is this said by way of doubt, but as a certain thing; and which the Lord not barely sees, but takes notice of, and to such a degree as to resent it, and show his displeasure at it by taking the following step;

and he turn away his wrath from him; remove the effects of it, raise him out of his fallen and distressed condition, and restore him to his former prosperous one; and not only so, but turn it upon thee, as Gersom supplies the words, and not amiss; so that there is a strange and sudden change of circumstances; thou that was pleasing thyself with the distress of thine enemy art fallen into the same, and he is delivered out of it; which must be a double affliction to such a man; so that by rejoicing at an enemy, he is doing his enemy good and himself hurt; see Proverbs 17:5.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:   18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

      Here, 1. The pleasure we are apt to take in the troubles of an enemy is forbidden us. If any have done us an ill turn, or if we bear them ill-will only because they stand in our light or in our way, when any damage comes to them (suppose they fall), or any danger (suppose they stumble), our corrupt hearts are too apt to conceive a secret delight and satisfaction in it--Aha! so would we have it; they are entangled; the wilderness has shut them in--or, as Tyrus said concerning Jerusalem (Ezekiel 26:2) I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste. "Men hope in the ruin of their enemies or rivals to wreak their revenge or to find their account; but be not thou so inhuman; rejoice not when the worst enemy thou hast falls." There may be a holy joy in the destruction of God's enemies, as it tends to the glory of God and the welfare of the church (Psalms 58:10); but in the ruin of our enemies, as such, we must by no means rejoice; on the contrary, we must weep even with them when they weep (as David, Psalms 35:13; Psalms 35:14), and that in sincerity, not so much as letting our hearts be secretly glad at their calamities. 2. The provocation which that pleasure gives to God is assigned as the reason of that prohibition: The Lord will see it, though it be hidden in the heart only, and it will displease him, as it will displease a prudent father to see one child triumph in the correction of another, which he ought to tremble at, and take warning by, not knowing how soon it may be his own case, he having so often deserved it. Solomon adds an argument ad hominem--addressed to the individual: "Thou canst not do a greater kindness to thy enemy, when he has fallen, than to rejoice in it; for them, to cross thee and vex thee, God will turn his wrath from him; for, as the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God, so the righteousness of God was never intended to gratify the wrath of man, and humour his foolish passions; rather than seem to do that he will adjourn the execution of his wrath: nay, it is implied that when he turns his wrath from him he will turn it against thee and the cup of trembling shall be put into thy hand."