Daily Devotional

Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.

 The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 24:17-18 (KJV):
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.

Proverbs 24:17-18 (AMP):
17 Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him (to expend it upon you, the worse offender).

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses in Proverbs are a warning for us not to be glad when our enemies fall or stumble, as the Lord is not pleased with that kind of attitude. Certainly, God is not pleased with any evil that they might do; however, the Lord wants us to have a heart of mercy like His, even for those who oppose us. He does not want us to have the evil characteristics of hate, unforgiveness, anger, etc. God loves every sinner, although He hates the sin they engage in.  He is also kind to the just and the unjust, as He desires all men to come to repentance.

Matthew 5:44-48:
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The scriptures above show us the attitude we are to have toward our enemies.  We are to love our enemies and we are to bless them, not curse them. It shows a wicked heart when someone gloats over their enemy's misfortune.  It should make us sad when we see any kind of misfortune happen to anyone.

Verse 18 in today's study tells us that evil things do happen to people who commit evil, as they are reaping what they have sown; however, it is never the will of God for these things to happen. There are spiritual laws in operation governing the wrath of God and when they are violated, bad things happen to those who break them. The heart of God is always wooing and drawing people away from sin, so that they can avert these things from happening.  As Christians, when we sin, we automatically open the door for the devil to attack us. However, the Lord immediately begins to convict us, so that we will repent and turn back to Him, so we can avert the evil that will come to us if we do not turn away from our sin. The Lord always stands ready to forgive us for our sin and restore us.  We cause our own problems when we fail to yield to the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 3:9                                                                                                                                                            The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Verse 18 tells us that it is a greater sin for a Christian, who knows the love of God, to rejoice in the plight of their enemies, because we are told to love our enemies by praying for them. Without God in our hearts we cannot love our enemies, but through the grace of the Holy Spirit, this becomes possible. Yes, we are asked to do the impossible -- love our enemies.  This is a miracle that God performs in our hearts when we come to Him, and if we yield to Him in this command, we find that we can indeed perform this impossible feat.

Romans 12:19-21:
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I am grateful that You loved me and kept me before I ever gave my heart to You. Lord, now I ask for Your grace to love and reach out to those who persecute me and do all manner of evil against me.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can love others the way You love them.  Lord, I choose to forgive all who have something against me. I do want to be perfect in You, so I ask for Your mercy and grace to lead me in the path that will produce Your likeness in me. May I extend that same mercy and grace to all, and especially my enemies.  I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.