Do Not Envy the Wicked

 "Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. " - Proverbs 24:19

If the Bible commands us not to envy the wicked, then such a temptation can happen to the righteous. It often seems that the wicked prosper and are successful. A person who earns a daily living through honest work, with great effort, may see that fraudsters and defrauders have luxurious houses, drive expensive cars, and think that the wicked are more successful and happier than the righteous.

We should not focus on the apparent success of the wicked; it is temporary. They mistakenly believe they are happy. It is unfortunate that the righteous might also think the wicked are happy. In the next verse, Solomon tells us why we should not envy them: "For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished." (Proverbs 24:20).

We know their future; they do not know ours. Do they have streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of precious stones? What God has prepared for us, the human mind cannot imagine. The wicked should be pitied, not envied.

From my diary,

May 28,  2024