Simon O'Grady - Unlocking the Proverbs - Class 2 - Deliverance from the Evil Man

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Good morning, brothers and sisters. Lovely to see you again as we start on our second session in unlocking the book of Proverbs. And today we're going to look at this character, the evil man. But just quickly to recap what we looked at in our last study. We looked at four keys to unlocking the book of Proverbs.

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   We uncovered the right spirit and approach, and that is we should be reading it as if we're the son reading the words of the father from God to Christ himself and to us, his children. We are to read them as if we are engaging in a process of correction, where we are accepting the correction and chastening of the father.

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   Hebrews tells us that. We saw that the biblical foundation of the book of Proverbs is in the request from Solomon to God. Give me wisdom. Give me knowledge that I might discern between good and evil and provide justice and judgment to my people. And so the whole book of Proverbs is an answer to that question.

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   It's a capturing of that wisdom, the knowledge, understanding and wisdom of good and evil. We looked at the purpose statement in chapter one. And so the first eight verses, there were five precise statements of purpose for the book. And the rest of the book will then keep tapping back into those purpose statements.

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   And finally, four key words, knowledge, understanding, wisdom and instruction that are repeated in chapter one and chapter two and then throughout the rest of the book. And so it's a book of learning process from knowledge to comprehension to wisdom, the practical application of that in life as part of the instructional correction process of the heavenly father for all of his children.

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   Then we read chapter two of Proverbs as we have this morning. And we saw that it was structured around an if to then. If you do this, search for wisdom, knowledge, understanding and search and cry after it. Lift up your voice for it. You'll find it because it comes from God's mouth. And you will then be delivered from these two arch nemeses from the way of the evil man.

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   And chapter two, verse 16, to deliver thee from the strange woman. And so these two big archetypes start to emerge in the book of Proverbs as the arch enemies of the son and the warnings of the father to the son and dealing with these two run through the book. So this morning we want to identify who the evil man is, why we need to be delivered from them and how that might work.

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   Now, to do that, you're going to need a handout. So hopefully everybody's got a copy of the handout, which is just the text. It's a one pager. It's got the main text up to chapter six of Proverbs. Anyone not got that? Put your hand up. OK, so whoever was helping distribute those, have we run out or do we have more?

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   Awesome. Thank you. So as that's going out, I'll just step you through what we've got here. So these are the main evil or wicked man passages from Proverbs chapter one to six. They don't have all of the allusions and references to the wicked or evil man in the rest of the book of Proverbs.

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    We're going to share those with you maybe later in the session. So these are going to be our main text for our Bible study this morning that we're going to go through and help us identify who this evil man or wicked man is, what their attributes are and why it is we need to be delivered from it and how we can be delivered from it.

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    So that's our purpose this morning. Now, before we start, I want to talk about some important words or ideas for today that we're going to use quite frequently during the session. So here they are. They're four key terms that we're going to keep looking at and talking about and revolving around. And there are two pairs.

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    So here's the first. The Hebrew term for evil, which is ra, which literally means bad or spoiled from a root, which means to break something in pieces, is compared to the good. The Hebrew term tobe, which means to be pleasant or good. So there's a pairing. Good and evil is how we would normally hear these translated in the scripture.

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    But you'll see there's an idea behind it. Before it's become good and evil, there's an idea of good or pleasant versus something that's bad or spoiled. And we're going to talk about that in a moment. The other two terms are the words wicked and right, often translated just in the book of Proverbs.

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    So when you read righteous or just or right or just, it's the same word. It's the word tzik in the Hebrew, and it means to be right. It's from the verb to be right. So there's a concept here. You can see of a justice, a judgment. Something's right. And its opposite is the word rasha, wicked, from a verb to be wrong.

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    So there's wrong and right in a moral sense. And then there is evil and good. But the idea is about something spoiled, something bad, something broken in pieces versus something that's good or something that's pleasant. I also need to introduce you to this character here. We're going to call him Rara because he's very evil this morning.

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    And he's going to be lurking around in the slides and lurking around because he's the evil man and the encapsulation of him. Now here's a really important point. When we come across the word evil, we'll find it's used in five related contexts. And they're all connected and related. All right. So just go through this.

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    It's an important idea. Evil can be evil thinking. Bad, wrong, rotten, broken in pieces thinking. Evil can be speech. So there is evil speech or evil action. Speech being a form of action. There can be consequences because we're thinking evilly, speaking evilly and doing evilly. There are evil consequences from the behaviors of people who do that.

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    And that can be called evil, the consequences. Because it's evil, God brings judgment upon it. So even God's judgments can be called the day of evil or evil comes upon them. But it's actually God's judgments, which are evil consequences. And finally, evil can be just a general experience. So we're going to look at some passages, particularly the book of Ecclesiastes, a partner book to the book of Proverbs, of course.

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    Well, you see that it talks about when you're older and the days are evil. And so it talks about all the trials of old ages being evil. So a general concept or experience of badness, broken in pieces, something spoiled as a general experience as well. So our thinking, our speech, our actions, the consequences of that in our lives and impact on others.

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    God's judgment that he brings upon people who are evil or wicked and evil as a general environment that we're within. And we're experiences that are bad happen and they are evil. All right. So those are the important ideas that we have today. Now, I want to go to a passage here coming to Jeremiah chapter 24, verse 110, where we come across this parable called the good and evil figs.

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    And we need to pick up a particular point there. It's an important one as we look at the subject. So Jeremiah 24, verses 1 to 10. And of course, this passage here is the passage that refers to the two classes of people who were in the land of Israel. One were going to be taken off to Babylon and they were called the good figs and they were taken there for their good.

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    And the rest were left in the land and they were called the evil figs. So in Jeremiah chapter 24 and in verse 1, Yahweh shows Jeremiah two baskets of figs that are set before the temple of Yahweh. After the Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had carried away captive, Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and others were left in the land.

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    Verse 2. One basket had very good figs. So there's a term tobe, good figs, like the figs that are first ripe, and the other basket have very naughty. That's actually the word for evil, right? That's evil figs. They could not be eaten because they were so bad, the word evil. Verse 3. Then Yahweh said, what do you see, Jeremiah?

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    He said, figs. The good figs, very good, and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they're so evil. So the point is, here's a physical property of figs. Some aren't good, some are really disgusting and rotten and maori. And so the terms good and evil are applied to a physical thing that's used as a metaphor to represent the state of the people in a moral sense, good and evil.

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    So it's a little thing that the scripture does where it takes a physical, literal thing, puts attributes because one's good and one's really not good, that's evil, and then takes it as a metaphor to apply to human beings to moral good and evil. And we'll see that running through many of the passages that we look at.

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    So that's the metaphorical association of those figs. All right, I'll give you another illustration, I think, here, of this concept of good and evil being properties of the physical world we're in in our experience that then get used and applied to good and evil in a moral sense. And also of this idea that a metaphor is attached, a representation is attached.

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    And what we're going to do is we have this beautiful pot here. All right, so this is Caleb's pot. Caleb and Alyssa, you may know, have taken up pottery. And as Caleb is wont, if you know him, he puts all his heart and soul into everything he does. So he's been doing a lot of pottery and here's one of his beautiful pots.

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    All right, and it's good, it's pleasant, isn't it? You all see that? Beautiful pot, perfectly made, all in shape. Very useful, you can put things in the pot. You can hide your keys underneath the pot. You could even drink out of the pot. It's a good pot. It's pleasant, it's useful. You probably can't see that that well, so I'll bring that up so you can all see it.

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    Beautiful pot. Well done, Caleb. Amazing job. How much? I know Caleb got much. Now, I want you to do something. We're going to do a representation. You want to take your life, it's going well, and you're doing good things, and you know what the moral choices are, and choosing all that, and you pop them into the pot.

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    That pot's you now. It's good. Pleasant. All right, got it? It's a representation of you. It's now taking on the qualities of you. That's that pot. Thanks, Caleb. That's really good. Sorry, Caleb.

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    Now it's an evil pot. Now that's us when we're stuffed up in life. We've committed sin. We've gone down the path of evil. In God's view, it's now broken. It's a broken pot. It's broken in pieces. And so that's the concept of good and evil when we compare them. All right, thanks, Caleb.

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    It was a beautiful pot, but you can have it back afterwards. How much? Now here's a bunch of passages from the book of Ecclesiastes, and you'll see that it uses the term evil in terms of bad stuff that happens. That's not nice stuff. All right, we'll just race through these. There is a man whose labor was in wisdom and in knowledge and in equity.

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    So he's a good man. And yet to a man that has not labored therein, shall he leave all his portion. This is vanity and a great evil, he says. So this is somebody who's labored hard, generated all this wealth and this well-being. Yet they don't get to participate. Somebody else does. And that's evil, says the Ecclesiastes.

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    Ecclesiastes 5, verse 13. There is a sore evil which I've seen under the sun, namely riches kept for owners of to their hurt. For those riches perish by evil travail. And he begets the sun and there's nothing in his hand. All right, so there is dad's labor, built this wealth, and then something happens in life.

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    There's an evil travail. He loses it all and the sun ends up with nothing. Evil. Ecclesiastes 11, verse 1 to 2. Cast thy bread upon many waters, for thou shalt find after many days. Give a portion to seven and also to eight, for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon thee. It's a bad stuff that's happening.

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    Not necessarily moral, but something that's bad, that's evil, that's broken in pieces. Now, of course, the biblical concept is all of that context of bad stuff that happens can be traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and the introduction of evil into a world that was very good, very toad.

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    Ecclesiastes 12, verse 1, finally. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure. So, it's saying that all the trials of old age can be called evil, because it's difficult. It's bad stuff, not nice.

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    All right, so that's a quick race around the use of these terms good and evil in the Scripture. But today we're going to be looking at these two as a pairing. Evil and good, and wicked and right in a moral sense, right and wrong.

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    Now, there are two other pairings. Just make a note of this, because we'll come back to this in some other studies. As we go through the book, there are four antagonistic pairings. We've looked at two, good and evil, right, the just, and wrong, the wicked, the wise and the fool, and the woman wisdom versus the strange woman.

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    And so the whole book of Proverbs revolves around these two antagonistic pairs, as the Father explains to the Son, a knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and the principles of good and evil manifest in right and wrong, wise and fool, and the woman wisdom, and the strange woman. All right, well, who is this evil man?

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    Well, you should all have your handout now. So we're going to do a little bit of work with this. It's a Bible study. We're all sitting down going, oh, I want to know about this evil man. So we've pulled out the passages for you. We've put them on a piece of paper. And I've done a little bit of the first stages for you, which is just to read it and observe what's going on.

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    What are the repetitions? So I'll just quickly race you through this. Now, at the bottom of it is a nice space. And I suggest you draw some beautiful picture like this, just so that we've got a mental representation of it. And it's something that we're going to pick up as we go through these studies.

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    There's a really good way of unlocking the prophets is to get the visual. Draw the pictures. You'll see a whole lot of detail information in there that you might not if you just read it. So let's draw a picture. And what we're going to do is fill in this picture. So you've got the evil man, Rara.

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    There's his path. And we're going to get a whole lot of descriptors of his path and what it is. There's another path of the just. And we're going to get descriptions about that and some warnings and instructions about that. And then we're going to have a whole lot of descriptions, so characteristics, actions, behaviors, and the experience of the evil or the wicked man.

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    All right. So that's what our sheet's for this morning. And we're going to pull out of the text and put into that picture some of the detail. So here's a few things that we would notice if we went through, read it carefully, got out a coloring in pencil. So the first thing to notice is all the words colored in blue.

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    Verse chapter 2, verse 14. Verse 14. We rejoice to do evil in the delight and the frovelness of the wicked. Verse 14. Ended on to the path of the wicked. Verse 17. The bread of wickedness. Verse 19. The wicked. So we find this term, the wicked, running through as a characteristic or a description of the evil man.

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    So the evil man and the wicked are the same. The wicked one, the evil man, the evil one, the evil man. They're the same. They're just being given different terms. Right. Second thing we notice is we look at all the words that are colored in green. So verse 15. Walk not in the way with them.

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    Refrain thy foot from the path. Verse 16. Their feet run. Chapter 2, verse 13. They leave the paths of uprightness. Verse 12 of chapter 2. They'll be from the way of the evil man. Verse 15 of chapter 2. There I throw it in their paths. Verse 14 of chapter 4. Enter not into the paths of the wicked or go in the way of evil man.

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    Chapter 4, verse 18. The path of the just. Verse 19 of chapter 4. The way of the wicked. Chapter 4, verse 26. The path of thy feet. The ways are established. Verse 12 of chapter 6. A wicked man walks with a froward mouth. So there's a path or there's a way. But there's two paths and ways.

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    There's a path of the just and there's a path or way of the wicked or of the evil. Next thing we notice is we see all the ones that are colored in orange. And these ones give us a description. A characteristic of the evil man. Verse 19. They are greedy of gain. Verse 14 and 15 of chapter 2.

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    They are delighting in frowardness. Verse 15. Their ways are crooked. They're froward in their paths. Or verse 24 of chapter 4. Put away a froward mouth. Or chapter 6 verse 12. They walk with a froward mouth. Verse 14 of chapter 6. There is frowardness in his heart. So frowardness seems to be a characteristic that's repeated of this evil man.

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    So we make a note of that and come back and wonder what that's about. Then we notice the ones that are in bold there. These are characteristics or behaviors. Let's just go through those. In chapter 1 verse 11. They lay in wait for blood. They lurk privately for the, or privily, in hiding for the innocent without cause.

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    Verse 16 of chapter 1. They make haste to shed blood. Verse 19 of chapter 1. They take away the life of the owners because they are greedy of gain and want to take it. Chapter 2 verse 14. They rejoice to do evil. They delight in frowardness of the wicked. Chapter 4 verse 16.

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    They can't sleep unless they've done some mischief. Unless they've called somebody else to fall. Verse 17 chapter 4. They drink wine of violence. Chapter 6 verse 12. They're called a wicked man. Or verse 14. They devise mischief continually. They sow discord. So these are characteristics. They kill people. They murder people. So they can take what's theirs as a characteristic of the evil or the wicked one.

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    And finally, the last one is the brown boxes. We notice as we read through the text that there seems to be these little summary statements that sort of summarize in a nice way the characteristics or the attributes of the evil man. The first one's in chapter 2 verse 14 and 15. The evil man are those who rejoice to do evil, delight in the frowardness of the wicked.

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    Their ways are crickled and they're froward in their paths. Or nicely in chapter 6 verse 16 to 19. There are six things that Yahweh hates. Seven are an abomination to him. Proud look. Lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. Heart that devises wicked imaginations. Feet that are swift to run to mischief. And a false witness that speaks lies.

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    And he that sows discord among seven. Seven attributes set out there for us around the evil or wicked man. All right. Well, we've just done in five minutes an hour or two of Bible study. But we've now got some of the key aspects pulled out of these texts about the evil or of the wicked man.

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    So, where do we start? Well, he's pretty froward. We've been told he's froward. He's froward. He's froward. So, let's look at that first. And let's go to chapter 2 on your sheet there, verses 12 to 15. Where it says to us that we're going to be delivered from the way of the evil man by the book of Proverbs.

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    By the man who speaks froward things. Who's left the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness. Who rejoiced to even delight in the frowardness of the wicked. Whose ways are crooked and they're froward in their paths. So, three times in that little description of four verses we're directed to the idea of frowardness.

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    It turns out that throughout the book of Proverbs there are three words. Three Hebrew words that are translated as froward, frowardness. And here they are. But you'll see they're all variations on the same theme or the same idea. So, this is what it means to be froward. You'll also see there there's a whole lot of other references throughout the book to these three terms of frowardness.

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    The first is the Hebrew term tapuka. It means to turn about or turn over something. So, the idea is there's something there. There's a truth or something there. And you turn it upside down. You turn it over. So, it's the opposite. The other term is to be crooked or distorted. So, it's the idea of you can't see the end from the beginning.

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    So, there's something hidden around the corner. You don't know what's there. And it's an attribute, quality of evil or the wicked man. You never know what they're up to. You never know. You can never trust them. They're crooked in their paths. Whereas, the path of the righteous is straight. You can see all the way to the end.

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    And the final one means to turn aside or depart. The Hebrew term lures means to turn aside from a way. Depart from a way or a path. And you'll see if you go through those passages that frowardness is in the heart. There's a froward heart or thinking. There's a froward mouth or speaking.

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    And there's froward ways or actions. So, that's the concept of the frowardness of the evil or of the wicked man. Well, let's have a look at these seven attributes. Nicely, it sets out for us in chapter 6. All the seven attributes there of the evil or the wicked man. That term mischief is actually a translation of our Hebrew term ra, evil.

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    That's why rara is lurking around that word. So, he's a naughty person. A belial person of no value is the wicked man. He's walking with a froward mouth. He winks with his eyes. Speaks with his teeth. Teaches with his fingers. Frowardness in heart. It's a picture of somebody who's sitting there giving little subtle indications to other people.

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    That, you know, maybe in the marketplace. I'm being duplicitous here. And so, they're giving all sorts of signals that people don't pick up. And so, there's the frowardness of the wicked man. Where there's certainly ways he winks or blinks his eye that gives meaning to other shopkeepers or other people around the gambling table or whatever it might be.

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    You don't know that. He speaks with his feet. That is the same thing. Or teaches with his fingers. There's little ways of giving actions. Frowardness in his heart. Devising mischief continually. Sowing discord. Therefore, shall his calamity come suddenly and suddenly he'll be broken without remedy. And then we have the six, yea, seven, that are an abomination to Yahweh.

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    Proud look. Lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. Heart that devises wicked imaginations. Feet swift in running to mischief, ra, evil. And a false witness that speaks lies. And those who sow discord among brethren. And of course, God's attitude to these things is extreme. The terms that are used is that they are an abomination to him.

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    That's the term of something that's disgusting. So, think of the most disgusting thing you can think of. And that's what it feels like to God when he sees these behaviours. Or he sees these actions. These ways of the wicked man. It says that God hates these ways. There's a strong, passionate response and reaction of the father, he says to the son.

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    When I see these behaviours in people. So, those are the attributes of this evil man. The seven attributes. Right. We're going to jump over just so that we can save some time. And I'm going to give you the summary here of the concept of the evil man. So, this is what we find.

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    The theme of the evil or of the wicked one or man is a key one that runs right through the book of Proverbs. It's based on those two terms that we've looked at. Ra and its root. To break in pieces. Evil. And it's used 68 times in the book of Proverbs. Translated evil and wicked.

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    So, it's a major thing. Roshor. Which is the Hebrew term H7561. From the root 7563 in the Strongs. To be wrong. Used over 80 times. But usually translated wicked. But the idea is to be wrong. As opposed to the just or right. To be right. In a moral sense before God. We can see that the evil man has ways.

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    They're crooked. They're froward. You can't trust him. And there are these seven key traits. That we've seen in Proverbs chapter 6 verse 16 to 19. Now, it's interesting that many of those become the basis of many of the proverb couplets. From chapter 10 throughout the book of Proverbs. It becomes a key to unlock the book.

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    To understand that these characteristics are going to be looked at this way. Looked at that way. Turned into different contexts. And explored in the different Proverbs later on in the book. We haven't looked at these. Because you haven't got them in your text. But they are through all the rest of the Proverbs and couplets.

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    It says that their end is going to be a day of evil. Chapter 16 verse 4. Their candle will be put out. Chapter 24 verse 20. They just don't understand good or righteousness. 28 verse 5. There's a little pattern that occurs over and over again. The evil that they lay the traps for for everybody else.

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    They're going to fall into the same thing. The evil they thought they might do to others. Is what God's going to bring upon them. Chapter 11, 21, 12, 21, 13, 17, 13, 21. Haman Mordecai is a really good example of that. Isn't it? That the evil he thought to bring on others. Is the evil was brought on him.

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    And finally the evil will bow to the just. In chapter 14 verse 19. So we can see that the evil man. Is an archetypal concept. He's a pattern of something. And here he is. The evil man are those. Who have left to the paths of uprightness. So at one point. Somewhere. They were in the paths of uprightness.

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    But they've left them. To walk in the ways of darkness. They're froward. Crooked. Deplicitous. Upside down. Turned aside. You can't trust anything they do. They're scheming and plotting.

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    They're tricky. And they're violent. Towards the righteous. Because they want to take what's theirs. Their primary motivation. Is greed. And gain. They want something. And that's their driver. Their motivator. So how did the son understand these words. As he went through the book of Proverbs. As we have very quickly today.

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    Do you think the son understood. What the father was seeking to say. Well just have a look at this. The evil one. Or the wicked one. Is a major New Testament concept. Here's just a few of the passages. Where Christ. Or the writers. As the epistles. Take from the book of Proverbs. This concept of the evil.

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    Of the wicked one. John chapter 8. Verse 44. Ye. Are of your father the devil. Talking to the people. In a context. Of debate. About who was the seed of Abraham. And whose father was what. And that. Abraham's our father. But you're born of fornication. Was the debate. An argument. And Christ replies.

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    John 8. 44. For ye are of your father. The devil. The lust of your father. You'll do. He's a murderer. From the beginning. Abode not in truth. Because there's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie. He speaks of his own. He's a liar. And the father of it. So Christ understood.

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    The characteristics. Of the evil one. As he looked. And interacted. With those people. In front of him. That day. He went back. I know what my father. Was telling me. In the book of Proverbs. This is a manifestation. Of the wicked one. Of the evil man. Matthew chapter 13. Verse 19. When anyone hears.

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    The word of the king. And understands it not. So this is a parable of sower. Then comes the wicked one. And snatches away that. Which was sown in his home. First John chapter 3. Verse 11. Where John says. This is the message. You've heard from the beginning. That we should love one another.

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    Not as Cain. Who was of that wicked one. And slew his brother. And why did he. Slay him. Because his own works. Were evil. And his brother's righteous. Is Cain the evil man? Yes. John chapter 17. Verse 15. I do not pray. That you should take them. Out of the world. So this is Christ's prayer.

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    To the father. Into session. On behalf. Of his disciples. I pray. That you don't take them. Out of the world. Father. But that you keep them. From the evil one. Or even. The Lord's prayer. Matthew chapter 6. Verse 13. Do not lead us. Into temptation. But deliver us. From the evil. And many translations.

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    Put the evil one. Finally. First John chapter 5. Verse 18. He that is begotten of God. Keeps himself. And that wicked one. Touches him not. See how the New Testament. See how the son understood. And read the words. Of the Proverbs. But there's more. Isn't there? If you had to choose. Some. Overall archetype.

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    Some pattern. Some representation. Of an apostate system. That would destroy the truth. That would lose it. That would bring in false doctrine. And teaching. And introduce a lie. What would you choose? Well actually. You'd choose two. An evil man. And a harlot woman. But today. We're only going to be looking. At the evil man.

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    And so. In 2nd Thessalonians. Chapter 2. Verses 3 to 12. As I read this. Just see. All the attributes. Tumbling out of the evil man. Out of the book of Proverbs. Let no man deceive you. 2nd Thessalonians 2. Verse 3. Says Paul. By any means. For that day shall not come. Except there come a falling away first.

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    And the man of sin be revealed. A man of sin. A son of petition. Who opposes and exalts himself. Above all that's called God. Who's worshipped. He is God. Sits in the temple of God. Showing himself that he is God. For the mystery of iniquity. Doth already work. Only he who now lets.

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    Or hindereth. Will hinder. Until he be taken out of the way. And then the wicked one. Shall be revealed. Which the Lord shall consume. With the spirit of his mouth. And destroy the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after. The working of Satan. With all power and signs. And lying wonders.

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    And with all deceivableness. Of unrighteousness. And them who perish. Because they receive not the love of the truth. To be saved. This cause God shall send them strong delusion. That they should believe. A liar. That they all might be condemned. To believe not the truth. But have pleasure in unrighteousness. What's he describing?

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    The evil man of Proverbs. The wicked one. So he becomes the archetype. The pattern after which. The apostate system. Was illustrated. In the first and second centuries. Alright. Here's a few more. You think Christ interacted with the evil man in life? Actually before we look at this one. Let's go back to your sheet.

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    And let's read it as if we're Christ. And just as you read this. Imagine the experience of Christ. As he interacted with the evil and the wicked one. Around him. Almost every day. And think about how. On your sheet. Proverbs chapter 1 verse 10 to 19. How would the son read this? My son.

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    If sinners entice thee. Consent thou not. If they say come with us. Let us lay wait for blood. Let us lurk privily. For the innocent without cause. Is Christ the innocent without cause? Do they lay wait for his blood? Let us swallow him up alive as the grave. And whole as those who go down to the pit.

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    We will find all his precious substance. We'll fill all our houses with his spoil. Cast in thy lot among us. Let us all have one purse. My son. Do not walk in the way with them. Refrain thy foot from their path. Their feet run to evil. And they make haste to shed blood.

97. 34:22

    Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood. And lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone that's greedy of gain. To take away the life of the owners thereof. You see how Christ would have understood his interactions.

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    With a violent, evil, wicked man. As he interacted with him. Here's a couple of examples. Here's an example of the flattery. And the forwardness. In the form of a false dilemma. A false dilemma is when you're presented with an argument. You've got to make a choice. It's this or this. But actually the reality is.

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    There's more than one choice. So it's a way of crooked thinking. It's a little trick of debating. You frame a problem that has many different solutions to it. There's only two. And you must choose them. But see the flattery. See the forwardness. In Luke chapter 20 and verse 20. It says that. As they watched him.

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     They sent forth spies. See the characteristics of the evil man. Which would feign themselves. As just men. So that they might take hold of his words. And deliver him to the power and authority of the governor. And have him killed. So this is a context isn't it. As Christ interacts with the evil man.

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     In his life. And they ask him saying. Master. We know you say and teach rightly. Neither accept us the person of any. But you teach the way of God truly. See the flattery in there. But see the duplicitousness. The crookedness. The forwardness. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar. Or no.

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     There's the false dilemma. It's a framing of a false problem. But he perceives their craftiness. Their subtlety. Panagia. And said then. Why tempt you me? Christ would stroke through the work of the evil man. Didn't he? Because he read the book of Proverbs. He listened to the words of the father. He could recognize it in those around him.

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     And here's another one. Frobenness. Misrepresentation. False witness. Of the trial. And crucifixion of Christ. Jesus had told people this. In John chapter 2 verse 19 to 21. Destroy this temple. And in three days. I will raise it up. Those are the words he said. According to the gospel of John. John tells us.

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     He's precise and exact. And he recorded everything perfectly as it was. So we could read and believe. So I trust John's record. That that's what Christ said. Destroy this temple. In three days. I will raise it up. And the Jews said. Forty six years was this temple and building. Will you rear it up in three days?

105. 37:01

     But he spake of the temple of his body. Let's just see what he said. But see what the false witnesses say. He said. In Mark chapter 14 verse 57. There arose certain who bear false witness against him. Remember one of the seven abomination qualities of the evil man. And we heard him say.

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     I will destroy this temple. Did Christ say that? Right. But that would be an insurrection. Wouldn't it? That I'm going to destroy this here in his temple. That would be worthy of death. And within three days. I will build another. Made with hands. Misrepresentation. And false witness. Fro witness. From the mouth of the evil man.

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     So we can see that written throughout the gospel records. Throughout the epistles. We see the use of the description of the wicked or the evil one from the book of Proverbs. As a concept. As an archetype. That Christ saw and dealt with. That came to describe the apostasy that would erupt across the believers in the first and second century.

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     And the believing of a lie. But what we want to do now. Is we want to spend some time going back. And looking at these seven abominations. Because the text very nicely sets them out for us. And it does that for a reason. Because it's saying to us. It's inviting us. The father is saying to the son.

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     Have a deeper think. About these seven characteristics. Of the evil man. So. The word abomination. Means disgusting. And there we've got something disgusting. It's vomit.

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     And that's what God thinks. About these abominations. It's a bit like I'll spew thee out of my mouth. Said the Lord to the ecclesiastical lay of the seekers. You're neither warm nor hot. So that's how God thinks and feels. With these behaviours. These abominations. It's vomit. It's disgusting. Alright. Well here's the first.

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     A proud look. And I frame these all of. Ask the question. What is this abomination? Why might it be? What might be the motivations of people. Who might have this. Or ourselves. And how does it manifest. In behaviours and actions. Now as we go through this. Of course we're all going to be pointing the finger at ourselves.

112. 39:25

     And asking the question. Could it possibly be. That these characteristics. Might be in my life. Sometimes. In some contexts. So here's the first one. The proud look. This literally means. The raised eye. Now the terms for biblical pride. Will typically revolve around the idea of elevation. To be elevated. As the idea of pride.

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     And it's in contrast. To the idea of worship. Which typically the words. Where I'm worship. Will be about. Bow down. Fall down. Or being on your knees. Or lying down. Before God. But also fun enough. In regards to idolatry. But you can see the opposite ideas. Pride. And humility. Being lifted up. Now what is pride?

114. 40:11

     When you really think about it. And we all know. No we shouldn't be proud. We don't have pride. Proud's a bad thing. But when we explore it a bit. When we dig a little. When we think about it. Maybe I'm not so sure. So pride can be defined. As a sense of. And when a sense of self-worth.

115. 40:30

     Is the dominating way. We think about things. So we think about others. And ourselves. And our social status. And relating to other people. Right. And there's a whole lot of dimensions. To social status. Depending on where you are. We've got dimensions. Of social status. That are unique to us. In the brotherhood. As Christadelphians.

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     Because there's certain things. That are admired. And looked to. Okay. Can become dimensions of status. There are dimensions of status. Out there in the world. There are dimensions of status. There's every social grouping of people. But the concept of pride. Is when. Our self-identity. Is based. On how we think. We relate to other people.

117. 41:10

     So. If we're better. Or faster. Or quicker. Or better looking. Or wealthier. Richer than someone else. Some important dimension. Than someone else. Then we feel good about ourselves.

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     We talk about other people. And admire them in that way. They're loaded. You know. Or do you see how quick they are. Wow. Look at that great car. They've just bought. You know. We create these status frameworks. And dimensions of status. That we compare ourselves to. And we look to. And admire. And because we look at each other.

119. 41:43

     And admire each other. Like that. Because what we do. Oh. We've got. We've got to be elevated in that. So. That's the idea of pride. Terrible thing. Isn't it? Now. How does that manifest? Well. In arrogance. It's all about me. Because I've got to be better than other people. I'm motivated by getting the praise of men.

120. 42:07

     I need to be higher in status. And that's reaffirmed to me. When people tell me how good I am. About whatever dimensions of status are important to me. It can flip the other way. Where we reject the whole idea. When we're arrogant. Say. I don't care what you think now. But it's really the same thing.

121. 42:25

     Because we really do care. Don't we? Don't we? So that's the manifestation of pride. Turns up an entitlement. Because I'm better than you. I'm more important than you. I'm entitled to your stuff. I can take it.

122. 42:42

     And because I've got power to. I will. I can exploit you. I can advance my objectives to your cost. Because I'm more important than you. How are we ever like that? I can't. So that's a proud look. And the Heavenly Father goes. It's disgusting to him. But what about a lying tongue? Well a lying tongue is influencing someone to believe something that's true when it's not.

123. 43:15

     Or something that's not true when it is. And it's the hallmark. It's the primary characteristic of the evil one. Of the serpent. Of the strange woman as we're going to see as well. It's the dominant concept. And if you go all the way back to the beginning of course. We can see the beginning of sin there.

124. 43:34

     The lie that was presented. Thou shalt not surely die. The reversing. The turning upside down. The forwardness. The liar is actually God. So that's a lying tongue. Now why might we do this? I read a whole lot of stuff like this. And read research papers. And go well why do people lie? What's the motivator that sits behind it?

125. 43:56

     Because of course if we want to change a behavior that's not desirable in ourselves. We're going to know why. What motivates us? And try and change that. So our behaviors change. And they generally come up with three. In fact this came from a study of two year olds. So the question was. Why is it that human beings at a very young age.

126. 44:15

     Innately learn to lie. And it becomes part of their habitual way they interact with the world. So they start with two year olds. And this is what they came up with. Two year olds. And adults lie. To get some sort of personal advantage. Because when you've got information. The other person doesn't. You can manipulate it.

127. 44:33

     You can get advantage by making them believe certain things. So they do certain things to your advantage. Two year olds have already got that. So it's innate within us. We can lie. Because we want to avoid a consequence. Alright. So. We've all done this as children. We've probably all done this as adults.

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     And we can probably all see it in our young children. Where there's a consequence. And they know. And so there's a manipulation of truth. Because they know stuff. They know that you don't know stuff. And so they try and create a false impression. So that you believe something that's not true. So they can avoid the consequences.

129. 45:09

     Lying to avoid consequences. Or they can be lying. Because of self-image. And two year olds. Believe it or not. Tell fibs about themselves. Because they're trying to project a self-image. To get people to tell them they're good. Right. So they'll fib about how good they were at something. They'll contrast them to somebody or something else.

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     Now we don't do that as adults. Do we? Right. So these. These are why we lie. And it manifests. In awful ways. We manipulate others. And how they think. And what they believe. So we get advantage. Manifesting deceit. False doctrine is fundamentally. About manipulation. A lying tongue. In order to get gain. Over someone else.

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     That's the driver. Of false doctrine. Either the praise of men. Or. Get rid of that. So I can live a licentious behavior. Or life. There's a manipulation. Of the truth. Lying can be as much. As what we don't say. To create impressions. And false beliefs. Is what we do say. And when the father sees all of this.

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     He goes. Disgusting. Right. What about shedding innocent blood. Well. I think scripturally. Shedding innocent blood. Is the idea. Of judicial execution. Of someone who's actually innocent. All right. And it goes all the way back. To Exodus chapter 23. Where it sets out principles. Of justice. In the nation. Of Israel. We're just going to pick one of those out.

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     And we'll look at the others in a moment. But this one particularly. I think. Is relevant. To the shedding of innocent blood. So it's the idea. That someone who's innocent. Has actually been executed. And the evil one. The wicked one. Brings that about. So Exodus 23 verse 7. Says. Keep far from you.

134. 47:00

     A false matter. And the innocent. And righteous. Slay not. If I will not justify the wicked. And this is all in a context. Of explaining. How their justice system should work. We can see. That it's the motivator. Of Cain. In the murder of Abel. 1st John chapter 3 verse 11. This is the message.

135. 47:18

     You've heard. From the beginning. That we should love one another. Not as Cain. Who was of who? Of the wicked one. The evil one. And he slew his brother. Why did he slay him? Because his own works were evil. And his brothers were right. See this is the driver. The motivator. Of the evil man.

136. 47:37

     To shed the blood of innocent. Because they're right. And I'm evil. And I envy that. I hate that. Now why would they do that? Well because of envy. I don't like that person. Because they're something I want to be. And they're showing me up. And so I will judiciously. Execute them. In a variety of ways.

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     Vengeance. I hate them. I want to get my own back on them. Could be a motivator. Or they're a threat to me. In some way. Shape or form. And so I've got to take them out. Now while we might not kill each other. We can certainly character assassinate. There can be gossip. Whose sole purpose really is just malicious.

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     Just creating false impressions of other people. In other people's minds. Ad hominem. Playing the person. Not the ball. How often do we see that in conflicts? Subject. The issue's not even looked at. But an attack on the person. So you can denigrate their position. So you can ignore what they're saying. These are manifestations of shedding the innocent blood.

139. 48:44

     And when the father sees it. Blech. Like vomit. It's disgusting to me. All right. We're going to put the fourth and the fifth together. Devising wicked imaginations. And being swift and running to mischief. Because I think they are paired. What it tells us is these behaviours of the evil wicked man. Are not reactive in the sense they're spur of the moment.

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     Behaviours typically. Although they may. But there's some level of premeditation. There's some level of planning. There's an imagination. There's a devising of something that goes behind it. Now this was the spirit that God saw on the days of Noah. In Genesis chapter 6 verse 5. It says God saw the wickedness. That's one of our terms for the day.

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     Of man was great in the earth. Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart. Was only evil. That's our other term. Continually. And later on. He says that the imagination of man's heart is evil. Another term. From his youth. So this is the way of mankind brother and sister. Wicked imagination. Swift running to mischief.

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     Now why. Why might that be the case? Because it's hard evil. Takes a lot of time. Takes a lot of energy. Takes a lot of planning. You've got to talk to lots of people. You've got to manipulate people. You've got to play with lies and truth. This is hard work. A lot of energy.

143. 50:15

     Takes. There's a lot of imagination. And planning out that's necessary for this way. But there's an urgency. Because you don't have much time. You get little windows. So you've got to be swift. You've got to be urgent. There's a sense of urgency to this evil or wicked one. In what they do. As they execute.

144. 50:32

     And they devise their plans. And so they're going through these two stages. All of the time. Planning. Working it all out. Observing. Working out their duplicitous forward ways. Executing it. Fast. Swift. Running around. Is the sense it gives. They're thinking and thinking and planning and planning. And rushing and rushing to do evil.

145. 50:51

     And that's what God sees when he sees this group and this type of person. And he goes. It's like vomit. It's disgusting to me.

146. 51:03

     Here's the sixth one. A false witness. Well what's a false witness about? Well actually it's an idea first. It's an idea where there's a result which is abhorrent to God. And that was when a righteous person is condemned. And when a wicked person is justified. Alright. So the whole concept of God's truth ends up turned upside down.

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     Forward. You know. Justifying the wicked. And condemning the righteous is the idea behind false witness. Now come with me over to Exodus chapter 23 verse 1 to 8.

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     And we'll have a look at the setting out of the principles of justice. And a prohibition on the idea of false witness. But there's also a series of other things. Each of which turns up in the book of Proverbs. In various of the underlying couplets from chapter 10 on. So it's a useful passage to link into the book of Proverbs.

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     So here in Exodus chapter 3 verse 1. God sets out principles of justice. Good. The right. As opposed to the wrong. To evil or wickedness in the nation. Verse 1. Thou shalt not raise a false report. Put not thine hand with the wicked. To be an unrighteous witness. So there's a false report.

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     And it's a quality of the unright. And it's prohibited. Amongst us. And amongst God's people. Verse 2. You shall not follow a multitude to do evil. So there's a mob mentality. So this is where. Everybody else has got something. Be in their bonnet. And they're making an unjust decision. That involves either justifying the wicked.

151. 53:00

     Or condemning the righteous. And we go along with it. It says you can't do that. Do not follow a multitude to evil. Neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after the many. In resting judgment. It's a personal accountability. To make the right judgments. Not the wrong. And it's no excuse to say.

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     But everybody else was. Or just as bad to go. I don't even think about it. Because other nine people say that. So it must be so. And so we devolve our responsibility. We can't do that. Says Exodus. Says God. Verse 8. Thou shalt take no gift. A key theme. Running through the book of Proverbs.

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     For a gift blinds the wise. And perverts the words of the righteous. And it ends up in an abhorrent thing. That the wicked are justified. And the righteous are condemned. And it's like vomit to me. Says God. Blech. It's disgusting. And it might manifest in our lives. As we indulge maybe in innuendo.

154. 54:04

     Backbiting. Talking about people behind their backs. Slander. Malicious gossip. All forms of false witnessing. Alright. Finally. Sowing discord. Sowing discord is when we say things to other people. So this picture is a sowing of seeds. Sowing of words. And the outcome is to create distrust. Between other people. So we're putting words out there.

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     That causes breakdowns in relationships. Amongst other people. And distrust. And a breakdown of relationships. Sowing of discord. Now why would the evil man do that? Why would the wicked one? Because chaos brings opportunity. When there's chaos in relationships. They are able to elevate themselves. Exploit it for gain. Take what they want.

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     Makes you feel powerful when you're in control of gossip. When you're the one who can give the piece of information to someone else about somebody else. It makes you feel good. I know. I'm tapped in. Makes me feel good about myself. Gives me influence. Gives me power. Because I haven't got a network that I can gossip to.

157. 55:19

     And I can give them information. It makes me feel powerful. Or ad hominem. The evil man says I can take out something that's a perceived threat to me. And whatever the important dimension is to me personally. That person's a threat to it. So if I sow discord. I can undermine them. I can control them.

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     I can control the environment. Because I'm froward. I'm running to and fro. I have to connect the dots. I've got to sow the discord. I've got to create the false impressions. To get my outcome. Because I'm greedy of gain. And whatever the dimension of gain is. And God says a froward man sows strife.

159. 56:00

     A whisperer separates chief friends. Because it's hugely destructive. To human relationships. And ecclesial relationships. The sowing of discord. Have we ever indulged in that? Sometimes?

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     God looks at it and he goes. It's like vomit. It's disgusting to me. Now it's funny that these characteristics. Surface and manifest in two general ways. They're either habitual. That is we learnt them a long time ago. They're now just part of our life. And we don't even know. Or they occur at times of stress.

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     And of course. That can be a time of conflict. Look at these passages. All the way through the New Testament. In describing conflicts. Within the brotherhood. Within and between brethren and sisters. They dip back into the characteristics of the evil one. In the book of Proverbs. To describe what the issues and the behaviours are.

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     James chapter 3 verse 13 to 16. Just so you see. He captures all this in terms of knowledge and understanding. In the context of Proverbs. Who is a wise man? James 3 verse 13. And endued with knowledge among you. Let him show out of a good way of life. His works with meekness of wisdom.

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     Though if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts. Glory not. Lie not against the truth. The wisdom descends. Not from above. But earthly. Sensual. Devilish. For where envying and strife is. Is confusion in every evil work. Because evil works thrive. And confuse in chaotic.

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     Times of conflict. Is when we might find. That we start to behave like this. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 1. Lay aside all malice. All guile. Hypocrisies. Envies. All evil speakings. So Peter says. We're all at risk of these behaviours. 2 Corinthians 12. 20. I fear less when I come. Says Paul. There be debates.

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     Envyings. Wrath strides. Backbiting. Whisperings. Among you. All the attributes of the evil man. Ephesians 4 verse 31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking. Be put away with you. All malice. The characteristics of the wicked or the evil man. Christ says here on screen. In Matthew chapter 7 verse 23.

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     These things all come from within you. They come out of a man and defile the man. They're from within. So you can see our perspective start to change now. This stuff's inside us. Breathing sisters. Says Christ. From within. Out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts. Adults use fornications. Which is going to be the next study.

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     The strange woman. Murders. Thefts. Covetousness. Wickedness. Deceit. Evil eye. Pride. Evil things come from within. Says Christ. And they defile the man. So I've got some bad news for all of us.

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     Paul took a look at the subject of good and evil. And how he interacted with us. This is what he came up with. I know in me. He said that is in my flesh. There's no good thing. For to will. It's present with me. But how to perform that which is good. I find not.

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     For the good I would. I do not. And the evil. That I would not. That I do. Now. I won't ask for a show of hands. But how many people feel like that quite often. I know what the good and evil is. I have a knowledge and understanding of it. But somehow. I do the evil.

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     And not the good. There's a law. That when I would do the good. The evil is present with me. Says Paul. So what do we do about it. We're all at threat of the evil man. Says Proverbs. And the knowledge and understanding. And wisdom. And chastening instruction of the father. Is going to be necessary.

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     For us to perceive and know it. And to be delivered from it. Both within. And without. Well here's some suggestions. In conclusion. For dealing with the evil. The wicked one. Scripturally. First. We have to become aware. And if it's a habit. If we've gone past the conscience stage. So no longer have we got a conscience.

172. 1:00:25

     Saying you're doing wrong Simon. You're doing wrong Simon. It's become habitual. We don't even know we're like this. Because it's habitual. It's part of our life. So we've got to become aware. We've got to ask the father. We've got to ask the righteous judge Christ. That we might know. Good and evil. Within ourselves.

173. 1:00:44

     We can even find a brother and sister. That we trust. And others. And say. Give me a real answer here. Am I like this sometimes?

174. 1:00:58

     Generalization versus specifics. That's the idea. We've got. Oh we're all sinners. I'm a sinner. And we generalize it. And we go away going. I confessed I'm a sinner. Because I told God I'm a sinner. And asked for forgiveness. We don't drop to the specific. And say. Well what is it that we're doing?

175. 1:01:14

     And what do we need to change in life? So we're not like this evil man. But we might need help to understand that. We've got to be open to the chastening and correction of the heavenly father. We've got to be able to listen. And reframe how we view ourselves. Maybe we are viewing ourselves in terms of our social status and comparison and pride as our driver.

176. 1:01:38

     Is it? Because that's the driver of the evil man. Do we do things for some dimension of personal gain? We've got to become aware. Why are we doing things? How are we impacting others? And we've got to reflect on the seven abominations of the evil man that chapter six sets out for us.

177. 1:01:58

     Could we be some of these things some of the times? Because we know what God thinks of it. And remind ourselves of the end in chapter six verse 15. This destruction at the end of the way of the evil or wicked one. Once we're aware. Proverbs here says stop it. Don't consent to it.

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     Don't associate with it. Remove your foot from it. And do not envy them. Stop whatever it is that you've now become aware of. Depart from it. Leave the path. Just stop it.

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     Let's have a look at chapter four on your sheet there. And you'll see this destruction that's given to us very, very clearly. Verse 14 of chapter four. Enter not into the paths of the wicked. Don't go in the way. Don't even start, it says. Avoid it. Pass it by. Turn from it. Pass away.

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     Just don't go there. Look at your life and think about. Are you avoiding it? Are you passing it by? Are you turning from it? Because that's the instructions of the scripture in dealing with the way of the evil man. Don't go there. Don't enter it. Chapter four, verse 25. Let your eyes look straight on.

181. 1:03:19

     Your eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of your feet. Let your ways be established. Don't turn to the right hand to the left. The answer is focus on God's word. Focus on where we're at. Don't look to the evil man to the left, the right, and depart off there. But focus on what is right.

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     Think about where your feet are. Your eyelids straight before to the kingdom of God. That's the way, Proverbs says, you deal with the evil of a wicked man. Because if you look, you're likely to envy. You're likely to be enticed. And depart.

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     And finally, chapter four, verse 26. Make good your habit. Your unconscious habit of life. Establish your ways, it says. So there's our biblical guidance in the book of Proverbs in dealing with this evil man. Now why is this a key to unlocking the book of Proverbs? Because when we get to chapter 10, there's the wicked and the just, the righteous.

184. 1:04:24

     There's the good and evil. When we go to chapter 11, all these little couplets, there they are again. Skip a few chapters, but they're all the same as chapter 15. See what the book of Proverbs is all about? All those little couplets and those pithy, unconnected sayings that we look at and go, what does this mean?

185. 1:04:43

     They're all describing these two ways, these two contrasts, that we can be delivered from the evil man and from the strange woman. Well, that's a little bit depressing, isn't it? So we look at that. We're going to look at our lives and think, maybe there's a lot more of that evil man in me than I thought.

186. 1:05:01

     So let's finish on a beautiful, positive note. As it draws all these thoughts together and exhorts us in the book of Psalms. Blessed is the man and woman that walks not in the council of Rasha, the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of Yahweh, and in his law he meditates day and night.

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     He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in a season. The leaf will not wither, and whatever they do shall prosper, but the ungodly Rasha are not so. But they're like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly, the Rasha, shall not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

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     For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, the way of the ungodly, shall perish.