Proverbs 24:21

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: FEAR THOU LORD AND THE KING - the Lord first, then the king, in so far as he is representative of God, and bears the delegated authority of God (). MEDDLE NOT WITH THEM THAT ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE - who are fond of innovations in Church and State (; )....

Verse Proverbs 24:21. _MY SON, FEAR THOU THE LORD AND THE KING_] Pay to each the homage due: to the LORD, Divine honour and adoration; to the _king_, civil respect, civil honour, and political obedience. _MEDDLE NOT WITH THEM THAT ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE_] עם שונים אל תתערב _im shonim al titharab_: "And with the changelings mingle not thyself." The _innovators_; those who are always for making experiments on modes of government, forms of religion, c. The most dangerous spirit that can infect the human mind....

THEM THAT ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE - Those that seek to set aside the worship of the true God, or the authority of the true king, who represents Him....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 24:1 We return here to the more usual form, the tetrastich. BE NOT THOU ENVIOUS AGAINST EVIL MEN (see on Proverbs 23:17, where a similar warning is given, and comp. Proverbs 23:19 below). "Men of wickedness," wholly given over to evil. NEITHER DESIRE TO BE WITH THEM. Their company is pollution, and association with them makes you a partner in their sinful doings. The Septuagint prefaces the paragraph with the personal address, υἱέ_ _"son." PROVERBS 24:2 For their heart studie

MY SON, FEAR THOU THE LORD, AND THE KING,.... First the Lord, and then the king; and such as fear the Lord are generally loyal to their king; the fear of God includes love to him, reverence of him, faith in him, submission to him, and the whole worship of him, inward and outward, attended with holiness of life and conversation: and the king, who is under God, is to be feared also, with a fear suitable to him; he is to be loved and reverenced, to be trusted in and submitted to, in everything consistent with the fear of God and obedience to him; in whatever is not contrary to his laws, commands, and ordinances; see 1 Peter 2:13; [AND] MEDDLE NOT WITH THEM THAT ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE; in political things; that are for new laws, new forms of government, a new ministry, and a new king; never easy with the government under which they are, but are continually entering into plots, co

FEAR (_ See Scofield) - (Psalms 19:9). _...

CHAPTER 24 INSTRUCTIONS CONTINUED In the final instructions of this chapter we find first a description of the evil men. Their heart studieth destruction; their lips talk mischief. This theme is repeatedly referred to in this chapter. In Proverbs 24:15 the evil man is addressed not to lay wait for the righteous and not to spoil his resting place. The Lord takes care of the righteous; he may be overcome by misfortunes seven times, yet will he rise again. Different it is with the wicked when he falls into mischief. Yet there must be no rejoicing over the fall of the enemy, nor gladness when he stumbled. This displeaseth the Lord. Still higher is the command of the New Testament, “Love your enemies; ... recompense no man evil for evil; ... overcome evil with good.” There is to be no fretting because of evil men nor envy ...

PROVERBS 24:7 A. Lit. Wisdom is corals to the fool. RV involves a change m the text, which gives perhaps the best sense that can be made of an obviously corrupt stanza. Proverbs 24:9. thought: the word means plan or device, and is used in both a good and a bad sense in Pr. Here the meaning is that sin is the kind of plan which folly engages in, sin is folly's plan. Proverbs 24:10. An incomplete aphorism. As it stands its probable meaning is, If thou art slack, thy strength will be narrow (_i.e._ restricted) in the day of trouble. Proverbs 24:11 f. The Heb. is not unambiguous and shows

MEDDLE NOT. mingle not, i.e. have nothing to do with. THEM THAT ARE GIVEN TO CHANGE. with them that make. difference [between. wicked king and. wicked common man]....

_given to change_ i.e. are of a revolutionary and subversive spirit, whether in religion or in politics....