Commentary - Proverbs 24:17-18

Bird's-eye view

This brief but potent proverb addresses the subtle and insidious sin of Schadenfreude, which is the sinful pleasure a person takes in the misfortunes of another. Specifically, it warns against rejoicing when an enemy falls. This is not a matter of public relations or keeping up appearances. The prohibition goes to the level of the heart, forbidding inward, secret rejoicing. The reason given is startling to our modern sensibilities: God might see this gloating attitude and, disapproving of it, relent from the judgment He was bringing upon that enemy. This passage, therefore, is a profound lesson in the nature of true justice, the danger of personal vindictiveness, and the absolute necessity of entrusting all vengeance to God. It teaches the righteous to desire God's justice, not their own contaminated version of it, and to maintain a clean heart even when witnessing the downfall of the wicked.

The wisdom here is a crucial corrective to the flesh. Our fallen nature delights in seeing our opponents get what's coming to them. But this proverb calls us to a higher standard, one that purifies our motives. We are to desire the establishment of God's righteousness, not the satisfaction of our personal grudges. The passage forces us to distinguish between a righteous "Amen" to God's judgments and a petty, self-satisfied gloating. The former gives glory to God; the latter attempts to steal a little of that glory for ourselves, and God will not have it.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This passage is situated within a larger collection of "the words of the wise" (Proverbs 22:17-24:34). This section of Proverbs contains a series of short, pointed instructions on how to live skillfully and righteously before God and man. The immediate context includes warnings against envying evil men (Prov 24:19) and instructions on fearing God and the king (Prov 24:21). The theme of dealing rightly with enemies and wicked men is woven throughout the book. Proverbs teaches both that the wicked will surely face judgment and that the righteous man must not take that judgment into his own hands or adopt the world's attitude toward it. This particular proverb provides a crucial piece of that puzzle, focusing not on the actions of vengeance, but on the attitude of the heart when vengeance, God's vengeance, arrives.

Key Issues

Keeping Your Motives Clean

One of the hardest things for a Christian to do is to keep his motives clean in the middle of a conflict. When we are wronged, we naturally want to see justice done. When we pray for God to act, we want Him to vindicate the righteous and bring down the wicked. The imprecatory psalms are full of such prayers, and they are God-breathed prayers for us to use. But there is a universe of difference between praying "Rise up, O Lord, in your anger" (Psalm 7:6) and rubbing your hands together with glee when your personal enemy slips on a banana peel. The first is a desire for God's name to be hallowed and His kingdom to come. The second is a desire for your ego to be stroked.

This proverb is a diagnostic tool for the heart. It reveals what we truly love. Do we love justice, or do we just love to see our side win? Do we hate evil, or do we just hate the people who have inconvenienced us? God is in the business of judging evil, and He will do so thoroughly. Our job is to stay out of His way. When we see Him at work, bringing a just end to some course of wickedness, our response should be a sober and reverent "Hallelujah," not a celebratory end-zone dance. This proverb warns that if we try to insert our petty, sinful vindictiveness into the process, God may just call the whole thing off, not because the enemy deserved a reprieve, but because our attitude was so displeasing to Him.

Verse by Verse Commentary

17 When your enemy falls, do not be glad, And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;

The instruction here is two-fold, moving from the outside in. First, do not be glad. This addresses the outward expression of joy. Don't throw a party. Don't post a celebratory meme. Don't walk around with a smug grin. The downfall of any human being, even a wicked enemy, is a solemn event because it is a manifestation of the curse of sin and the reality of God's wrath. But the proverb immediately goes deeper. Second, do not let your heart rejoice. This is the real challenge. It is possible to maintain a somber public face while your heart is secretly throwing confetti. But God is not concerned with our public relations; He is the searcher of hearts. He forbids the secret, internal satisfaction that our flesh craves when an adversary is laid low. The command is to govern not just our actions, but our affections. This is a call to a profound level of spiritual maturity.

18 Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes, And turn His anger away from him.

Here we find the reason for the prohibition, and it is a stunner. The logic is entirely God-centered. The problem with your gloating is not that it's "not nice" or that it might make you look bad. The problem is that Yahweh will see it. Your secret heart-attitude is an open book to Him. And when He sees this kind of petty, vengeful joy in you, He sees it as evil in His eyes. Your sin of gloating becomes, in that moment, more offensive to Him than the sin of the enemy He was in the process of judging. Your attitude is a form of pride. It is as though you are applauding God's work as if you were His supervisor, or worse, taking credit for it yourself. This is a profound offense to the Holy One.

The consequence is what truly gets our attention: God may turn His anger away from him. This is not because the enemy suddenly became less culpable. It is because God's primary concern is the holiness of His own people. He is willing to suspend the temporal judgment on a wicked man in order to deal with the pride in a righteous man's heart. He is essentially saying, "If you are going to make this about you, then I am going to stop. I am not a hired gun for your personal vendettas." This forces the believer to want God's pure, unadulterated justice, and to ensure his own heart is right before the Lord so as not to become an obstacle to that justice.

Application

In our highly polarized and contentious age, this proverb is more needful than ever. It is far too easy to live on a steady diet of outrage, eagerly awaiting the next slip-up, the next scandal, the next downfall of those on the "other side," whether in politics, theology, or our personal lives. We refresh our news feeds hoping for bad news about our enemies. This is a spiritual disease.

The application is straightforward, though difficult. We must mortify the sin of Schadenfreude. When an opponent stumbles, our first reaction must not be joy, but a sober reflection on the terror of God's judgment and the fragility of all men. We should be reminded of our own sin and our desperate need for the grace that keeps us from falling. As the apostle Paul says, "let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor 10:12).

This does not mean we cannot rejoice in the victory of God's righteousness. When Babylon falls in Revelation, the heavens erupt in praise (Rev 19:1-3). But that is joy in God's holiness, justice, and glory. It is not a petty celebration of a personal victory. The test is this: does the downfall of your enemy make you think more about how great God is, or does it make you think more about how right you were? If it is the latter, then this proverb is for you. We are to love our enemies, which means seeking their ultimate good. And their ultimate good is repentance and salvation. If God's judgment is the means to bring that about, we can say Amen. If His judgment is final, we must tremble. But in no case may we gloat. We must leave all vengeance, and all the feelings that go with it, to the Lord.