Bird's-eye view
This proverb sets before us the great antithesis, the fundamental divide that runs through all of human life. There is no neutral ground in the conflict between righteousness and wickedness. A man’s posture toward the law of God determines his posture toward the wicked. If he abandons God’s standard, he will inevitably find himself applauding those who break it. If he loves God’s standard, he will find himself in necessary conflict with them. This verse is a diagnostic tool. Do you want to know where you truly stand? Look at your reaction to the flagrant wickedness of the age. Do you find yourself making excuses for it, praising its audacity, or quietly accommodating it? Or does it stir up a holy indignation in you, a desire to contend for the truth? Your answer reveals whether you are a law-keeper or a law-forsaker.
The issue is one of ultimate allegiance. To forsake the law is to abandon God’s authority as the defining reality. Once that anchor is cut, a man is adrift on a sea of relativism, and his applause meter will be calibrated by the spirit of the age. But the one who keeps the law is anchored to the unchanging character of God. He therefore cannot be at peace with those who are at war with his King. He must strive, contend, and push back. The proverb teaches us that passivity in the face of evil is not a Christian virtue; it is a symptom of having forsaken the law.
Outline
- 1. The Great Antithesis (Prov 28:4)
- a. The Trajectory of Apostasy: Forsaking the Law Leads to Praising the Wicked (Prov 28:4a)
- b. The Trajectory of Faithfulness: Keeping the Law Leads to Contending with the Wicked (Prov 28:4b)
Context In Proverbs
The book of Proverbs is built upon the foundational contrast between wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness, the fear of the Lord and the pride of man. This particular proverb fits squarely within that overarching theme. It is a sharp, concise statement that clarifies the practical outworking of these two paths. It doesn't just say that the righteous are good and the wicked are bad; it explains the social dynamics that flow from these two positions. It tells us that our relationship to God's revealed will (the law) has direct and unavoidable social consequences. It forces the reader to see that there is no middle way, no possibility of being neutral in the great contest between God's kingdom and the kingdom of darkness.
Key Issues
- The Meaning of "Forsaking the Law"
- The Nature of "Praising the Wicked"
- The Definition of "Keeping the Law"
- The Character of "Striving" with the Wicked
- The Impossibility of Neutrality
No Neutral Ground
One of the most insidious lies of our time is the lie of neutrality. The world wants us to believe that it is possible to stand in a detached, objective middle ground, especially on moral and spiritual matters. But Scripture blows this notion to pieces from Genesis to Revelation, and this proverb is a particularly sharp fragment of that explosion. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Matt. 12:30). This proverb applies that same principle. You are either with the law of God or you are against it. And if you are with it, you will strive against wickedness. If you are against it, you will praise wickedness. There is no third category for the man who "keeps the law but doesn't want to be contentious" or the one who "forsakes the law but still disapproves of evil." Your fundamental allegiance will always manifest itself in what you praise and what you fight.
Verse by Verse Commentary
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked...
To "forsake the law" is not to have an occasional slip-up. It is a settled abandonment of God's Word as the standard for life and thought. It is to decide that some other standard, be it personal feelings, cultural consensus, or pragmatic results, is a better guide. When a man or a society does this, a necessary consequence follows: they begin to praise the wicked. Why? Because the wicked are simply those who live out the rejection of God's law most consistently. When you have abandoned the ultimate standard of goodness, you lose the ability to recognize evil for what it is. What was once seen as perversion is now celebrated as "authenticity." What was once called rebellion is now lauded as "courage." The abandonment of God's law creates a moral vacuum, and that vacuum will be filled with a new set of virtues, which are, in fact, the old vices in costume. Look at our culture. As it has systematically forsaken the biblical foundations of law, it has simultaneously begun to erect statues and hold parades for every form of wickedness imaginable. This is not a coincidence; it is the outworking of a spiritual law.
...But those who keep the law strive with them.
The contrast could not be more stark. The one who "keeps the law" is the one who loves it, honors it, and seeks to live under it. For the Christian, this is not a matter of grim, boot-strap moralism, but rather a joyful submission to the wisdom of our Creator and Redeemer, empowered by the Holy Spirit. And what is the fruit of this law-keeping? A necessary conflict with the wicked. The Hebrew word for "strive" (garah) means to contend, to struggle against, to provoke. It is not a passive state of disapproval. It is active engagement. Why is this striving inevitable? Because light and darkness cannot coexist peacefully. To love God's law is to love what the wicked hate, and to hate what the wicked love. This creates an unavoidable friction. The law-keeper cannot simply shrug his shoulders at the praise of wickedness. He must speak, he must act, he must live in such a way that his very life is a rebuke to the unfruitful works of darkness. This striving is not about being quarrelsome for its own sake, but about being faithful to the King. A loyal soldier does not sit idly by while the enemy is praised within his own camp. He contends for the honor of his commander.
Application
This proverb is a bucket of ice water for a sleepy, compromising church. We live in an age that prizes niceness, tolerance, and non-confrontation above all else. We have been told that the mature Christian is the one who "builds bridges" and "finds common ground," which often translates to shutting up about sin and judgment. This proverb tells us that such an approach is the hallmark of those who have forsaken the law.
The application for us is to conduct a searching inventory of our hearts. When we see wickedness celebrated in our streets, in our entertainment, and in our halls of government, what is our gut reaction? Is it a weary sigh and a change of the channel? Or is it a holy grief and a righteous anger that drives us to prayer, to speech, and to action? Are we striving, or are we surrendering? Silence in the face of evil is a form of praise. Apathy is a form of praise. The desire to be seen as reasonable by the unreasonable is a form of praise for the wicked.
We do not strive in our own strength. We strive in the power of the one who kept the law perfectly and who strove against the wicked even to the point of His own death. Jesus Christ was the ultimate contender. He did not make peace with the Pharisees; He pronounced woes upon them. He did not find common ground with the money-changers; He drove them from the temple. And on the cross, He engaged in the ultimate strife with the prince of this world and defeated him decisively. Because He has won the war, we are free to engage in the battles. We contend not for our own righteousness, but for His. We strive not to earn our salvation, but because we have been saved, and we cannot bear to see the law of our gracious King trampled in the mud.