Proverbs 16:29
A Violent Man
In vs.27-29, Solomon speaks of different kinds of evil men:
1. vs. 27 – the ungodly man
2. vs. 28 – the froward man
3. vs. 29 – the violent man
1. Violent Defined:
a. Strong’s: violence; cruelty; injustice.
b. Dict. of Bib. Lang.: strong, fierce, destructive force resulting in acts that maim, destroy, kill, often implying a lawlessness, terror, and lack of moral restraint.
c. Zodhiates: It implies cruelty, damage, and injustice; When it describes a person, it can mean an oppressor or a violent man (Prov. 3:31).
d. Gen. 6:13 – it is the term used for the reason for the flood: the earth was full of violence.
e. It is always used of a sinful type of violence… never of the violence of a storm or natural disaster.
f. It most often is translated violence, but also: cruelty; injustice; oppression.
g. The Hebrew term is “hamas.”
2. Enticeth
a. To be open; to be open minded; to be gullible; naïve; it came to mean to deceive someone who is gullible or naïve;
b. Thus: to entice, deceive, persuade, seduce.
c. Jud. 14:15 – it was used of Sampson’s wife “enticing” him to declare the riddle.
d. II Kings 22:20 – It was used of Michaiah the prophet who spoke of the Lord using a demon to “persuade” Ahab.
e. This term means to persuade—usually with language… verbally.
f. The term means persuasive speech that is used to convince a person… the salesman’s pitch… the attractive sounds and reasoning of the wolf in sheep’s clothing… the seducer’s line…
g. It also implies a bit of simplicity or naiveté on the part of the hearer… overly open minded… gullible…
3. The violent man enticeth his neighbor.
a. Prov. 1:10 – if sinners entice thee…
• Same word for entice
• Solomon assumes here that young men (and young women!) WILL be enticed by troublemakers.
• Vs. 11 – “If he SAY”—they will have enticing speech… they use words to entice…
• Vs. 11 – notice their violence: lay wait for blood!
• Vs. 11 – come with us! Be part of our group!
→ The bad crowd here entices the young man by offering him “membership”—“with us”!
→ There is attractiveness to belonging…
→ You can belong somewhere… you can be a part of our gang… the in crowd… the cool crowd…
→ There is a clear line being drawn in the Bible on this issue.
→ The evil crowd cries to the young man: “Come with us!”
→ God’s Word says: “Come out from among them and be ye separate!” (II Cor. 6:14-18)
→ Whose fellowship and companionship do you want?
• Vs. 13 – they have persuasive arguments… which can be quite alluring to the simple… they speak only of the positive side of their sinful deeds…
• Vs. 14 – they make themselves sound like a “brotherhood”! We will all have one purse! We take good care of each other!
• Vs. 10 – consent thou not!
• Vs. 15 – stay away from them!
• Solomon knows that they are up to no good… and that their persuasive speech is not quite accurate. They leave out some key issues: like getting caught! (vs.18 – they ruin their own lives.)
1. Prov. 1:10-14 – This man is not content just to sin. He wants to lead others along with him.
a. Lead = to walk;
b. Strong’s: lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk.
c. It is the word translated “come” in Prov. 1:10;
d. It is translated “come” in 7:18 – the harlot inviting the young man to come into her house.
e. It is an invitation… walking someone down a pathway…
f. It can be used in a good sense. It is the term used for God leading the children of Israel. But here it is obviously used in an evil sense… leading in a way that is not good.
g. The GOAL or AIM of this violent man is to lead YOU down a path that is not good.
2. The tactic he uses is satanic.
a. Satan is violent… he was a murderer from the beginning.
b. Satan seeks to entice and allure us… and Satan uses people… and speech to lure us away.
c. Satan also seeks to lead us away from the straight and narrow path into a way that is not good!
d. When a sinner entices us we should hear the hissing of the devil behind those words! Stay away!
3. Prov. 3:31 – Don’t envy him and don’t chose any of his ways! (oppressor = violent man.)
a. Why would anyone ENVY such a violent man?
• Because there is something attractive about sin.
• There is a pleasure to sin.
• The drug dealer often has fancy clothes and an expensive car…
• But later on those fancy clothes are usually exchanged for an orange jump suit… and instead of sitting in the driver’s seat of his Lexus, he is sitting on a hard bench in a jail cell.
• But the simple and the gullible DO often envy this person BEFORE he gets caught.
b. Don’t CHOOSE his ways.
• Don’t choose his ways… because you may also be choosing his END…
• There is something glitzy, glamorous and attractive about his lifestyle before he gets caught.
• But there is nothing glitzy about his life after he gets caught!
• Even APART from the fact that it is sin against a holy God… even by examining the evidence according to life under the sun (earth)… the wise decision is to stay away!
4. The violent man will lead you in a way that is not good.
a. It is not honest, nor honorable, nor safe.
b. It is not proper, beneficial, right.
c. It is a direction that takes one AWAY from God and the narrow path.
d. This is true of violence (street gangs); drug abuse; drinking; stealing; sexual sins; corruption of all stripes;
e. There are all kinds of evil men… with all kinds of alluring ways… seeking to lead you down all kinds of evil pathways…
f. There is an evil pathway for every evil inclination man has ever devised.
5. This sort of person aims to ruin others. Misery loves company.
a. Often times he allures others into his corruption so he doesn’t look so bad! If he can drag you down, it makes him look better!
b. If he can drag you down, he has bragging rights.
c. If he can get an otherwise “good kid” to follow his ways, then he doesn’t feel so vile.
d. Rom. 1:32 – they not only commit such sins, but DELIGHT when others do it too!
6. II Chron. 18:1-3 –
a. Ahab killed sheep and oxen for godly King Jehoshaphat in abundance…
b. Ahab PERSUADED him to go to battle with him at Ramoth-Gilead.
• Ahab, the evil king of Israel, the Baal worshipper, somehow convinced Jehoshaphat through enticing speech to join with him.
• Ahab heaped on the accolades, gifts, banquet, compliments… and Jehoshaphat fell for it…
• It’s hard NOT to be taken in when someone is buttering you up like that!
• Jehoshaphat was persuaded and nearly to his own ruin!
7. Don’t allow yourself to be duped by such men.
a. You are warned: they are out there!
b. And they are not out for your good… but for your ruin.
c. MANY have fallen prey to their evil enticements.
d. Don’t YOU fall for their enticing speech.
e. That is the obvious purpose for Solomon writing this proverb. It comes to us as a warning.
f. Do not be partakers of other men’s sins.
g. II Pet. 3:16-18 – Peter warns believers about corrupt men who seek to allure us into false teachings and bring us to spiritual ruin!
• Since you KNOW this—you have been warned; Beware!
• If not, then we too could be deceived and FALL!
• Growing in the knowledge of God will keep us safe!
• Come out from among them and be ye separate!