Proverbs 3:29 Commentary and Bible Study

It is getting worse and worse. Previously you do not give it to him when you have got it by you and he needs it, but here is a neighbour who dwells securely by you – the Hebrew translated securely means peacefully. In other words, he has never given you any hassle, any trouble. And yet now you are devising evil against him. What is it you are doing in the illustration? Well, here is somebody who is so sour, so wicked, that, though he has got a reasonable neighbour, he has got to express his hatred somehow. Maybe he just does not like his personality. Maybe he is jealous of him in some way. Maybe he just does not like the way he happens to conduct his life, which is slightly different. Maybe his neighbour is quiet, while he is not such a noisy individual. He does not like his neighbour for that, and so what does he do? Well one day when he knows the neighbour is on a journey, he goes round to the other border of his property and kills a few of his animals.Now this is guesswork, but he is scheming something against the neighbour, or he does something to destroy some of his crops, and he enjoys doing it. He is getting at his neighbour who has done absolutely nothing, because he is a spiteful character, and he dislikes him for some reason, though he has done nothing wrong. And the spitefulness of the human heart towards the perfect neighbour, the supreme Creator, is brought out here. You see, we hate God until he works in our hearts, we do not want him. He is holy; he is loving; he is perfect; he is full of blessing and goodness and kindness. That is why we hate him: because he is holy, and I love my sin, and therefore every chance I get I will slander him, I will hit against him. That is the hatefulness of the human heart towards God.