“Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks upright…A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:21, 23).
Just as an evil tree bears evil fruit and a good tree bears good fruit (Mat. 7:17-18), an evil heart produces bad joy and a good heart produces good joy. These two proverbs affirm and explain this.
For the evil man—devoid of discernment, prudence, and wisdom—folly produces joy in his heart. Just as a hog hungers after slop and a dog will eagerly consume its own vomit, an evil person feeds upon and finds enjoyment in shameful things which are unworthy of any attention. What a bad joy he feels!
The wise man’s passion is to speak the appropriate truth, in the appropriate way, and at the appropriate time. When he has fitly spoken his words (Prov. 25:11), the sense of righteous accomplishment floods his heart with joy. What a good joy he experiences!
It is hard to imagine one having joy in evil. Clearly it is nothing new!