Wise living includes both what you do and also what you do not do. From Proverbs 23:31-24:29, Solomon states eight things a wise person avoids.
Consider carefully each of these and notice the prudent reason(s) for why each is something you must avoid.
Drinking. “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly. At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper” (Prov. 23:31-32).
Envy. “Do not be envious of evil men nor desire to be with them, for their heart devises violence and their lips talk of troublemaking” (Prov. 24:1-2).
Wicked scheming. “Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder his resting place” (Prov. 24:15).
Perverse pleasure. “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles” (Prov. 24:17).
Fretfulness. “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked” (Prov. 24:19).
Volatile people. “My son, fear the Lord and the king. Do not associate with those given to change” (Prov. 24:21).
Lying. “Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, for would you deceive with your lips?” (Prov. 24:28).
Revenge. “Do not say, ‘I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work’” (Prov. 24:29).
Just as a few dead flies seriously degrades the perfumer’s ointment (Ecc. 10:1), so a little folly—like any of these given here by Solomon—will disgraces one seeking to live wisely.
