Scripture Reference – Proverbs 17:13
“Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house”
Quite often I find myself working on a devotional, and as I continue to ponder on the subject matter, more and more seems to come to mind - and it ends up being longer than planned. Today’s Proverb was one of those, as Solomon’s simple phrase in chapter 17 kept speaking to me.
Personally I believe that Christians should be the most thankful people in the world. If you are a believer and you are reading this, then you know that statement needs no explanation whatsoever. Newsflash….we’ve been freed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light!
I have many incarcerated brothers and sisters in Christ all over the country who openly acknowledge how thankful they are that God in His mercy saw fit to bring them to prison. They are honest enough to admit that were they not behind bars today, they would more than likely be six feet under. So yes, dear friends, as God’s people we can be thankful under every circumstance in life.
Some believers, not so mature in Christ, may challenge that statement saying, ”But you don’t know where I’m at today - my life is not just seemingly unbearable, it IS unbearable. I’m all too aware of theuncertainties of life, and how your whole world can turn around on a dime. It happened to me…massive stoke... Central Pain Syndrome. It'll be 11 years this coming March.
There isn’t a single person who knows that the future for them is some horrible, rotten disease that has the ability to destroy their contentment in life, or an unexpected long prison sentence or that out of nowhere, a spouse who makes the choice to betray their covenantal vows and say…”See ya later."
God put the book of Job in the Bible for a reason. I still can’t point to anyone except our Savior who suffered more than Job. Have you ever tried to picture yourself in Job’s situation – asking yourself the all important question…..how would I have held up? People apostatize and depart from the faith everyday because of awful events in their life that they blame on God!
And what’s even sadder, is that they take out their blame on their friends and
closest loved ones, who are standing with them, only trying to show love and
support. The sign of a mature saint of God is someone, who despite circumstances, can cry out with a sincere heart saying, – "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away – BLESSED be the name of the Lord.”
Not one of our lives is the same, and yes, sorrowfully, many of God’s people are called upon to swallow that bitter pill of adversity, and do it with a heart of gratitude and thankfulness. Job, the Apostle Paul, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Stephen and so many more all have the same God you and I do. Shouldn’t every suffering saint be able to cry out like Job did ....”Though You slay me, yet I will trust You.” (Job 13:15)
I’m not a masochist and neither are you. I’m not saying what you and I are going through is any fun, and that we should relish in our pain and suffering. We can learn to accept the bad news, even some really bad days, where we are tired of making our bed in tears. What I am saying is that we can look to the sovereignty and providence of God, knowing that He hasn’t abandoned us, and that he will be by our side right up to the moment we take our last breath. David said it best in Psalm 112;7, when we get bad news. “He will not be afraid of bad news, – His heart is established, trusting in the Lord.”
What every believer is called to do, through the worst of days is to follow the apostle Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4 where he declared,,,”I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance." (Phil 4:11 CEB) It is possible to be content in the Lord, even on your deathbed.
For those believers who this day find themselves in a lot in life they could have never imagined, take heart dear friend, – turn to the Lord, cry out to Him and embrace your condition rather than running from it with a heart of bitterness.
Let your friends and loved ones see that you are doing your best to remain strong in the faith, that you continue to fight the good fight, and although the finish line may be a little closer than you anticipated, – approach it in faith and contentment in Christ. How about pledging before God to do your best to live up to Paul’s words…..
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I PRESS toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 3:13-14 My friends, no matter what your lot in life is today, the last thing you want to do is to linger in a state of ingratitude and hardness of heart. I know it’s hard, but “be thankful in all things.” (1 Thess 5:18)
The Bible says much about gratitude as well as the lack of it. God knows how we are made, and He designed us to thrive when we are humble, moral, and thankful. When we are arrogant, immoral, and ungrateful, we cannot have fellowship with Him, nor can we experience all it means to be created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; Jaes 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). So God included repeated commands in His Word about being thankful, reminding us that a grateful heart is a happy heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 3:15; Psalm 105:1).
Ingratitude is a sin with severe repercussions.
Romans 1:18-32 gives a detailed description of the downfall of a person or a society. Listed alongside idolatry, homosexuality, and every kind of rebellion is unthankfulness. Verse 21 says, “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” This tells us that God takes gratefulness—and ungratefulness—seriously.
As long as a person or a culture remains thankful to God, they retain a sensitivity to His presence. Thankfulness toward God requires a belief in God at the very least, and ingratitude fails to fulfill our responsibility to acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 100:4). When we refuse to be thankful or to express gratitude, we grow hard hearted and proud. We take for granted all God has given us and become our own gods.
Many moons ago, I was blown away when I first read the account of Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers. I simply couldn’t fathom how only one out of ten men who were healed of one of the most dreaded diseases of the day would come back and thank the person that healed them. Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers gives an example of how highly God values thankfulness (Luke17:12-19). Jesus healed all ten men, but only ONE returned to thank Him (verse 15).
The Bible specifically records that the thankful leper was not even a Jew. He was a Samaritan, a fact that drove home the idea that Jews were not the only people who could reach the heart of God. The Lord notices those who thank Him, regardless of socio-political status or level of spirituality. His questions “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (verse 17) show His disappointment at the ingratitude of the majority.
2 Timothy 3:2 describes what people will be like in the last days, and one characteristic is ingratitude. When pride and self-rule become fashionable, the human heart has no one to thank. We become convinced of our own supremacy and consider all we have as a just reward for our efforts. We are wise to heed Paul’s rhetorical questions “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
Ingratitude toward God is not so much a cause of evil as the result of it. Once we have hardened our hearts to the point that we no longer see God as the source of our gifts, nothing is off-limits. We become a law unto ourselves. One reason the Bible takes such a strong stance against unthankfulness and ingratitude may be that God knows that the end result of such arrogance is a reprobate mind (Romans 1:24). When we remind ourselves often that all we are and all we have is a gift from God (James 1:17), we are guarding ourselves against idolatry and pride.
Solomon warned, calamity will haunt the home and family of those who return evil for acts of grace and kindness. Someone reading today's proverb is putting himself and his loved ones at risk of God's justice by acts of betrayal,slander and lies. Solomon warns, “evil shall not depart from his house (17:13).
Evangelist and founder of Bob Jones University, Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. often said,“When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well-nigh hopeless.” Much wisdom in those words.
Gratitude, loyalty, trust and faithfulness are casualties in a nation preoccupied with SELF.
Ingratitude has become a dominant attitude in our society and is rooted in a
spirit of entitlement. Parents teaching children the simple act of saying “thank you” has been lost on this generation and we find ourselves living in the midst of a people who feel they are owed much while contributing little.
Proverbs 17:13 paints a portrait of an ingrate who has enjoyed the grace and kindness of another, but returns that gift with an act of wickedness and betrayal.
Proverbs 17:13– “Whoso rewardeth [return; recompense] evil [destructive hurt] for good [pleasant; delightful], evil shall not depart [remove; taken back] from his house [family; household].”
Let’s take a moment and make this personal: When was the last time you sincerely thanked someone for an act of grace, kindness and loyalty? I’m not trying to throw out a bunch of false humility, but it happens to me practically on a daily basis. Multiple times every week, I find myself in a position where I’m faced with another opportunity to thank people.
Can you remember the last time you expressed gratitude to an employer for your job? Or the last time you as an employer thanked an employee for a job well done? When have you expressed to your parents your gratitude for faithfully providing for your needs? When was the last time guys, you thanked your wife for everything she does, day in and day out to meet your needs and those of the family.
Too often we express in our actions and attitudes a spirit that is contrary to gratitude. Employees betray their employer’s trust; children reward their parent’s sacrifices with rebellion and a spirit of entitlement trumps thanksgiving. Solomon warned, calamity will haunt the home and family of those who return evil for acts of grace and kindness.
Someone reading today’s proverb is putting himself and his loved ones at risk of God’s justice by acts of betrayal, slander and lies. Solomon warns,“evil shall not depart from his house” (17:13).
My friend, I beg you to confess your sin of ingratitude and unfaithfulness and seek forgiveness, before you witness God’s chastisement on your home and family.
Matthew 5:23-24– “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar , and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar , and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother , and then come and offer thy gift.”
It is sin to repay evil for evil, for vengeance belongs to God (Rom 12:17; I Thess 5:15; I Pet 3:9). But it is even worse to repay evil for good, for that shows a brutish and devilish heart. The consequences for such vile conduct are certain – God will severely judge you with perpetual trouble. It is your duty and privilege to return goodness for goodness.
There are two lessons here. First, you should soberly consider all those that have treated you well in your life. Have you honored them? Have you kindly rewarded their goodness? Second, you should consider those that have despised your goodness. Do not contemplate personal vengeance. God will grind them for you, and the Lord grinds best. Let’s take a brief look at a couple of examples from Scripture.
Noah, a godly father, saved his son Ham and Ham’s wife from the Flood by his personal righteousness (Gen 6:8-10; 7:1). But when Ham sinned against his father, his family tree was perpetually cursed (Gen 9:18-27). Beware friends, the Lord will grind such men.
David killed Goliath for timid Saul and served him well (I Sam 17:50-53; 18:5). But Saul was jealous of this godly man and tried to kill him, so God destroyed Saul’s family and gave the ruling power to the tribe of Judah (I Sam 19:1; 25:28-31; II Sam 6:21). Much of his reign was ruined by the envy that consumed his soul and left him hopeless in the end.
David kindly protected Nabal’s sheep and shepherds (I Sa 25:4-17). When Nabal rejected an honorable request from David, God let him suffer for ten days before killing him and giving his beautiful widow to David (I Sam 25:36-42). Consider your benefactors!
The Lord Jesus befriended and honored Judas Iscariot as one of His twelve apostles. But Judas chose to betray Jesus for a few pieces of silver, so the blessed and holy God dashed his bowels and blood across the potter’s field (Acts 1:18-19; Ps 109:1-20). Both David and Jesus encountered many such traitors in their lives (Ps 35:12; 38:20; 55:12-15).
Jesus Christ was Israel’s Messiah. He preached truth and healed all that came to Him for three years. But the Jews wickedly crucified Him, so God brought Roman armies in 70 A.D. to demolish their nation (Matt 21:44; 22:7; Luke 19:42-44). The Lord grinds best.
Is the warning too harsh? You have not rightly considered the crime. To repay evil for good is profanely selfish; it is beastly and despicable; it reveals a heart black with ungratefulness; it deserves severe judgment. Consider Jeremiah’s hard prayer for God’s vengeance on the Jews persecuting him for preaching the truth (Jer 18:18-23).
Jesus told His apostles to judge every house and city they entered. If the city neglected their gospel, they were to shake off the dust of their shoes against that city. On the Day of Judgment, Jesus promised to be more merciful to Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt 10:12-15).
Dear friends, it is your turn! Do you reward evil for good to those who have treated you kindly and well? Every time someone does something good for you, there is a debt created for your kindness in return. Do you pay your debts of care and kindness? Do not get unduly angry against Saul, Nabal, Judas, and the Jews. Try some self-examination!
Have you rewarded your parents for the love, time, effort, and expense they invested in you, while you were demanding food, dirtying yourself, and then giving them teenage nightmares? When was the last time you took them out to eat? Wrote them and thanked them for being great parents? Bought them a gift? Spent a little on them in some way?
Have you matched your spouse in affection and companionship? Have you honored your employer for hiring you? Have you compensated your pastor for teaching you the truth? Do you praise policemen for protecting you at night? Do you reward good neighbors for making life pleasant? Do you thank your children for taking their time to visit you?
Teenager! One of the vilest criminals in the world is a child who disrespects and rebels against his parents. Imagine being a young peron living in Old Testament days. Rebellion against your parents could cost you your life! After all they have done for you, how can you possibly mistreat them in the slightest way? You should be honoring them like a king and queen. You deserve to die a painful death (Ex 21:15,17; Lev 20:9; Deut 21:18-21; 27:16;
Pr 20:20; 30:17).
This proverb can be taken a step farther. The best of men, true Christians, actually reward good for evil (Rom 12:17-21). They love their enemies; they bless those that curse them; they do good to those that hate them; and they pray for those that despitefully use them and persecute them (Matt 5:43-48). This conduct proves they are the children of God.
The blessed God showed the greatest goodness in the universe by giving His
only begotten Son to save His elect. What was their condition? They were His evil enemies (Rom 5:8-10). He rewarded good for evil to the praise of God’s glorious grace (Eph 1:3-12). If you want to act like a child of God, reward good for evil yourself (Rom 12:21).
Final Thought
Ungratefulness and pride go hand in hand. Where one goes, the other
walks beside it.
In Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul delivers a sweeping and comprehensive detailing of human sin and God's condemnation. No person is excluded (“all have sinned”). No shade of sin is left out—from covetousness to malice, from envy to murder, from gossip to slander, from hating God to disobeying parents, from the rebellious to the self-righteous, from doing evil to inventing evil, and from committing sin to approving of those who commit sin. At the
root of it all, however, is humanity's failure to honor God as God and give Him thanks (Rom 1:21).
In its essence, ingratitude is a rejection of God. It is a rejection of Him as Creator and Ruler of all things. It is a rejection of God as the giver of life, the giver of every blessing, whether expected or unexpected, whether pleasant or painful. Even in prison, Paul rejoiced and exhorted the Philippians to rejoice with him. He exhorted others to give thanks at all times. Believers have thankful spirits because they recognize that whatever we have, wherever we are, and, indeed, all that we are comes from the hand of God—for His glory
and for our good.
Dear friends, recognize that everything we have is a gift. God has given us everything—life, salvation, and everything that makes up life in this world and the next. Every day, every moment, should be filled with thanksgiving. God is good, and everything He does and gives is for our good. It is all a gift.
So, as Thanksgiving is right around the corner, let’s all give thanks to God for all the wonderful things he has done in our lives, and let’s do our best to show a heart of Thanksgiving to all those around us. Let us strive to seek contentment that can only be found in Christ, and not focus on our daily circumstances which may not be favorable. Give God all the glory no matter what and be sure to show godly gratitude to our loved ones and friends.
"Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones, and repay
greater ones with ingratitude." ~ Benjamin Franklin ~
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith / Life Journal: by Gregg Harris
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