Wisdom is to Avoid Evil and Furious Men – (Proverbs 22:24-25)

Daily Bible Study
These proverbs were based on the observation of human behavior and because of that they are part of the day to day practical wisdom given to us in God's word. These passages speak of the flaw in human nature whereby bad habits tend to spread quicker than good habits. This is because of our fallen nature, which is attracted to things which rebel against God and His commandments. This means that many times it's easier to pick up a bad habit than a good one. For example, we have seen many times how those who have a bad attitude toward life and people in general, can quickly infect a group of people who previously had no social issues. Such an attitude is contagious, and it's usually spread pretty quickly when such a person is placed in a group of people. Moreover, most people do not understand, that type of attitude is deadly to our spiritual health, because it robs us of our ability to see the things of God and our desire to study God's word, the Bible. Therefore, God's wisdom tells us to avoid people who have this type of behavior, because once it's learned, it becomes a habit that is extremely difficult to remove from our hearts and minds.

And that's the message at the heart of these passages, that not only do bad people bring about destruction and chaos, but that their habits of anger and hatred can quickly spread to others. In addition, this chapter of proverbs can be broken down into three wise sayings and these passages belong to the second wise saying which speaks of not associating ourselves with angry or vengeful people. This is the person who blows up at every small issue real or perceived. This is the person who dwells on being angry and getting even, or worse, causing far more damage than the perceived wrong committed against them. This is a person who has learned to bully others in order to have their own way. And associating ourselves with such a person can only lead to our own destruction. This type of relationship can never last for long without either falling apart completely, or causing the weaker person to live life in fear of provoking an attack. Moreover, associating ourselves with such a person can lead to situations, which because of their anger, are  extremely difficult to extricate ourselves from or can potentially cause physical or psychological harm. Therefore, here in these passages and elsewhere God's word warns us not to associate ourselves with such a person.