17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the [l]fear of the Lord [m]always.
18 Surely there is a [n]future,
And your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
And direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.22 Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
Wow, what a way to start this one. “Do not let your heart envy sinners…” Which of us can claim innocence in that one? But we could stop sooner, and indeed God commands it, “Dot not let your heart envy.” Some might split hairs between “covet” and “envy”, but I think God would rather we didn’t.
Let’s start with Solomon’s admonition though, and ask ourselves if we envy sinners. It can be difficult, but it’s a dangerous slope, and Solomon describes. They may have plenty of wine, all the meat you could eat, and it seems they live a life of ease. They are raking in the dough, and we want some of that action. To top it all off, they seem immensely popular, with loads of friends always hanging around.
The fact is, if they don’t have God, it’s all an illusion, and there is no substance to be found. Whether the people we envy are wicked or righteous, Solomon tells us to put our priorities back in order. Instead, we are to “…live in the fear of the Lord always.” Why? Because there is definitely a future found in trusting God and following Him, and “your hope will not be cut off.”
Far from it, your hope will be in the surest thing that exists, the hand of God Almighty. If we needed further motivation, Solomon tells us that our parents will rejoice and be glad to see us standing firm. Perhaps not, if they are themselves stuck in the trap of this world, in which case we should strive to help them escape as well.
Now, none of that is to say we shouldn’t aspire to lofty dreams, maybe someone is doing some really good things and we want to imitate them. Paul’s advice to the early church would be most apt, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Yet above all, seek God first, He has a plan, and maybe it is to do bigger and better things.
You were created to be you, with a unique plan, and whatever this world thinks of the results, God know it IS bigger and better than anything mankind could dream up for you. Embrace who God created you to be, envy no one else, but seek wisdom and instruction and understanding (v. 23) from those who also love him, and you’ll be on the path to making your Father rejoice and be glad.