10 If you are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.11 Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will He not [f]render to man according to his work?13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
14 Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a [g]future,
And your hope will not be cut off.15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not destroy his resting place;
16 For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the Lord will see it and [h]be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
We’ll take this in a bit of reverse order, as verses 17-18 have a similar message to v. 9 from yesterday. We may be tempted to celebrate when our enemy tastes defeat, to rub their nose in it, to let out at least a little “hurrah!” Just a small one mind you, that wouldn’t hurt any, would it?
Solomon tells us otherwise, that God will see our hearts, that we have exalted in the fall of someone else. We are to have God’s heart, and he never rejoices to see his creation fall or stumble, even when they deserve it. Even when He is the one doing it, there is no joy in the judgment. It is for their own good, sure, maybe even in hope that they will see their error and turn away from it.
But God does not revel in discipline any more than we would take joy in spanking a wayward child. It hurts our heart, and so does His (and more so) at the sight of their pain and suffering. Rather, we go back to the beginning, with this odd phrase, “If you are slack in the day of distress…” Does he mean, if we are lazy when time of trouble comes?
Seems a little late to change anything, so Solomon clarifies in the following verses. It is the trouble of others that should concern us. We should not be slack toward them, pretending we do not see their impending doom (v. 12). God sees, and knows our hearts, and His desire is that we not only have his heart, but be his hands and feat.
Someone needs you, and your help. To take up that yoke is as honey from the comb, wisdom to feed your very soul. It is hope for the future, that in embracing God’s way, there will always be someone to lift you again, should you “fall seven times.” Should all the world abandon you, God will not. Even more so then, should we do what God asks when the hurting cross our path. Be His hands, His feet, and show His heart and love to those who need it most.