On Avoiding Evil (3/8/2026)

“For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;

And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness,

And they drink the wine of violence” (Proverbs 4:16-17).

Solomon here expands his definition of those who are wicked by describing the depths to which they must go to feel satisfied and successful: they cannot sleep unless they perform an evil act or unless they influence someone else to be evil.

They are so depraved that wickedness saturates their very being. Solomon has already warned against participating with those who are such, emphasizing the necessity of staying completely away from their sphere of influence.

The preacher is speaking of the influence of associates, showing how foolish it is even to flirt with sin or with those who promote sinful activities if we want to maintain a wholesome, working relationship with the Heavenly Father.

The message is that we must choose our associates carefully and prayerfully—that is, we must select as our companions those who have the same desire to live an acceptable spiritual life that we do and those who practice the same restraints that we practice. We must choose from those who will help us in our pursuit of going to Heaven.