Proverbs 4:16

Wicked friends will destroy you. If you want to grow in wisdom and godliness, you must avoid foolish companions. Paul wrote, evil communications corrupt good manners (I Cor 15:33). Solomon soberly warned his son to stay far away from evil men (Pr 4:14-15). Their hearts are controlled by sin and their thoughts dedicated to it (Pr 4:16-17).

Good and evil are opposites, and good men and evil men are also opposites. They are perpetual enemies (Pr 29:27). Wise and just men choose to live successful lives, and God blesses them with light (Pr 4:18). Foolish and wicked men live in darkness, stumbling through a dysfunctional life by the blindness of arrogant and ignorant hearts (Pr 4:19).

There are two kinds of people on earth – the righteous and the wicked. While the wicked may perform outward acts that appear good, those acts come from a heart that is only evil in God’s sight (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:9-18). While the righteous may sometimes live foolishly, yet they have a righteous heart that is vexed by sin (Ps 73:16-22; II Pet 2:7-8).

This proverb and the next are Solomon’s warning about the depraved character of wicked men (Pr 4:16-17). Mischief and wickedness are more important to them than sleep. They cannot rest nor be content unless they have corrupted or hurt others. Wickedness and violence are their bread and wine. They must eat them every day to satisfy their hunger!

There are no neutral men. Righteous men are the followers of Jesus Christ and godliness, and wicked men are the captive slaves of Satan and sin. Men either base their lives on the absolute terms of the Bible, or they base them on the world’s lies received from the devil. It is this great antagonism that makes worldly friends impossible for dedicated Christians.

The NEA, ACLU, PTA, NOW, MTV, CNN, FNN, UN, PETA, ECM, AFL-CIO, UAW, USA, DNC, RNC, and organizations of this world are dedicated to the overthrow of Bible Christianity. They work day and night for mischief and to cause men to fall from righteousness and truth. They cannot sleep until they get rid of Jesus Christ, His disciples, and His doctrine from the earth. Take a strong stand on any Bible subject and find out!

You must measure your friends and associates carefully and strictly and reject those that do not meet God’s high standards, like David did (Ps 15:4; 101:3-8; 119:63,79). And Solomon taught the same (Pr 9:6; 13:20; 14:7; 19:27). Some of these sinful threats to your success may be family members, but DNA and earthly blood ties matter very little to God or true disciples (I Sam 23:17; II Chr 15:16; Matt 10:34-37; Luke 14:25-33).

The God of heaven and the wisest of men command you to avoid the world, reject their opinions, despise their lifestyle, and hate their offers (Ps 101:3-8; Rom 12:1-2; II Cor 6:14-18; Eph 5:7-13; Jas 4:4; I John 2:15-17). No matter how subtle the insinuation or seductive the temptation against the absolute authority of the Bible, you must turn away with all your strength to avoid being corrupted (I Cor 15:33; I Tim 6:3-5; II Tim 3:1-5).