Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer gives heed to false lips; and a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue.
Four great sins (continues): [3] Mockery – Whoso mocks the poor reproaches his Maker (17:5). Mockery reveals a heart filled with pride and void of compassion. It scorns those whom God loves, the weak, the suffering, and the lowly. Proverbs 3:34 declares, “Surely He scorns the scorners: but He gives grace unto the lowly.” To mock others is to exalt oneself above them in arrogance, forgetting that all men stand equal before a holy God. The wicked do not correct with love; they tear down with ridicule. [4] Gloating – Rejoice not when thine enemy falls (24:17). Gloating is the joy of the wicked when others stumble. It is a cruel delight in another’s downfall. But Scripture warns that the Lord sees it and it displeases Him (24:18). The godly mourn over sin and destruction, even of their enemies, while the wicked celebrate it. Gloating reveals a heart hardened to mercy and blind to its own need for grace.
A wicked person not only sins but celebrates it in others. He listens to lies, lives by deceit, laughs at the broken, and delights in ruin. But the Lord sees the heart and tries the reins. “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy” (28:13). Let the wise fear the Lord, turn from evil and walk in truth, humility, and compassion, for these are the marks of the righteous.
Living the Word 