Proverbs 24:19-20 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
‘Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked.’ This repeats a theme already seen in Proverbs 24:1 (see Psalm 37 and 73). The believer is not to envy the wicked, become frustrated because of their apparent prosperity, or allow their success to disturb his faith. The wicked may appear to prosper while the righteous struggle. This can be difficult to understand.
Psalm 73 describes exactly this struggle. Asaph admitted that he became envious when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. The answer was to look beyond the present circumstances and consider their final end.
The wicked have no lasting future apart from repentance. The imagery of the candle being put out speaks of the extinction of their prosperity, influence, and continuing legacy. The light that appears bright for a time eventually disappears.
This does not necessarily mean that every wicked person’s descendants will literally disappear. Rather, the expression emphasises the temporary nature of the wicked person’s apparent success and legacy. The believer therefore must not envy what will not last.
