Almost in All Evil - Proverbs 5:14

In the book of Proverbs Solomon said, “Hear me now therefore, O you children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from her, and come not near the door of her house. Lest you give your honor unto others, and your years unto the cruel. Lest strangers be filled with your wealth; and your labors be in the house of a stranger. And you mourn at the last, when your flesh and your body are consumed, and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof. And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me!”, and in chapter five and verse fourteen of Proverbs Solomon said, “I was almost in all evil” where we read,

I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

The verse begins, “I was almost in all evil ...”. Solomon began with the words, “I was almost” or “I, Solomon, existed a little, lightly and few” “in all evil” which means “within the whole, each, every and the totality of bad, disagreeableness, malignancy, unpleasantness, misery, unhappiness and wickedness”. Solomon shared how he had come very near to wickedness and malignancy.

The verse continues, “... in the midst of the congregation and assembly.” Solomon added the words, “in the midst” or “within the middle or center” “of the congregation” which means “belonging to the company or convocation for religious purposes” “and assembly” or “and gathering, multitude or swarm of people”. Solomon said he was within the center of the company and multitude of people when he was near to wickedness.

When we meditate upon Solomon's words in this verse, we learn how he was near to wickedness even while he was in the middle of the gathering of the people for religious purposes. This may seem odd or strange at first glance, however, if we consider that there were “sin” prone people who assembled, we may understand how he felt near to the “evil” that was there. Paul the apostle wrote, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (See Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (See Romans 6:23). For these reasons God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we believe and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us to be aware of wickedness regardless of whether or not we are in the middle of the gathering of people.

Next time Solomon says to his son, “drink waters out of your own cistern”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".