Proverbs 3:29 (NASBStr)
Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
Proverbs 3:29 (ESV)
Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
Perhaps one of the most treasured societal norms, albeit Biblical from the start, is to love your neighbor. When summarizing the Law and the Prophets into two basic thoughts, Jesus told us the first was to love God completely and the second:
Matthew 22:39
The second is like it, ‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’
Solomon said the same thing many, many years earlier in the above proverb. In this proverb we see that this truth is especially true when we have a neighbor who lives along side of our home who does so "securely." The word used carries the meaning of trust. The truth that Jesus and Solomon spoke about is vital when we are in a trusting relationship. We are not to devise harm against our neighbor BECAUSE they trust in us. This is not to say you can devise evil against a neighbor when they don't trust you, but only stresses that relationships with those who are close to you are important to protect and guard. We are not to "devise" harm against them. The word "devise" is used in the Bible in some place to describe how someone might put together jewelry (Genesis 4:12). We are not to plan and devise something that might disrupt the relationship of trust. In this chapter Solomon is listing the benefits of believing in God, fearing Him and attaining wisdom. Most of the list thus far focuses on the benefits for the individual, personally. In this proverb Solomon demonstrates that wisdom employed is for the purpose of establishing and retaining relationships. Folly, as previously described destroys relationships. Wisdom retains and maintains them.
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