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Proverbs 24:17-18
October 31, 2025 by Rebecca Littlejohn
DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
Proverbs 24:17-18 – Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, or else the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from them. (NRSV)
In such polarized times as ours, some of the most important teachings in the Bible for Christians to turn to are the ones that tell us how to deal with our enemies. “Enemy” is such a strong word that most of us wouldn’t admit to having any (or at least not many). But if we look at how the Bible describes typical behavior in relation to enemies, we begin to recognize that there are people we are tempted to treat that way.
The Germans have a word for that feeling of smug satisfaction we’ve all experienced when someone we don’t like or don’t agree with has a mishap. They call it “Schadenfreude.” “Schaden” means harm or adversity. “Freude” is the word for joy. We’ve all felt it, and yet, it’s usually accompanied by an awareness that it’s not a nice thing to be feeling.
What is striking about this warning against Schadenfreude from the Book of Proverbs is that the argument is made on practical grounds, based on a fairly superstitious understanding of God’s role in cause and effect. Again, it is easy to recognize ourselves here. We are superstitious people; we live with a fairly constant, if shallow, desire to avoid “jinxing” whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish. We are aware that we live in a seemingly ironic universe, where if we revel too much in another’s downfall, our own is likely to be around the corner.
Usually in our modern age, we keep our superstitions and our beliefs in God in separate compartments of our minds. But regardless of how we look at Schadenfreude, it’s clear that it violates the teachings of Jesus, who commanded us to love and pray for our enemies. Whether we do it to avoid having to eat our words or because we’re truly trying to be faithful Christians, the world will be a better place if we can resist the temptation to delight in another’s problems.