The bible talks about the problem and danger of a wicked neighbour:
Proverbs 21:10
The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.
Proverbs 12:26
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
Psalm 28:3
Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
Who is a neighbour?
The neighbour is anybody who is around you.
The neighbour is anybody who is available to you.
The neighbour is anybody who is living near you.
The neighbour is anybody who is located near you.
The neighbour can be a friend or a relation.
When you break Neighbour into two: Nigh - near in place, time, or relationship
Boor - a member of a similar class elsewhere.
They are everybody who lives on earth!”
Christians are generally required by believers and non-believers to behave in a certain way.
They are expected to be flawless hence, people are usually quick to judge and condemn them.
The wicked also are equally active in condemning any retaliatory actions from Christians.
Since followers of Christ are supposed to return good for evil therefore, the wicked are reckless and wild in their attack of believers.
However, Jesus was specific when He addressed this issue with His disciples:
Luke 17:3
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him
Matthew 18:21
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
• A neighbour has seized to be a friend or relation the moment he starts devising harm or hurt against a person.
• Such has become a wicked neighbour that should be treated with caution.
• The Psalmist says this clearly, Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. (Psalm 28:3)
• Physical problems usually become spiritual problems.
• Once you fail to solve an issue physically, it eventually becomes an emotional and spiritual issue.
• According to a study of 2000 homebuyers carried out by Halifax Home Insurance in March 2010:
• Nearly one in ten people claim to have moved house because of poor relations with their neighbours,
• The people next door are a bigger influence on a decision to move house than schools.
Simply put the, the number of closed enemies (friends, relations, neighbours) that you have will determine your success or failure in life.
Wicked Neighbour?
1. The wicked neighbour is the personality or power that will not stop unless it kills and destroy.
2. The wicked neighbour is the sworn enemy that will rather die if unable to destroy a person.
3. The wicked neighbour is the power or personality that carefully monitors your life so as to terminate it. –
Proverbs 16:28-29
perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. 29 A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.
4. The wicked neighbour is the witchcraft powers on definite - clear-cut mission against people’s lives.
5. The wicked neighbour is the power or personality that is violently leading people away from good things.
6. The wicked neighbour is the friends that never show their true intentions – not trustworthy or sincere and take advantage of others with no remorse.
7. The wicked neighbour is the friends that are envious of your good fortune and success. They constantly wallow in bitterness and resentment.
8. The wicked neighbour is the friend who only thinks about himself/herself and fails to see or care about others’ problems.
9. The wicked neighbour is the friend that is quick to blame others, instead of being willing to learn and grow from their own foolish conduct.
Israel’s Olden Neighbours were the source of most of their problems:
Some were wicked neighbours while some were bad, some so-so and some were good.
Neighbours like the Ammonites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Hivites and Hittites were not very controversial. However, the Midianites would have succeeded in destroying the destiny of Joseph when he was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
The Moabites to a large extent were peaceful neighbours. In Judges 11:25-26 we read that Moab did not fight with Israel for 300 years while they were neighbours. However, King Balak of Moab was the evil King that hired Balaam to curse the children of Israel. We should, nonetheless, not forget the role that Ruth the Moabite played in the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Philistines is a typical example of a wicked neighbour. They were a well known enemy of Israel in the Old Testament times. The Philistines were a hostile people. Iron played a big part in their military might as they held domination in the manufacture of iron that gave them a big advantage over Israel at that time.
"Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of the battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found." 1 Samuel 13:19-22
The Edomites were descendants of Esau and were wicked neighbours to Israel.
They refused to passage to the Israelites through their land. (Num. 20:18-21.)
When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, the Edomites joined him and took part in the plunder of the city and the slaughter of the Jews.
These are the most well known of Israel’s ancient wicked neighbours.
All of Israel’s ancient neighbours have vanished from history while Israel survived fulfilling Bible prophecy.
The modern day neighbours are as wicked as the wicked olden neighbours.
Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria cannot be said to be good neighbours.
The bible talks about the value of good neighbours/friends.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:9
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.
Proverbs 18: 24
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Delilah was a wicked neighbour to Samson as Ahitophel to David.
I pray against darkness covering your glory and that God will not make you a reproach to your neighbours.
Every wicked neighbour harassing your life will be paralysed and any power disguising to hurt you will be disgraced.
I also pray that every unfriendly friend programmed to disgrace you will be disgraced.
Lastly, every head shaking at you in reproach will nod to your honour in the name of Jesus.
