"Let not such a thought ever come into thy mind, O that I could shake off the restraints of religion and conscience, and take as great a liberty to indulge the sensual appetite, as I see such and such do! No; desire not to be with them, to do as they do and fare as they fare, and to cast in thy lot among them." - Matthew Henry 
 
" 'You see,' said an Ozark blacksmith to a traveler, pointing to the front axle of a farm wagon in his shop, ' these axles last. My father cut this from the heart of a hickory tree 20 years ago, and it is still good. It does not bend or crack or break. It was taken from a lone tree. My father used to travel over the hills in search of sound lumber, and if he found a good tree, he would purchase it as it stood and cut it into timbers for his shop. By experience he found that the strongest wood was taken from trees that stood alone. So he would select hickories that grew in open space, and of these he would make his best axles and wagon tongues. Those trees that stood alone proved to be by far the strongest. They had stood up under the storms where there was no protection, and their wood was of the finest grain and as strong as steel. You can't break those tongues and axles.' So it is better to stand alone than to make unsound compromises."
 
"An interviewer once asked several people,' What do you think of the Ten Commandments?' One person just stared at the questioner and gasped,' Are you kidding?' Another said, ' Well, I don't take them literally.' One person replied with a laugh, ' Well, I think rules were made to be broken.' Another said, ' It's fortunate that we don't have to keep them anymore.' But one woman replied, ' What do I think of the Ten Commandments?' Then she paused a moment and mused quietly, ' Well, I think God loved us an awful lot to give them to us - to protect us from ourselves.' "
- Both Quotes from the Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations
 
There are two concepts that run throughout the Scriptures.
First of all, as Christians we are not to envy sinners.
Secondly, we are to keep ourselves in the fear of God all the day long.
 
There are four basic Scriptures which admonish us not to envy sinners. They are as follows -
 
Proverbs 23:17 - "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long."
Proverbs 24:1 - "Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them."
Proverbs 24:19 - "Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked."
Proverbs 3:31 - "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."                                                                                                                                      
                                           We are not to envy sinners.

                                             
Proverbs 23:17 says - "Let not thine heart envy sinners..."
We are not to have feelings which look half-longingly at the prosperity of evil-doers nor desire to be like them - do as they do or walk in the way that they walk.

Proverbs 24:1 tells us - "Be not thou envious against evil men..."
We are not to think them happy or wish that we could be in their situation and prosper as they do, nor are we to long to be with them - "neither desire to be with them" (Proverbs 24:1).

Proverbs 24:19 says - "Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked." We must count them as being ungodly, bad, injurious, wicked, and displeasing to God.

Proverbs 3:31 exhorts us - "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
 
There is a way that we - as Christians - must choose or select.
There is a manner or custom of life to which we are to join ourselves.
This is the way of which the sinner, evil man, wicked, or oppressor knows nothing.
It is called the Fear of the Lord.
 
Proverbs 23:17 admonishes us with these words - "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long."
Romans 3:18 says of the wicked - "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
And again, Psalm 36:1 says - "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes."

Different commentators like Matthew Henry offer a thorough explanation of this Scriptural Principle.
 
The Fear of God  -
...consists of an awful and serious regard to the Word and Will of God as our rule and to the honor and glory of God as our end
...is a regard and reverence for His character, authority, and honor so as to restrain and withhold us from sin and iniquity
...consists of maintaining high thoughts of the Lord in our minds at all times
...includes exercising ourselves in holy adorings of Him, being submissive to His providences, and having a constant care to please Him
...includes taking pleasure in contemplating His glory and complying with His will
...also includes paying a deference to His authority, and having an awful terror and dread of His wrath.
 
The wicked do not have this holy fear of God before their eyes.
Their lives are not steered by it as is the case with the Christian.
The transgression - the open and public rebellion of the wicked - those who are ungodly and are living in hostility to the Almighty - pictures before all that they have no regard for Him or for His Law.
They are under no restraints from His Law or Will.
They act as if He doesn't exist.
 
Again, let us read Matthew Henry's statement, concerning envying evil men and desiring to be with them or to become like them - "Let not such a thought ever come into thy mind, O that I could shake off the restraints of religion and conscience, and take as great a liberty to indulge the sensual appetite, as I see such and such do! No; desire not to be with them, to do as they do and fare as they fare, and to cast in thy lot among them."
 
King Solomon warned us in Proverbs 23:17 - "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long."
 
May we take heed to his warning and find safety in the Lord this day.
 
Proverbs 14:26 - "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."
 
May God Bless His Word.
Connie