Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:
Keep her; for she is your life.
Enter not into the path of the wicked,
And go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it,
Turn from it, and pass away.
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief;
And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
The principle here enunciated is of prime importance, and cannot be too often insisted on.
The child of God is called to separation from all evil-doers.
He who knows what is in the darkness has described their unholy ways. We need not mistake them. Called to holiness, we are to avoid their path. To trifle and temporize with them is most deleterious, and will greatly hinder soul-progress.
The true pilot may not know every rock or reef, but his wisdom consists in taking the safe channel: so the Christian need not make himself aware of all the evils of the day.
He is to simply take the safe path described in the verse that follows:
(Commentary by H.A. Ironside)