Proverbs 3:29,  Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Son your neighbor dwells securely by you.

Your neighbor expects to dwell in peace.

He has no reason to expect otherwise.

I have said to withhold not good to them that are due when it is in thy power to do so.

God does not give a command like: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, without giving the power to do so.

As an outgrowth of that love you are to give no reason to your neighbor to disrupt that security.

Neighbors dwelling securely by thee ought to continue to dwell securely by thee.

You are not to withhold good but you are also not to devise evil against him.

It is wrong to devise evil against any man but it is a much greater wrong to devise evil against those who have no expectation of evil.

Those who dwell securely for this is a breach of trust which indicates a very wicked heart.

This is premeditated evil.

This is evil which comes from meditation beforehand.

This is evil which comes from thinking on and revolving in the mind beforehand.

This is designed evil, this is planned evil.

Not spur of the moment or evil from a instance of passion, but planned evil.

This word devise from the Hebrew charash, (khaw-rash') (same name as the leader of the WACO cult) means to engrave, or to scratch.

It indicates a definiteness that results in action as an engraving results in action.

As an engraving is permanent so to is this kind of evil.

It is just not thinking about doing evil but it is doing evil.

Micah the prophet knew of this evil when he wrote in Micah 2:1-3,

Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! (Meditation upon evil doings) when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

Son, remember who you are dealing with if you devise evil against your neighbor!

Thus saith the LORD:

Behold, against this family (not just you but your family) do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

You go ahead and devise evil but remember that the LORD is the champion of your neighbor and he will recompense!

Psalm 72:12-14,  For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor

Matthew Henry in his commentary writes of this, this way:

Woe to the people that devise evil (engrave it in their minds) during the night, and rise early to carry it into execution! (be careful where you let your mind go) It is bad to do mischief on a sudden thought, much worse (or greater evil) to do it with design and forethought. It is of great moment (or great importance) to improve and employ hours of retirement and solitude in a proper manner. If covetousness reigns in the heart, compassion is banished; and when the heart is thus engaged, violence and fraud commonly occupy the hands (the executioners of the mind). The most haughty and secure in prosperity, are commonly most ready to despair in adversity. Woe to those from whom God turns away! Those are the sorest calamities which cut us off from the congregation of the Lord, or cut us short in the enjoyment of its privileges.

So goes this proverbs father as he teaches the fear of the Lord to his beloved son.

Oh, how a father who teaches the fear of the Lord truly loves his son!