Proverbs 11:20,21,  They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

Luke records the words of Jesus in Luke 9:62, saying:

No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit (appropriate, well placed) for the kingdom of God.

Try doing that without ending up with a crooked furrow.

So in this saying about looking back Jesus Christ defines the actions of the froward.

Lot’s wife was among the froward for upon fleeing from the fire and brimstone of Sodom she looked back and God turned her into a pillar of salt.

She was not willing to yield or comply with what was required, that of separating herself from wicked places for in looking back she revealed a heart which longed for Sodom.

The drastic result of her decision to turn from the direction that God was leading shows us how much God is displeased with the froward.

But of course what happened to Lot’s wife is but a small sample of what the froward will receive when God’s displeasure is revealed when His wrath is loosed.

Displeasure is a mild word as to what God thinks of the froward for in our proverb He uses the word that ought to put the fear of the Lord into anyone’s heart, He uses the very strong word "abomination."

Abomination is a Bible word and you will not hear it most anywhere else for it belongs to God.

Abomination is used 19 times in the KJV of the book of Proverbs.

We are told in these 19 times that the following actions are an abomination to God:

Holy, holy, holy, is God Almighty, and therefore the word abomination is appropriate to describe these actions for in the use of this word God expresses extreme hatred that moves to loathing.

He not only loathes and detests such things but he loathes and detests those who perform such things for our proverb says:

We who live with a sinful nature are not pure and can therefore not know completely the extent of God’s hatred toward these actions of sinners.

My sinful mind is incapable of thinking that frowardness is an abomination as God thinks, for I am impure.

Purity demands that a froward heart be put far from a holy God and God will bring this about in His good time.

But God draws near to those not froward but forward, those who are upright in their way, for our proverb tells us, these are his delight.

The upright are those who are without blemish, those who are complete, those who are not crooked, those who are single minded, those who have integrity, those who plow a straight furrow.

The upright are upright because God makes them upright.

These are those whom God is conforming to His Son, in whom he takes great delight.

We know from Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God.

So those who have yielded themselves to Him, those with faith, those who believe that he is, and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him are those in whom he delights, those whom he classifies as upright.

All those without, all those who are faithless, all those not willing to yield to Him, are an abomination to him and except they repent, in due time will be put far from him.

Regardless of what the froward do, regardless of every union they make, God will have his way with the faithless, for without faith it is impossible to please him.

And therefore God brings in our second proverb 11:21,  Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

George Lawson in his commentary on Proverbs writes:  "If all the wicked on earth should combine with all the devils of hell, to prevent the execution of judgment, it would only be a combination of thorns fully dry against the devouring flame."

John in the book of the Revelation tells us about a day when these same thorns are pictured as fully ripened grapes.

He pictures one sitting like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

The cry is heard to:  Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

The warning is clear!

When the froward think to join hand in hand against the Holy One, God's word rings forth that all the hands in the world are simply grapes prepared for His wrath.

Simply grapes that are to be crushed, whose juices are to be mingled and returned to the earth from whence they came.

Isaiah in Isaiah 31:1,3 confirms this,  Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

Isaiah 31:3,  Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

Why do they do this? Why do men choose to trust in horses and chariots and vast numbers joining hand in hand as if this gives them power?

They choose because they are froward, because they are not willing to yield or comply with what God requires.

The world may say that 'might makes right' as it believes in the god of forces.

But the only might that makes right is the mighty hand of God.

Deuteronomy 10:17,  For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

Isaiah says that the LORD shall stretch out his hand and cause both he that helped and he that is helped, those that join hand to hand against God to both fail together.

The generations of Noah desired to join hand in hand when they said in Gen 11:4-6, ..... Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Go to, let us build, let us make us a name.

They discovered their heart and their heart led them to join hand in hand.

One hand is not enough. Hand in hand and we will make us a name.

There is nothing new under the sun as we see in our time Satan again headed toward global union over which he will have his Christ.

Finding comfort in numbers is the occupation of sinners.

Finding comfort in associations, joining hands, a symbol of increased power in numbers is found in the heart of the wicked.

This is also expressed in the numbers that value money.

Dollars joining dollars.

Sinners finding comfort in thick wallets and fat purses and big bank accounts.

Therefore it ought not to be so with God's people.

God's people are not to find comfort in numbers but are to find comfort in God alone.

Isaiah knew this when he wrote in Isaiah 8:9-12,  Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

Men choose confederacy for strength, compromise for immediate results, associations for power.

All have origins from a man's heart, and not from God.

Joining hand in hand for numbers in a quest for success as defined by man, brings a curse by God Almighty.

The Lord warns us through Jeremiah in 17:5-8,  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

And David in Psalm 56:2-4 instructs,  Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Though the hand of the froward join hand with many or with few God is always the majority.

Arms of flesh will fail always but with us is the Lord our God.

Bob Jones Sr. said this:  A man is a fool who leans on the arm of flesh when he can be supported by the arm of Omnipotence.

Leaning on the arm of flesh is the essence of sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the immediate.

Isn’t this the world’s siren call to sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate?

The world says to "grab all the gusto you can; you only go around once in life!"

This is what is taking place in our beloved America as we try to shut out God.

But the Bible is clear and you can count on God: Regardless of the alliance, the associations, the unions, the confederacy, regardless of leaning on arms of flesh, the wicked will not go unpunished.

But as is normally the pattern of the proverbs our proverbs couplet ends with encouragement for the upright.

For it ends:  but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

These are the children of those made right by God, these are the upright.

Hand joined in hand against the seed of the righteous shall fail because the righteous trust in the hand of God.

Abraham trusted in the hand of God and God made this covenant with him.

Genesis 17:7,  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Isn’t this a pattern for the upright?

David knew of this deliverance when he said in:

Psalm 37:25,26,  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

And Peter confirmed this on the day of Pentecost in:

Acts 2:39,  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

What a promise to the righteous!

The greatest gift a man or woman can give to their children is to be godly, and to be godly is to do God’s will.

They have then a place in the covenant that God makes with the righteous, with the upright.

Hand in hand will not deliver. Joining with the multitudes will not bring salvation.

Union with the world for the benefit of your children will not deliver.