I sat not in the assembly of the mockers.
Christians delight not in godless company
It is better and safer to ride alone than to have a thief’s company; and such is a wicked man, who will rob thee of precious time, if he do thee no more mischief. The Nazarites, who might drink no wine, were also forbidden to cut grapes whereof wine is made, so we must not only avoid sin, but also the causes and occasions thereof, among which is bad company. (J. Spencer.)
The difficulty of maintaining purity in evil company
That is a sound body that continues healthful in a pest house. It is a far greater wonder to see a saint maintain his purity among sinners, than it is to behold, a sinner becoming pure among saints. Christians are not always like fish, which retain their freshness in a salt sea; or like the rose, which preserves its sweetness among the most noisome weeds; or like the fire, which burns the hottest when the season is coldest. A good man was once heard to lament, “that as often as he went into the company of the wicked he returned less a man from them than he was before he joined with them.” The Lord’s people, by keeping evil company, are like persons who are much exposed to the sun, insensibly tanned. (T. Seeker.)