Proverbs 28.5: “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.”

Jeremiah 9.23-24: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Hear how there is an echo of Jeremiah in the Proverb.  There is almost an extra warning – “let not the evil man boast in his wicked schemes.”

The holy and just nature of the One True God, combined with the sinful nature of mankind, requires a price for iniquities.  Those who seek and know the LORD understand that they need to be redeemed; they freely admit their guilt and seek the One True God’s only begotten son as their savior. 

For whatever reason – ignorance, pride, blindness, hardness of heart – the evil man considers himself immune from the promised punishment.  As the Proverb says, he does not understand the two-part call of Jesus, “Repent and Believe.”