Proverbs 23
TAKE TIME TO THINK Nine times in this chapter the “heart” of the reader is appealed to. This is not limited to the emotions that easily move a person, but rather to the whole personality. This includes the mind, that we might know God; the emotions, that we might love God; and the will, that we might obey God. Discernment does not come automatically. It requires careful considerate thinking. We need to count the cost of a choice or a matter before taking action. The discipline of the mind leads to the discipline of the whole person, which in turn leads to a disciplined and effective life. It all starts with a “heart” that is right toward God.
The seventh saying in the list of thirty is a warning on two counts. Eating too much may be a personal disgrace, and secondly, it may be a way you are being tested. Your own self-discipline indicates whether you can be bribed or manipulated by influential people who will undermine your known convictions. When you are at a table like that with people like that, generally no real good will come from it. The conversation that is made to flow easier by tempting specialty foods and drink that you may not have had before, can supple a person up to where they say things that are unguarded. So, don’t take too much, and don’t eat too much. In that way you are sending a silent message yourself to the “higher up” person, that you know what he is doing. Deception comes from many directions and in many ways. Watch out for tricky, and likely evil, schemes.
The eighth saying is a warning to those who want to get rich to the extent of wearing themselves out with overwork. Then there are people who don’t take change at a store but they buy lottery tickets instead, hoping to get rich quick. The desire for riches can ruin a person’s spiritual life and soon will ruin physical and emotional life. If you focus your attention on money, remember, it will all be gone soon. The big problem with the love of money is that it is the root of all evil. Instead of having treasure laid up in heaven, you will lose out both here on earth and in heaven. Even your children will take everything for granted that you give them. If you hold back on what they think they are entitled to because of your wealth, they will end up losers too.
The ninth wise saying has to do with being alert as to how to deal with stingy people. Even though they may have lots of everything, they put a value on every bite of food they eat. If you eat at his table, he will begrudge every mouthful you eat. Even if he urges you to eat more, there will be an underlying resentment and criticism. Just don’t go there if you are invited, and you won’t be taken in by his flattery or apparent kindness. Know who you are dealing with whether in secular or spiritual things. His real attitude will soon be evident. The tenth saying is that it is a waste of your time to try to reason with a fool. Such people close their ears to wisdom, and don’t really want to know what is right; especially if correction is needed. It is likely the wise person will have a lot of verbal abuse dumped on them, and the foolish person may even spread false information or downright lies.
Number eleven is a plain statement that boundary lines are to remain unmoved. There may not be a fence there but the markers are in place and do not move them. If a person buys the land, even the original plot plan is on record. If you try to take advantage of orphans and widows regarding trying to get their land, or for any reason; you are up against God. The Lord is the Redeemer-Defender as the close relative of the fatherless and widows. He is the Father of the fatherless. Like Boaz was the kinsman-redeemer of the land in the book of Ruth, so our Lord is for the helpless.
The twelfth saying is about people who are willing to pay attention and listen to instruction in order to gain knowledge. They know they need to grow in maturity through their whole lifetime. There will always be more than we can learn, especially from the Bible when we take time to think and meditate on what is taught.
The thirteenth wise saying is given that we seriously consider the need of discipline for children and their well-being. In this passage there is a sterner tone to the words of instruction in verses thirteen and fourteen, that are qualified by the tone of affection in verse fifteen. For some reason many parents are reluctant to discipline their children. That is really unfair to both parents and children. Discipline has not done its work until the behavior of the child is changed. By consistent correction that is suited to the reason for punishment, the child is preserved from ruining their life and going to hell, if they heed and learn from the discipline. The point of discipline is to help children understand there are people more important than they are who have greater authority. A child’s world is about three feet around themselves. The major objective of discipline is a positive one that changes behavior in a positive way. This will need to be explained to children.
The fourteenth wise saying puts the onus on the son to act on the wise instruction and correction he received from his parents. What joy it is to a father to see evidence of wisdom in his children. That wisdom indicates his wisdom is from his heart because he believes what he was taught. Now when he speaks, that which is inside in his character and convictions, comes out through his words.
The fifteenth wise saying: Don’t envy those who get ahead in this world and prosper in spite of their wickedness. When we see what other people have, and they still get more without any spiritual restraint from their evil, we may be passing through a test to see whether we truly fear the Lord. Our hope is in the future, not here in this passing scene called life. This is only the beginning for a believer. It is the end of all hope for those who remain in their sins.
The subject of the sixteenth wise saying, goes to the listener himself. The material things have been addressed. Now it is the person who is the point of concern. He is called upon to listen to advice for his own personal good. People who drink too much wine and eat too much food, are on a dangerous path in life. To spend time with those who get drunk on alcohol, or show lack of self-restraint when it comes to food, are associating with those who will corrupt them with the same habits. Both sinful problems lead to poverty, and if one is not careful, they will become a homeless person on the street looking for another drink and some cast-off food.
The seventeenth saying urges adult children to give honor to their father who provided for them when they were growing up. They are also to give full respect to an aged mother who can’t do anything for you now, and very little for herself. The truths we heard from them should become our own by applying ourselves to the wisdom we get from the Bible, the discipline we get from practicing wisdom, and the understanding as to how to use both wisdom and discipline effectively. Everything we have come from the Lord, so always give Him the glory for anything good that is done. A father who can see the skill, the honor and the righteous life of his own flesh and blood, gets great joy from that person. The best thing a mother could want from a family is the joy of honorable children being successful for the Lord and for their own families. Both parents will share that joy when they are alone.
The eighteenth saying of wisdom is when a son is asked for his heart. He is being asked, not commanded, to follow his father’s advice and instruction. If he does, he will avoid the sinful temptations that are all around him. A deep pit is very difficult to escape from and a narrow well captivates one who is unfaithful to God and family, when he succumbs to the wiles of a woman who is unfaithful to her husband. Such a woman, schemes and plans to seduce unsuspecting faithless men, who will be easy to blackmail and be taken advantage of for her own dark sinful purposes.
The nineteenth saying goes again to the deception of strong drink. The warning begins with a series of questions that describe the physical condition of one who is drunk. The reason is very plain. They are under the influence of alcohol in their blood stream and it has taken control over their common sense. There is a fascination with wine and strong drink because it loosens the tongue and removes normal inhibitions. But before long a person becomes addicted to its effects, and then to the substance itself. A person who drinks alcoholic beverages of any kind is inclined to take chances they would not normally take. Then they tend to lose visual and depth perception – and then their life, or someone else’s. Unfortunately, those under the influence of another “spirit,” are more susceptible to losing control of themselves. Their head seems like it is spinning and some even start hallucinating. The person who is under the influence of alcohol may lose control of their speech so that they say things they may regret for a lifetime. Some lose control of their ability to walk and their sense of direction. Their senses are so dull that they don’t even hurt until they sober up. Then they want another drink to dull the pain. That is the cause of such self-indulgence and self-centered living that caused this in the first place. It should be identified, faced, and dealt with first. Then the problem itself is partially fixed before starting rehabilitation by the power and help of the Lord.