Pearls From Proverbs – Chapter Twenty Three
We will now look at chapter 23.
1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you, Proverbs 23:1 (NASB)
The point of this proverb is to be careful when eating with an important or influential person because he or she may try to influence or bribe you. Unwary meetings over meals can lead to undermined convictions. No good will come from such meals.
2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Proverbs 23:2 (NASB)
Barnes says of this verse:
“Restrain thy appetite, eat as if the knife were at thy throat.” Others render the words “thou wilt put a knife to thy throat” etc., i. e., “indulgence at such a time may endanger thy very life.”
3 Do not desire his delicacies, For it is deceptive food. Proverbs 23:3 (NASB)
In graphic language, the writer warns us not to envy the lifestyles of those who have become rich by being stingy and miserly, and not to gain their favor by fawning over them. Their "friendship" is phony—they will just use you for their own gain.
4 Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. Proverbs 23:4 (NASB)
There are people who wear themselves out trying to gain wealth. Be careful with this. You need money to survive in this world – but be very careful what you do and what you give up to gain it.
5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. Proverbs 23:5 (NASB)
We have all heard of people who have won millions of dollars and then lost everything. Even the average person can spend an inheritance—or a paycheck—with lightning speed and have little to show for it. Don't spend your time chasing fleeting earthly treasures. Instead, store up treasures in heaven, for such treasures will never be lost.
6 Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; Proverbs 23:6 (NASB)
If you eat with a selfish person be very careful. They will consider that you “owe” them something.
7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you. Proverbs 23:7 (NASB)
What you think in your mind about yourself – so you are. In other words – our minds are powerful and we become what we think about ourselves. A person is known by their actions – but actions begin with thoughts.
8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, And waste your compliments. Proverbs 23:8 (NASB)
In graphic language, the writer warns us not to envy the lifestyles of those who have become rich by being stingy and miserly, and not to gain their favor by fawning over them. Their "friendship" is phony—they will just use you for their own gain.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Proverbs 23:9 (NASB)
Have you ever spoken words of wisdom and yet be made fun of? The things of God are not easily understood – especially by fools.
10 Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless, Proverbs 23:10 (NASB)
This proverb tells us to be honest in our dealings. Don’t move the boundary for your own gain and don’t steal from the fields of the fatherless. God gives special protection to the fatherless – for now He becomes their father.
11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you. Proverbs 23:11 (NASB)
The word redeemer referred to someone who bought back a family member who had fallen into slavery or who accepted the obligation to marry the widow of a family member (Ruth_4:3-10). God is also called a Redeemer (Exo_6:6; Job_19:25).
12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12 (NASB)
The people most likely to gain knowledge are those who are willing to listen. It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to pay attention to what others have to say. People who are eager to listen continue to learn and grow throughout their lives. If we refuse to become set in our ways, we can always expand the limits of our knowledge.
13 Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. Proverbs 23:13 (NASB)
The stern tone of discipline here is offset by the affection expressed in verse 15. However, many parents are reluctant to discipline their children at all. Some fear that they will forfeit their relationship, their children will resent them, or they will stifle their children's development. But correction won't kill children, and it may prevent them from foolish moves that will.
14 You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. Proverbs 23:14 (NASB)
This is not an endorsement for abusive punishment. No parent should desire to strike their child. However children do need correction and it should be administered with love.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; Proverbs 23:15 (NASB)
Religion has to do with the heart and a heart that does not direct our actions - is useless. Not only will the son be wise but the father will be glad.
16 And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:16 (NASB)
This verse is another expression of the father being filled with joy over the wisdom of the son. The son not only lives in wisdom but speaks it.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always. Proverbs 23:17 (NASB)
How easy it is to envy those who get ahead, unhampered by responsibility to God's laws. For a time they do seem to prosper without paying any attention to what God wants, but they have no future. To those who follow him, God promises a hope and a wonderful future, even if they don't achieve it in this life.
18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18 (NASB)
Here is a promise - your hope will not be cut off. It may not seem that way in this present world but that does not change the truth. There is a future for you and hope that will last forever.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way. Proverbs 23:19 (NASB)
This is good advice for all of us. We need to listen. We need to be wise. We need to seek the ways of God.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; Proverbs 23:20 (NASB)
Here is practical advice. Don't drink a lot of wine and do be a glutton for meat. This verse is not saying that you should drink no wine or that you should eat no meat - but you must be careful as to how much you consume.
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags. Proverbs 23:21 (NASB)
Here is the reason that you should not be a drunkard and glutton - it will lead to poverty. Gill says of this verse:
"excessive eating and drinking brings drowsiness on men, unfits them for business, and makes them idle and slothful; and spending all on their bellies, they have nothing for their backs, and are clothed in rags."
22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22 (NASB)
Clarke says of this verse:
"A very necessary caution, as very old women are generally helpless, useless, and burdensome: yet these circumstances do not at all lessen the child’s duty. And this duty is strengthened by the Divine command here given."
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. Proverbs 23:23 (NASB)
Whatever the cost may be - it is always wise to buy truth. Wisdom, instruction and understanding are great goals to reach for.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him. Proverbs 23:24 (NASB)
It is a great thing to have children who are following the path of righteousness. You can rejoice in such children.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you. Proverbs 23:25 (NASB)
When one walks in wisdom - it affects those who around them. Both their father and mother will be glad. This verse tells us that especially the mother should rejoice for the character of the child. (Note that verse 24 said the father would rejoice.)
26 Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways. Proverbs 23:26 (NASB)
The son is admonished to give more than head knowledge to following the ways of wisdom. We should give our hearts and well as being aware to where our eyes are looking. Pollution comes in many forms. Be careful with your whole being where that pollution comes from.
27 For a harlot is a deep pit And an adulterous woman is a narrow well. Proverbs 23:27 (NASB)
The road of sexually immoral conduct will cause grief for years to come. Deep sorrow should follow an adulterous lifestyle.
28 Surely she lurks as a robber, And increases the faithless among men. Proverbs 23:28 (NASB)
We must always be on the lookout for those who would rob us of the joy of following God. Sexual immoral actions leave very deep wounds. Clarke has said:
"More iniquity springs from this one source of evil, than from any other cause in the whole system of sin."
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Proverbs 23:29 (NASB)
This verse and the next go together. It is speaking of those who get entrapped with alcohol. Woes, sorrows, contentions, wounds, complaining, bloodshot eyes - are these without cause? If you drink to excess - you should expect these side effects.
30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine. Proverbs 23:30 (NASB)
See verse 29. Here is the root of the problems mentioned there.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly; Proverbs 23:31 (NASB)
Israel was a wine-producing country. In the Old Testament, winepresses bursting with new wine were considered a sign of blessing (Proverbs 3:10). Wisdom is even said to have set her table with wine (Proverbs 9:2, Proverbs 9:5). But the Old Testament writers were alert to the dangers of wine. It dulls the senses; it limits clear judgment (Proverbs 31:1-9); it lowers the capacity for control (Proverbs 4:17); it destroys a person's efficiency (Proverbs 21:17). To make wine an end in itself, a means of self-indulgence, or as an escape from life is to misuse it and invite the consequences of the drunkard.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper. Proverbs 23:32 (NASB)
When all is said and done - it can lead to death.
33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. Proverbs 23:33 (NASB)
Alcohol will effect the brain. You will see strange things. Life will be a blur. It is hard enough to try to control the tongue when one is sober let alone when one is drunk. Stay away from it's entrapments.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. Proverbs 23:34 (NASB)
The world will spin out of control like the rocking of a ship. Climb to the top of the mast and try to sleep there. Don't the waves effect the mast the most? If you think life is hard enough to control when you are sober - what control will you have when you are drunk?
35 "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink." Proverbs 23:35 (NASB)
This is a picture of a person who is so drunk that he is unaware of what is happening to him. He is beaten and struck and when he awakens from his drunken stupor he is aware of the bruises - but returns to the bottle to relieve his wounds only to find that when he awakens again there are new wounds to take their place. And so the cycle continues.
