April 26
Reading: Proverbs 23
1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, 2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, 7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, 11 for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.
20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”
Remember Proverbs 22:17-21. In the last chapter, we had five of the “thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge.” Now we will get thirteen more. Notice that some of these sayings run for quite a few verses.
vss. 1-3 Here is some good advice. When you are in a situation of wonderful opportunity, like dining with a ruler, conduct yourself with discretion. People are always watching. God is watching.
vss. 4-5 No one keeps their money. Ever.
vss. 10-12 “Redeemer” is a reference to the Lord who has apportioned the land according to families. Do not cheat someone out of their property.
vss. 17-21 It is easy to envy sinners, to look at someone else’s life and think that they are having all the fun and here am I trying to obey the Lord. It is a lie. Stick with God’s way. You will see why.
vss. 22-25 Listen to your parents. You can learn a lot. For most people there is no one in their lives who loves them as much, has given to them so consistently, and has as much life experience as their mom and dad. Why not give your parents joy?
vss. 26-28 Do you know that there are women who look for men do destroy their lives? There are men who do the same with women.
vss. 29-35 This is a lengthy proverb warning of the dangers of drinking. If you drink, it is worth meditating on these words. This is the experience of the one who is entangled in drinking. It is an entanglement that most of those trapped in it do not realize and will not admit. So, if you drink alcohol at all, you should seek good godly counsel to make sure it is not a problem in your life. And talk to the people around you who love you. What do they think? Are you bringing them woe, sorrow, or strife?