Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23:1-35

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

observe carefully what is before you,

and put a knife to your throat

if you are given to appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

Do not toil to acquire wealth;

be discerning enough to desist.

When your eyes light on it, it is gone,

for suddenly it sprouts wings,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

• “love of money is a root of all kinds of evils,” and it is “through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” 1 Timothy 6:10
• Gluttony (for anything, including money, food, porn, women, gossip, etc.) leads to greed.
• We have to be diligent in controlling our cravings for money, adoration, and so on, because it will lead to worse and worse things.
• If we can’t control our cravings, this suggests putting a knife to our throats.  Better to control our sinful nature in any way, than to lose our soul.  
• If you can’t control your eyes and what they look at, gouge them out.  If you can’t keep your hands from stealing, cut them off.  
• Is this literal?  Sure, if you simply can’t control yourself.  But really, we should understand from this that toiling to acquire wealth … letting our cravings take over … WILL have horrible effect.  
• Instead, be diligent for God.  Toil for more Jesus in your life.  Toil in His work.
• In other words, lay up your treasure in Heaven, not here on Earth.

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;

do not desire his delicacies,

for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.

“Eat and drink!” he says to you,

but his heart is not with you.

You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,

and waste your pleasant words.

• God (via Solomon) is telling us to avoid accepting anything from a miserly person.  And certainly don’t be one of these miserly people.
• Your appreciation is wasted on stingy people.  Your gratitude means nothing to them.
• He likely has an ulterior motive, hoping to get the “morsels” back from you, with interest.

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

for he will despise the good sense of your words.

• Don’t waste your breath.  A back and forth with someone who is tied to worldly or otherwise foolish thinking is an exercise in futility.  In fact, they will hear Truth and despise it.

Do not move an ancient landmark

or enter the fields of the fatherless,

for their Redeemer is strong;

he will plead their cause against you.

• I was listening to a sermon on the radio just yesterday on this topic.  Jesus is our “lawyer”.  He will plead our case to God for us.  Cool thing is, we already know He will “win the case”, so we can rest in that.
• Those today who are trying to re-invent what truth is … this is a warning to them.  “Sure, what everyone has known is Truth for thousands of years is wrong, and your new age thinking is right.” (sarcasm intended)  By the way, when I type “new age", autocorrect changes it to “sewage" … so appropriate. 

Apply your heart to instruction

and your ear to words of knowledge.

• Don’t just hear words of knowledge … absorb them into your heart.  You can tell when someone knows something versus KNOWING it.  The latter is acting on that instruction.  
• I know I struggle with this.  The world (and even loved ones) tell us that “you’re doing enough”, but that is a lie.  It’s not an intentional lie … it’s just a lie we’ve been lulled into over time by the Enemy.  
• Works mean nothing by themselves, but action based on a heart filled with knowledge, driven by love and a desire to please a God who loves us whether we do anything or not, shows that we’ve applied instruction to our heart.
• Likewise, strip away (do not listen to) words that contradict good, solid, biblical knowledge.  That is the other guy trying to pull you away.

Do not withhold discipline from a child;

if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

If you strike him with the rod,

you will save his soul from Sheol.

• It’s not going to kill him to get a little discipline.  In fact, it will hurt him FAR more if you don’t.
• So, by withholding discipline, you’re actually doing the opposite of loving them.  You’re showing non-verbally that you don’t care.  God knows this.  Even the child knows this at some level.
• Same with God, our Father.  He must discipline us, correct us, continually put us back on the right path.  His path.  He must because He is a good and loving father.
• Old Sheol … he’s mentioned a lot.  But it’s not a “he” - it’s hell.  The Pit.  Destruction.  
• If you do not discipline, you are showing passivity.  And passivity is lack of love … lack of caring enough to point them back in the right direction.  If needed, use a rod.

My son, if your heart is wise,

my heart too will be glad.

My inmost being will exult

when your lips speak what is right.

• There is nothing like the sound of your son or daughter speaking Truth.  Knowing that they have heard God through you.  
• But, for this to happen, you must speak Truth to them.  Lead them in the ways of wisdom – God’s wisdom.  
• And you must do this repeatedly, without ceasing.  AND – even more importantly – you must SHOW that you believe it by doing what is right.  Otherwise, your words will carry no weight.

Let not your heart envy sinners,

but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

Surely there is a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

Hear, my son, and be wise,

and direct your heart in the way.

• Where are your eyes?  On what do they focus?  On this world and this life?  Or on Him and eternity?
• It comes down to this:  There IS a future.  So, don’t worry about the unbeliever who “gets ahead” in this world.  They will have received their reward here.  Yours is in heaven.
• Faith comes in the promise … in the hope that will not be cut off.  It WILL come.
• Be wise in mind, heart and spirit.  All three.  You must not simply KNOW.  You must BELIEVE.  

Be not among drunkards

or among gluttonous eaters of meat,

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

and slumber will clothe them with rags.

• Should you not be “among” them?  Well, if you are easily tempted, no.  But certainly, do not partake in drunkenness and gluttony (over-eating).  That’s for sure.
• Stay in control.  Lack of self-control is the way to poverty, destruction, ruin.  Keep your wits, don’t overdo.  

Listen to your father who gave you life,

and do not despise your mother when she is old.

• Your father just might know some things you don’t.  He’s likely “been there, done that.”  Maybe you should consider listening.  Either way, listen.  He gave you life.  Show some respect and reverence for that fact.
• And when your Mom is old and in need of you, don’t complain.  She didn’t complain when raising and nurturing you.  We are not our own.  We are owed nothing.  We are to serve, starting with our family.

Buy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

• Buy = acquire.  Sell = give up for something else.
• Continue to study and absorb Truth.  Do not exchange it for anything.  

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Let your father and mother be glad;

let her who bore you rejoice.

• I know that it brings my parents joy when they see the man they raised.  There are some areas of disappointment, of course, but seeing that your son or daughter is walking the walk because they trust in what you’ve taught them, it is invigorating to see.
• What they’ve taught me through wisdom gained through trials, successes, years of experience, and from God … I must see as an example of their love for me.  I must trust that they (and God) know best.  
• I know that Meredith will rejoice to see the right-acting, right-thinking kids she and I have raised.

My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

For a prostitute is a deep pit;

an adulteress is a narrow well.

She lies in wait like a robber

and increases the traitors among mankind.

• Do what I do, say what I say, live how I live … this is the only way to lead our children.  
• The prostitute and the adulteress represents things we can buy and/or partake in that are not in line with God’s instruction.  These things are displeasing to Him because He knows they are bad for us, even if we don’t see it.
• These things only harm us, break things down, destroy.  And it’s not just an impact on us.  It is an impact on those around us – our family, our community, our country.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who tarry long over wine;

those who go to try mixed wine.

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

In the end it bites like a serpent

and stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your heart utter perverse things.

You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,

like one who lies on the top of a mast.

“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.

• This speaks to the dangers of alcoholism, but also anything on which we make ourselves “drunk” … video games, pornography, lustful thinking, gambling, etc.
• It desensitizes us from what God truly intends.  Again, it displeases Him not so much because we are being defiant, but because He knows the damage it will cause.  He is a loving Dad and wants what is best for us.  He does not want to see us hurt.