Proverbs 23-24

Hands to the Plow Proverbs 23-24

In chapter 23, we see cautions against self-indulgence before rulers; against avarice; visiting a deceiver; speaking before a fool; and oppression, 1-11. Exhortations to study wisdom and to correct children for their good, 12-14. The joy of teachers and parents over wise children; with cautions against envy, intemperance, and whoredom; and exhortations to buy the truth, to honor parents, and to give God the heart, 15-26. The infatuation of drunkards, 27-35.

Proverbs 23:1–3  “ When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; 2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food.”

Nothing is truly free. When someone in power or authority offers “free” it comes with a lease. It all corrupts with its richness.

put a knife to your throat - hold yourself hostage to not lose control.

Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 9:27  “ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Proverbs 23:4–5  “ Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

There is nothing wrong with work, or even being rich. But don’t spend your life for it.

Proverbs 23:6–8  “ Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. 8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, And waste your pleasant words.”

The miser only shares for advantage. Hes cheap, the food will be old, contaminated, etc.

Proverbs 23:9  “ Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.”

Proverbs 23:10–11  “ Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; 11 For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.” Don’t steal land

Proverbs 23:12  “ Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.” Be fully committed

Proverbs 23:13–14  “ Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.” Not abuse, correction. Rules, limitations, boundries must be recognized. Loving correction keeps us on the path. Heb. 12:6

Proverbs 23:15–16  “ My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; 16 Yes, my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak right things.” When you hear your kids speaking the things of God

Proverbs 23:17–18  “ Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; 18 For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.”

Now, we talk about fear being respect, but the word here is Yirah, trembling, dread. Yes, its honoring Yahweh because its recognizing He is real and impacts our world. Our God is alive. He saves.

Fear is seeing the powerful judgement of God (the cross) on evil, wicked sin of men, and knowing the cost of loving our sin more than Him. That should shake us in our boots.

Another point to the doctrine of afterlife v18 affirms this not all there is for us.

Proverbs 23:19–21  “ Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way. 20 Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”

Proverbs 23:22  “ Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.”

Proverbs 23:23  “ Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” spoke earlier not giving all for riches, but this true riches and can be bought by

Proverbs 23:24–25  “ The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. 25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.” is joy to see

Proverbs 23:26–28  “ My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep pit, And a seductress is a narrow well. 28 She also lies in wait as for a victim, And increases the unfaithful among men.”

How many young men and women are taken in and enamored by the opposite sex. Who become chaine by their lust and hormones. I have seen young men and women I thought for sure bound to serve the Lord who walked away from serving Him to follow their flesh?

We are supposed to do the opposite of this, to live in God not ourselves. Romans 8:13  “ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Hosea 14:9  “ Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.”

Proverbs 23:29–35  “ Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; 32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?””

Addiction destroys us in ways we refuse to see even though it is obvious about its intentions. We see others and think it wont happen to us

Cautions against envy, discontent, sinful thoughts, neglect of doing good, or deferring to do it; rejoicing over an enemy’s calamity; respect of persons, flattery, revenge, and sloth: with recommendations of the knowledge and fear of God, and obedience to the king; and declarations of the safety of the righteous, 1-34.

Proverbs 24:1–4  “ Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. 3 Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”

You cannot build a home without Gods wisdom. Don’t listen to the ones pipe dream, the get rich quick, etc. Lots of poor people own bitcoin.

Proverbs 24:5–6  “ A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

The world thinks that secret knowledge is power. But knowing Christ, hearing God and obeying, enables us to battle this world and win. Through Him. Its not just wise men but wise in the Lord.

Proverbs 24:7  “ Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate.” When a fool gets around those who actually know they shut up

Proverbs 24:8–9  “ He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.” reputations especially bad ones, are earned. If you always mock people, no one will want to be around you. Learn to turn the annoying off.

Proverbs 24:10  “ If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.”

I hear the savior say, thy strength indeed is small, child of weakness watch and pray, find in me, thy all in all, Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, my sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)

Proverbs 24:11–14  “ Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? 13 My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.”

Blessed are the peacemakers, theirs is the kingdom…we want to bring others to christ, to be free, there is always hope. (Matthew 5:9)

Proverbs 24:15–16  “ Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; 16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.”

Leave the righteous alone, though they may fail many times, they always keep going in the Lord. The wicked though perish in the fall.

Proverbs 24:17–18  “ Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.”

Proverbs 24:19–20  “ Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; 20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.” sinners gonna sin and face consequences

Proverbs 24:21–22  “ My son, fear (yirah) the Lord and the king; respect authority Do not associate with those given to change; 22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring?”

More sayings of the wise: Proverbs 24:23–25  “ These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. 24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. 25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.” false judges are known

Proverbs 24:26  “ He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.” right, like honest, what should be said

Proverbs 24:27  “ Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.”

Get the job, then get the stuff.

Proverbs 24:28–29  “ Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips? 29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.””

When the person thats alway annoying you fails, dont be that You’re gonna get yours. Dont be that guy. Especially if you’re making it up.

Proverbs 24:30–34  “ I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; 31 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. 32 When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; 34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.”

When it goes wrong, and it will go wrong, we often have no one to blame but ourselves.

Thoughts questions comments.