PROVERBS 23 (KING JAMES VERSION)

PROVERBS 23   (KJV)

   1) When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,

     consider diligently what is before thee:

   2) And put a knife to thy throat,

     if thou be a man given to appetite

   3) Be not desirous of his dainties:

     for they are deceitful meat.

   4) Labour not to be rich:

     cease from thine own wisdom.

   5) Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?

     for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

   6) Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,

     neither desire thou his dainty meats:

   7) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

     Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

   8) The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,

     and lose thy sweet words.

   9) Speak not in the ears of a fool:

     for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

   10) Remove not the old landmark;

     and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

   11) For their Redeemer is mighty;

     He shall plead their cause with thee.

   12) Apply thine heart unto instruction,

     and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

   13) Withhold not correction from the child:

     for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

   14) Thou shalt beat him with the rod,

     and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

   15) My son, if thine heart be wise,

     my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

   16) Yea, my reins shall rejoice,

     when thy lips speak right things.

   17) Let not thine heart envy sinners:

     but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

   18) For surely there is an end; 

     and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

   19) Hear thou, my son, and be wise,

     and guide thine heart in the way.

   20) Be not among winebibbers;

     among riotous eaters of flesh:

   21) For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty:

     and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

   22) Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,
     and despise not thy mother when she is old.

   23) Buy the truth, and sell it not;
     also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

   24) The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice:
     and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
   25) Thy father and thy mother shall be glad,
     and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

   26) My son, give me thine heart,
     and let thine eyes observe my ways.

   27) For a whore is a deep ditch;
     and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
   28) She also lieth in wait as for a prey,
     and increaseth the transgressors among men.

   29) Who hath woe?  who hath sorrow? who hath contentions?
     who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
   30) They that tarry long at the wind;
     they that go to seek mixed wine.

   31) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup,
     when it moveth itself aright.
   32) At the last it biteth like a serpent,
     and stingeth like an adder.
   33) Thine eyes shall behold strange women,
     and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
   34) Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,
     or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
   35) They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick;
     they have beaten me, and I felt it not:  when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again.  

King James Version (KJV)  public domain

COMMENTARY

   Verses 1 - 3:  These verses speak of anyone who has been invited to dine with someone in a position over them.  First of all, be aware of your situation that you don't make a fool of yourself.  It may even be good to eat at home before you dine with them, that you don't overeat, which speaks of lack of control.  Second, keep your wits about you (don't drink to excess).  Secrets are revealed with too much drink.  

     There are two books I recommend reading that may give you pause when you next take up alcohol:  Twice Born Men by Harold Begbie and Pelican Island by Nordhoff and Hall. 

   Verses 4, 5:  Reference Luke 12: 15:  "Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist of an abundance of possessions."

   Verses 12 - 16 are grouped together in the Matthew Henry Commentary.  They speak of our desire for our children, how we want them to succeed in this life, which is with knowledge of our Mighty God.  Sometimes we have to apply discipline to get their attention, but if applied correctly, in a loving manner, with prayer, it is our hope that the children will honor their father and their mother, and ultimately, their God.

What about you?  Do you live your life to honor The Most High God?  Do you know Him?  There is but One Way to Him, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Please click here to learn more:   https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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