Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Pr 23:1-2 and following. Indeed, verses 1 to 6 warn against covetousness. It is as dangerous to desire the treats of the great of this world (verse 3) as those of the man who has the evil eye (verse 6; Psalm 141:1-4). We are then linked to those whose favor we have sought. Their bread is deceptive. The profit withdrawn in the moment later becomes the source of much misery. Worries are inevitable when one pursues earthly goods. Prudence, as men understand it, pushes them to get tired to acquire them. They imagine themselves thus ensuring their future and that of their children. But this is a false calculation! These riches are fugitive; «… certainly they make wings” (verse 5; James 5:1-6); that is why Wisdom enjoins the disciple to put an end to his own prudence (verse 4). True prudence is not to acquire wealth but to use for others those of our Master (Luke 16:1-13).
Verse 13 reminds us of David’s neglect of his children’s education (1 Kings 1:5-6). Corporal punishment does not result in death. On the contrary, never resorting to it can have a fatal outcome (2 Sam 18:32-33). Delivering our soul from the sheol: a crucial issue, in truth! Yes, let us apply our hearts to this instruction (verse 12; Pr 22.15). The three thoughts expressed in these verses are intimately linked to each other: They deal with lusts and the desire to satisfy them. You have to observe yourself when you are dealing with higher than yourself who does you the favor of inviting you to his table. Desiring his sought-after dishes to satisfy his gluttony is a deceptive bait. By considering the one in front of us, we will learn that this is not his goal by inviting us. His goal is to make himself known. We deploy activity, up to fatigue to acquire them, we exercise for this purpose all its sagacity and caution. Isn’t that madness? We have barely cast our eyes on them when they fly away and are out of sight like an eagle rising in the sky.
We must inquire about the character of the one who invites us to his table and, recognizing that he has an evil eye, that he is envious and jealous, and that he is a son of darkness (Luke 11:34), one must not eat his bread, let alone covet the delicacies of his feast. Under the exteriors of cordiality his heart is alien to any generous feeling. By learning, but too late, to know him, one takes in deep disgust this appearance to which one has allowed oneself to be deceived and one considers as a loss the words of thanks that one had addressed to this man. The son of wisdom is thus warned of all these dangers. The following: v. 23:9 – 24:22 is a series of precepts of great importance addressed to the son of wisdom for his conduct: Do not speak to the ears of fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your discourse (v. 9). To entrust the thoughts of God and the things of Christ – for Christ is the wisdom of God – to those who, by the obstinacy of ignorance, are unable to understand them, is to expose to their contempt the deposit that God has entrusted to us, and the One of which we are witnesses. Wisdom is better than pearls (Job 28:18), and we must not throw our pearls before the spears (Matt. 7:6).
Here the wise man is not simply exhorted, as in 22:28, not to set back the old boundaries established by his fathers, but not to set them back to the detriment of the orphans, to enter their fields and strip them of part of their inheritance. There is cunning, and, shamefully, greed for possession, in stripping away those who are unsupported in this world. God reminds those who may be in danger of doing so that He is the Father of orphans; their Lawyer; He who has the right of redemption and who will take their cause into his own hands (Lev 25:25; Ruth 3:12). Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge (v. 12). This verse clearly shows to whom this whole series of maxims is addressed. Instruction and knowledge are the part of the sons of Wisdom (1:1-6). Neither fools nor simple people know them or can apply their hearts to them. They will despise these precepts as we see in v. 9.
See Pr 13:24; 19:18; 22:15: Having mentioned the education of the son, the Word now speaks to the father, who is responsible for supervising this education from the first steps of the child. It must from the outset be based on discipline, which can go as far as punishment. The father thus asserts his authority over the child, but, much more than that, he shows the care of his tenderness. “Who is the son whom the father does not discipline? He whips every son he approves.” In Pr 3:11-12, the exhortation is addressed to the son, here to the father. – This discipline of the father towards the son must be exercised in view of his soul, which is thus delivered from death in order to share in the blessings on the land of the living (as is always the case in Proverbs, cf. Ish 38:11); while the child does not die from the blows of the rod, as can happen under the judgment of men (Deut. 25:3).
It is now the father who speaks to the son. Discipline or correction is far from being the whole of instruction. What rejoices the father’s heart is to see the development of wisdom in his son’s heart and to see righteousness in his speeches. How much, then, should the son be encouraged to persevere by the thought of the joy he brings to his father. Despite this, you will find, said the father, difficulties on your way. The villain thrives. Do not envy him (Ps. 73:3). You will not have said in vain, “Until when?” You will see the end of your trial. So don’t let yourself take away your hope. What will keep you from turning to the side of the wicked is to be all day in fear of the Lord which translates into love of good and hatred of evil. It is to the Lord that you owe everything, to Him who loves you.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Gluttony
Nb 32:23 But if you do not do so, you are sinning against the Lord; know that your sin will come to you. Dt 21:20 They will say to the elders of his city: Behold our son who is indocile and rebellious, who does not listen to our voice, and who indulges in excesses and drunkenness. Pr 23:1 If you are at the table with a great one, pay attention to what is in front of you; Phil 3:19 Their end will be perdition; they have their belly as their god, they put their glory in what shames them, they think only of the things of the earth.
- Earthly vision, a source of temptation
-For Eva Gen 3:6 The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to sight, and that it was precious for opening the mind; she took from its fruit, and ate it; she also gave it to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
-For Loth Gn 13.10 Lot looked up, and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, which was completely watered. Before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was, as far as Tsoar, like a garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt.
-For Akan Jos 7:21 I saw in the booty a beautiful coat of Schinear, two hundred silver sicles, and a gold ingot of the weight of fifty sicles; I coveted them, and I took them; they are hidden in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver is underneath.
-For Christ Mt 4:8 The devil carried him again to a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,
- Redeemer, our Lord
Ps 130:8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. Isa 41:14 Fear nothing, worm of Jacob, Weak remnant of Israel; I come to your aid, said the Lord, And the Holy One of Israel is your savior. Isaiah 59:20 A redeemer will come for Zion, for those of Jacob who will convert from their sins, says Jehovah. Jer 50:34 But their avenger is powerful, He whose name is the Lord of hosts; He will defend their cause, In order to give rest to the land, And to make the inhabitants of Babylon tremble.
- Disfigurement by sin, general references
Pr 23.29 For whom do they ah? for whom do they alas? For whom are the disputes? for whom are the complaints? For whom are injuries for no reason? for whom red eyes? Esa 1.6 From the sole of the foot to the head, nothing is in good condition: These are only wounds, bruises and sharp wounds, which have not been bandaged, bandaged, nor softened by oil. Jer 30:12 Thus saith the Lord: Your wound is serious, Your wound is painful. Mi 1:9 For his wound is painful; It extends to Judah, It penetrates to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.
From all the above, we note thatthere is a danger for the young man, who has reached maturity under the instruction of the parents, and is able to fly on his own wings: it is to no longer take into account their opinions. But an affectionate son is obliged to listen to his father, despite the completed instruction, because his father father fathered him. This creates bonds of affection, and in these bonds there is always reason for development. The mother, when she has grown old, is no longer able to represent authority in the eyes of her son, but should he not honor her, especially since she has spent a lifetime of dedication and love for him? Buy the truth and do not sell it, – wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence. Truth is God’s thought about all things; we possess it in Christ. He is the truth. We are called to buy it, but how? It is not “exchanged for pure gold”; it is bought “without money and without any price”; it is given to the desire of the heart and to the request of faith, and “God gives to all liberally and does not reproach.” It is through the Spirit that it is communicated to us. From the knowledge of the truth flow wisdom, instruction and intelligence, which are the practical consequences and fill the book of Proverbs. And now, would we sell it? Could we exchange it for money or whatever the world could offer us? He can only give us in exchange lusts that enslave us, while the truth frees us; – or the madness that leads to death, while wisdom is the way of life; – or finally ignorance and lack of meaning, instead of instruction and intelligence. The final result of justice achieved practically by following a path from which evil is excluded, – wisdom, practically realized in a path of good that corresponds to God’s thoughts – this result is joy, and nothing but joy. It is a universality of joy (the word joy comes up four times in these verses) in relation to the earthly scene. We find first the joy of the father about the righteousness of the son, and then the joy about wisdom; then the joy of the father and the mother, the joy of the family of which the son is a part, finally the mother, representing the love that finds its joy in an object that satisfies and honors him. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Continuation of the proverbs on the moral life; the wise and the wicked (Pr 24).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.