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Wednesday 12/03/25
Thru the Bible: Proverbs 23
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If you linger, it bites back!
Proverbs 23…
The week before Thanksgiving when we went through Proverb 22, there was a statement I meant to circle back around to and never did. So before we begin tonight I wanted to touch on it.
It was found in Proverbs 22:20-21,
“(20) Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, (21) to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?”
A portion of the book of Proverbs – specifically chapter 22:17-24:22 seems to imitate, at least in part, the literary structure of the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope [A-men-a-ope-a].
Amenemope refers to two notable ancient Egyptians:
An early pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty and the author of the Instruction of Amenemope [A-men-a-ope-a], a wisdom text.
- The pharaoh ruled from approximately 1001–992 BC and was buried in a remarkably intact tomb at Tanis.
- The author was likely a sage who lived during the late New Kingdom, whose text provides moral and ethical advice that has parallels with the Book of Proverbs.
Both contain a general introduction that is followed by thirty chapters or units of very similar advice on proper behavior.
There is some dispute among scholars on the identification of the thirty units within the biblical text, since there are breaks in the sections that may indicate unrelated segments (see “my son” diversions at Prov. 23:15, Prov. 22:19 and Prov. 22:26).
Also arguing against the connection is the fact that the NIV had to slightly emend the text to arrive at thirty units and had to provide the noun sayings so that there would be something that there were thirty of.
Beyond this difficulty is the fact that the thirty sections in Proverbs would each be only a few verses long (four to six lines), while the thirty chapters in Amenemope [A-men-a-ope-a] average twelve to sixteen lines in length.
The closest parallels between Amenemope [A-men-a-ope-a] and Proverbs come to an end at Proverbs 23:11, and the remaining units have close ties to other pieces of wisdom literature, including the teachings of Ahiqar [a-high-car].
Ahiqar [a-high-car] was a legendary Neo–Assyrian sage and chancellor to the kings Sennacherib and Esarhaddon [Essar – Haddon], known for his wisdom, a popular folktale, and a collection of proverbs. The story details his rise to power, his adoption of his nephew Nadin, and Nadin’s eventual betrayal and plot to have him killed. The tale of Ahiqar [a-high-car], a figure similar to the biblical Job, has survived in various Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic versions
This may indicate that the biblical writer or wisdom school had a general familiarity with Amenemope [A-men-a-ope-a] and other wisdom literature, but also a measure of literary independence.
So in short, these 30 sayings certainly exist in that Solomon references them. Many are of the opinion that they can identify them in the sayings of wisdom from Proverbs 22:17-24:22 and they may be right.
As we discovered in our introduction to Proverbs, the book of proverbs can be divided up MANY ways, but the most obvious and straightforward recognize 4 sections with section 2 containing 4 subsections.
In that 2nd section are chapters 10-29 which are a collection of wise sayings of the fortune cookie variety. Within this 2nd section are:
- chapters 10:1-22:15 which contain 375 sayings contrasting the wise and the foolish or the righteous and the wicked
and
- chapters 22:17-24:22 which supply moral discourses under the heading of “The words of the wise“.
That is the section Solomon was likely referring to in his statement about 30 wise sayings. [See – Proverbs: An introduction & overview]
Proverbs 23:1-35,
There is much in this chapter about wealth, the pursuit of it, the rich and the political elite as well as the dangers of yielding to the appetites of the flesh. These are the recurring themes, while other singular wise saying are peppered throughout, these appear to have been primary on Solomon’s mind.
“(1) 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 possess a large appetite. (3) Do not crave that ruler’s delicacies, for that food is deceptive.”
The clear inference is that you aren’t being given the food for free. Like so many things with the ruling class, this is a tax on your character. While not much can be said with certainty of the ruler in this proverb the advice remains the same – be cautious and eat lightly – perhaps even carefully.
The wisdom of this is found in the fact that you don’t know, and therefore, should carry yourself as if the worst were in fact true. This is NOT a call to assume the worst of the person, but to assume that this situation in which you find yourself may not be altogether what it seems.
As such this has a fair amount of spill over into any number of other similar situations. First time dinners with the boss or with in-laws spring to mind.
“(4) Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. (5) When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for themselves, and fly off into the sky like an eagle!”
This is wisdom that is all but lost on Americans. The career driven, the crooked politician as well as the abuser of government assistance seem to share this one shining goal in common – and many obtain it. The cost in terms of soul health is indeed high and there is no guarantee that the riches will stick around.
“(6) Do not eat the food of a stingy person, do not crave his delicacies; (7) for he is like someone who has calculated the cost in his mind. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you; (8) you will vomit up the little bit you have eaten, and will have wasted your pleasant words.”
This speaks much to the empty shallowness of surface relationships. People who say what they don’t mean, who will not share what their heart truly feels and those who speak kindly to those shallow of heart equate to an evening of empty futile waste. No one is made better for it. There is no lack of words, but nothing is truly said. It is a waste and we are encouraged to be better employed.
In like manner we are told not to waste our time with the fool…
“(9) Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
Many well intending Christians have wasted countless hours pouring into and over the fool who has already rejected God. This is true even though Jesus our Lord and commander told us that if the message is not received, shake the dust off your feet and leave, taking your peace with you. That the judgment of that person or city will be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.
“(10) Do not move an ancient boundary stone, or take over the fields of the fatherless, (11) for their Protector is strong; He will plead their case against you.”
We addressed a similar proverb in chapter 22. These boundary stones were, of course, property line markers. To move them was to rob, misrepresent and commit fraud. The warning is both strong and sincere – God is watching and He will defend them.
“(12) Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge.”
This encourages decisive action on our part. To “apply the heart” meant at the writing of this proverb, the same as it does in the classroom today. To apply yourself means to give all of yourself to something and bend your every effort towards your advancement in knowledge. Don’t be a passive learner. That is the heart by the wayside and it bears its own judgment. Be diligent and apply yourself. Seek after knowledge and respect your instructors.
“(13) Do not withhold discipline from a child; even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die. (14) If you strike him with the rod, you will deliver him from death.”
Like we said regarding a similar proverb in chapter 22, the rod is both real and symbolic. In a child’s youth, a rod can do much to deter foolishness in a heart. As they mature, other methods may need to be employed. However, if you were diligent early on, other measures later in their maturity will be less likely.
The goal of “punishment” is repentance – a change of heart so as to redirect their life away from that which would destroy them and so disciple may be a better word.
The discipline of children, including corporal punishment, was considered wise and essential to the child’s welfare. The Aramaic proverbs of Ahiqar [a-high-car] include almost identical lines to those found here:
“Do not withhold your son from the rod, or you will not be able to save him. If I strike you, my son, you will not die, but if I allow you to follow your heart [you will not live].”
Vernon Magee has this to say,
“Remember that Paul adds to this that the parent is not to correct the child in a fit of anger. The correction is to be for discipline, not punishment. If the discipline doesn’t help to develop the character of that child, it is no good.
We should not tell our children that we are punishing them. It would be better to tell them that we are disciplining them. Paul tells the fathers not to provoke the children to wrath, but “… bring them up in the instruction and discipline of the Lord” (Eph_6:4). We need to remember that it is the discipline and the instruction of the Lord. That is important.”
So this discipline is as much a part of a child’s training for adulthood as any verbal instruction taught them over the years. As those accountable before God for their proper instruction and upbringing we can never afford to lose sight that to no small degree their future is shaped by the investments we make and they should count for their good. Such should be the delight of our hearts, as the next proverbial statements imply. In fact the next 14 verses could be read and understood and one continual encouragement to children.
“(15) My child, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad; (16) my soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.”
We see the heart of the adult being inexorably tied up in the wellbeing of the youth.
“(17) Do not let your heart envy sinners, but rather be zealous in fearing the LORD all the time. (18) For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
Such is the nature of the immature. They envy what is shiny and poorly understood. All that glitters is not gold. The grass is never truly greener in the neighbor’s yard and a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. All of these very familiar statements are aiming at the same instruction and warning. Sinners appear happy, but their happiness is fleeting and highly dependent on circumstances. True happiness, contentment and fulfillment can only be found in relationships and the greatest of all is that with our Creator which BEGINS with the wisdom of holding Him in the highest of respect. Such honestly does pave out a future that will endure forever!
“(19) Listen, my child, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right way. (20) Do not spend time among drunkards, among those who eat too much meat, (21) because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished, and drowsiness clothes them with rags.”
This is VERY sound wisdom in that it begins with placing the responsibility for right and wrong decisions in the rightful hands of the child who makes those decisions. They must learn early on to own them as their own and not seek others to blame!
The instruction is to be weary of those who lack control and who indulge in vices which in turn control them. In the end the toll is high and their poverty of soul and body will be great.
“(22) Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (23) Acquire truth and do not sell it – wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.”
This encourages a child to see – to identify value where it truly lies and to realize that some treasures are only treasures so long as you possess them. To sell them for any price is to suffer loss, for nothing is of high enough value to offer a fair price.
The words of a father and mother are precious and cannot ever be replaced. As they age, their words increase in value and there will come a day when hearing any word from them at all would be more valuable to you than virtually any other possession. Such IS wisdom, and understanding! Causing them to see the value in discipline is perhaps one of the hardest lessons to convince them of, as well as one of the most valuable!
“(24) The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly; whoever fathers a wise child will have joy in him. (25) May your father and your mother have joy; may she who bore you rejoice.”
If a child has any love for their parents at all, they want them to find joy in the decisions they make in life. A parent’s approval can be for some the most elusive treasure in life and many never obtain it. These verses are as much instruction for the parent to impart it as it is to the child to value it.
The next 3 verses work very much in tandem with this in that none of this can be accomplished devoid of heart. This is true in familial relations BECAUSE they were created to be the clearest lens through which we can see, understand and value our relationship with God. God is SO intimately vulnerable to us His special creation. He has told us that what He really desires is NOT our outward obedience but our hearts themselves! And so it is that Solomon the wise instructs his sons and all who would read his wise sayings along those lines…
“(26) Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes observe my ways; (27) for a prostitute is like a deep pit; a harlot is like a narrow well. (28) Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.”
This is the uncomfortable conversation every dad looks forward to avoiding, but it is ever so necessary. It is the inevitable conclusional twist away from God’s intentions in Creation brought on by the fall. God made woman for man. That he might not live and learn alone. That she be an ever present reward for his existing for the glory of God and for the labor of his hands. Nothing is more rewarding to a man than a godly wife. More than house and home, more than satisfying that a well suited career is the adoration of a loving wife. Her embrace is his only true home and an eternal wellspring of life. But the fall turned all of life and the intentions and rewards of relationships on its ear. Each is out for their own benefit and so no one’s needs and desires truly ever get fulfilled. Men use their strength, influence and money to control women and women use their beauty and sexual pleasure to manipulate the man and there is much need for instruction to influence children away from the pitfalls of selfishness in relationships. The greatest of these is the open and vulnerable instructions of a loving father to his son.
This chapter wraps up with a glimpse behind the glitz and glamour often associated with substance abuse. In our day commercials, movies and TV have advanced the glorification of its misuse into an art form. We have been trained to expect life where it cannot be found and to continue to believe in things which have long ago proven false in our own experience.
Solomon asks…
“(29) Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes?
(30) Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine.
(31) Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. (32) Afterward it bites like a snake, and stings like a viper.
(33) Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will speak perverse things. (34) And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging.”
This is a very effective visual. A ship’s rigging puts you high up on the ship where there is the most movement and the least stability being away from the more stable center of the ship. Being high above the deck takes each undulation and greatly increases its scope and effect. Only the most sea hardy could keep from getting nauseous from the unending motion.
“(35) You will say, “They have struck me, but I am not harmed! They beat me, but I did not know it! When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”
What a horrible existence, moving from some form of intoxication to another with only brief internals in-between which are filled, looking for the next source of temporary relief from real life – rather than facing it with faith and courage.
Blessings!
