1 When
thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently
what is before thee:
If you ever have the priveledge of
sitting to eat or dine with someone prominent, be cautious. There is nothing wrong with having a meal
with a boss or leader. The word “ruler”
simply means, one having authrority. Consider this example from yesterday, Pr 22:7
“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is
servant to the lender.”
Look around and absorb for a moment everything that is going on so you know what is taking place.
2 And put
a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
If you are like me you have this picture
in your head of this grand setting. You
are surrounded by more knives and forks than you know what to do with and the
napkins are made of cloth. The chairs
are real leather and they all have arms on them. The wine is being brought from the cellar to
be poured into the finest crystal I have ever seen. As the food is being served, every delivery
is more shocking than the previous course while the silver and gold serving
dishes radiate their beauty. I glance
one last time at the host to indicate my amazement and approval while tucking
my cloth napkin into my shirt collar.
Then, its heads down and I begin shoveling everything in sight down my
pie hole.
Anyway, enough of that, I am stuffed. Look at that word “appetite”, its not
necessarily referring to eating food specifically. The original Hebrew word is general in sense
and is used fiftyfour times in Proverbs alone. The uses of this word indicate that it is a
broader sense which Wisdom wants us to understand here. For instance, this same word is translated as
“heart” and “soul” in vs 2:10 and here is a verse describing how serious this
principle is in Wisdom’s teaching, Pr 7:23 “Till a dart strike through his liver; as
a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth
not that it is for his life.” Do you see what I mean? The
word “life” at the end of that verse is the same Hebrew word used for
appetite. This is why
there is such a serious precaution used.
Putting a knife to your thoat is symbolic of
the end, as if there is no point of living any longer. Your state has no hope
of getting better. You may think I have
made too much of this simple verse but the warning here is to be very careful
about your zest and zeal and where it takes you.
3 Be not
desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
At times, we need to keep a close check on our motives and the
length to which we will bend in order to get what we want. Of course, the root of the problem here would
be the wants; you have to hone them if you expect to
capture the true peace of Wisdom. You have to have yielded your wants and desires to God. That in their place, He so fittingly places
the strength and the fortitude of direction and assuredness we must have to
succeed. We would then be perfectly
matched internally by Him who knows you best; placing that which He made for
you specifically, into motion. Can you
possibly sit with a person and take part in that which you know to be
questionable? That is why its is so
astounding for the previous verse to say it would be better to put a knife to
your own throat than to play this game.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
This verse might seem to say its not right to be wealthy but again
its much deeper than that. This is a
motivational instruction concerning your desires and thoughts. There is no point in toiling to the point of
growing weary while trying to get rich if you are doing so by your own
wisdom. Besides, it
wont work. Even if you find the money,
you will see what happens to it in the next verse.
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.
Do not run off and sell all that you have! Nevertheless, consider this, what is most
important to you right now? Where is
your heart? If your labor involves the unecessary sacrifice of your principles and morals,
reconsider your labor. Do not go into
work and quit! I simply said consider
it. Are you laboring however to become
wealthy? Wealth for what purpose? Where will that wealth take you? Make sure you are laboring for the purpose of
meeting your needs.
6 Eat
thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty
meats:
When we do what it says in verse 1, considering, contemplating and
assessing where we are and what is going on, we have the
ability to discern what the intentions of a person are. Fools and the wicked are experts in their
folly. They know all too well what is
pleasing to the flesh. Wisdom wants a
more foundational meaning to everything we do.
As Wisdom comes to life in us we will be
surprised how our perspective changes.
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.
If you were to be really honest with
yourself and study how you view yourself, what would you find? The word “thinketh” here is the only time
this Hebrew word is used in the entire Bible.
It means to split open and reason out, calculate and reckon. This is not a casual glance in the mirror to
check your hair. This is looking inside
to see what makes us tic. When we know
who we are, through self-examination it strengthens our fabric. Have you ever asked yourself why you believe
something? Building a foundation of
beliefs is up to us. We are responsible
Another interesting thing about this verse it the fact that the
first use of the word “heart” means soul or inner person and the second use at
the end of the verse is mind or will.
This caution is to alert us to the fact that when we know ourselves and
where we stand as well as knowing why we stand where we stand it is much easier
to detect those around us whom are not really with us.
8 The
morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and
lose thy sweet words.
Have you ever heard of the old saying, “You will eat your
words?” This is a good example. This is figurative. Taking in the words and conversations while
being treated suspiciously well, should be a warning to be keen. Keen to all that is going on. Be on your toes, as they say. Since your toes are attached to your feet,
maybe you should be on your feet walking away.
The vomit could be the tormented internalization screaming, “what
have I gotten myself involved in?” The
power of NO is the beginning of freedom when it comes to staying away from
things that are harmful. I had the chance
recently where someone asked me to do something that I felt was against the law. I told them NO.
9 Speak
not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
The ears of a fool collect what is said then they destroy it with
their wicked motives of personal gain.
Wisdom will not waist Her treasures on a fool and we should not either.
10 Remove
not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
This is talking about using something that is not yours and even
taking it a step farther by removing the owner’s identification from what ever
it is. In this example of land, in the
day when food and wealth came from the land widows and orphaned children were
taken advantage of when the owner would die.
They would increase their lands by removing the boundary markers. It may have been justified by the fact that
the land was not being used. Today, just
because someone is not using something does not justify taking it into our
possession.
11 For
their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
The word “redeemer” is the Hebrew word for kinsman and kinsman is
a relationship through marriage or other long term
relationships. The best example is in
the book of Ruth in chapter 3 where Naomi instructs Ruth on how to approach her
kinsman. As in the previous verse
concerning the land, if the kinsman would find out the landmark was removed, he
would settle the matter.
12 Apply
thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
This verse repeats Pr 2:2 where it talks about how to “apply thine
heart.” It might be good to go back and
review that text. Proverbs 2:1-5 “1My son, if thou wilt
receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2So that thou
incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3Yea,
if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4If thou
seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures; 5Then shalt thou understand the fear
of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
We have to know what it means to apply
our hearts and how we are to apply them.
One of the most crucial aspects is first we must be a Child of God, that
is paramount. Without Salvation there is
no hope in having a heart that will understand the complexities of the
LORD. Secondly, we must hide His
commandment in us. This makes it seem
like there is a process and there is but it is not a
process of works but instead a process of understanding and yielding
ourselves. If we are not willing to
yield to the instructions of the LORD then all we can
hope for is an abundance of His Grace as we stumble through our lives.
13 Withhold
not correction from the child: for if thou beatest
him with the rod, he shall not die.
Over the last several years many have said it is not good to spank
a child. There are things like time-outs
and being grounded that are more effective.
The damage of the parent-child relationship is beyond repair when
spanking is used as a means of correction.
But scripture says that is not the case.
Now I think there are times when a spanking may not be the method of
correction depending on what the child has done. However, when it is required, they will not
die!
The rod is intended to bruise and even leave a mark. It is not that different than the adult life
when things happen where we have made mistakes.
The punishment most often is the mark left in our lives in order that we
never return there.
14 Thou
shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
The first concern is for the soul of the child. Use good judgment and do this privately. I heard a speaker once talking about
employees and building a team and one of the things he said was to chasten in
private and complement in public. This
is a good rule of thumb with anyone not to mention it is scriptural in
principle. Matthew 18:15-16 “15 Moreover if thy brother shall
trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established.” Remember
this is for the purpose of making a matter right and resolving any issues.
15 My son,
if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
This is Wisdom speaking to us.
Then we have to ask ourselves, “What is it that
makes our heart wise.” It starts by
going all the way back to the second chapter of Proverbs. There are over 60 verses in Proverbs alone
that refer to the wise or becoming wise.
Here is the list again from chapter 2:
if thou wilt receive my words (vs. 2:1)
hide my commandments with thee (vs. 2:1)
incline thine ear unto wisdom (vs. 2:2)
apply thine heart to understanding (vs. 2:2)
criest after
knowledge (vs. 2:3)
liftest up thy voice for
understanding (vs. 2:3)
seekest her as silver
(vs. 2:4)
searchest for her as for hid
treasures (vs. 2:4)
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD! (vs. 2:5)
16 Yea, my
reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
The word “reins” means the dwelling place of emotion and
affection. They will rejoice when we
speak right things. Reins in the
figurative sense could mean the guiding restrictions as in the reins on a
horse. The horse may go as it wishes as long as those wishes are in line with the holder of the
reins. The rider rejoices each time the
horse naturally pleases the rider.
Wisdom has emotion, it says so right here. Her emotional expressions to us are in the
form of insight and deliverance, integrity and discretion, but most importantly connection and
foundation. Receiving Her is by choice
as she calls to us. Her treasures are
success through trials.
17 Let not
thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
There are times when we see or hear of people that are blatantly
opposed to the things of the LORD yet they seem to
have trouble-free lives. There may be
many things about their lives that are enticing. It may be a job or a car or even their
position in the community. If there is
an instance where we find ourselves envious of sinners
we need STOP! Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." The word “envy” has a root of selfishness and
pride, which brings jealousy and jealousy can turn into anger. Here is the treachery of the devil revealed. There is nothing wrong with desiring nice
things in our lives. However, when that
desire for those things begins to interfere with our relationship with the
LORD, Satan has won a small battle. Here
is how; we may not think we are “being blessed” the way we should. After all, those sinners have a newer, nicer,
what ever. We can become discontent with
our blessings and then become complacent.
Complacency is a fog that spreads quickly throughout all areas of our
lives. In our complacent stupor we certainly
are not very productive.
Being “in the fear of the LORD” is not a reclusive
condition but instead a state of spirit.
The clearest definition of the fear of the LORD is given in Proverbs
8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil:
pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." Here is the list again:
a.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil
b.
The fear of the LORD is to hate pride
c.
The fear of the LORD is to hate arrogance
d.
The fear of the LORD is to hate the evil way
e.
The fear of the LORD is to hate the froward mouth
18 For
surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
The end is where the sinners are reconciled to their choices and
we are reconciled to ours. Our faith is
based on the promises of the LORD and the expectation of the fulfillment of
those promises will not be cut off.
19 Hear
thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
This verse is preface to the following verses in such a way as to
say, listen carefully here and pay attention.
Also note the Hebrew word for “hear” is translated as understanding,
hearkening and obedient in Proverbs as well.
Pr 8:6 "Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of
my lips shall be right things." Pr 8:32 "Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for
blessed are they that keep my ways." Pr 8:33 "Hear instruction, and be
wise, and refuse it not." Pr 8:34 "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at
my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors."
Remember this
list from Proverbs chapter 2:
V
if thou wilt receive my words (vs. 2:1)
V
hide my commandments with thee (vs. 2:1)
V
incline thine ear unto wisdom (vs. 2:2)
V
apply thine heart to understanding (vs. 2:2)
V
criest after
knowledge (vs. 2:3)
V
liftest up thy voice for
understanding (vs. 2:3)
V
seekest her as silver
(vs. 2:4)
V
searchest for her as for hid
treasures (vs. 2:4)
This list is full of the mindset needed as we go on to the next
few verses.
20 Be not
among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
The word “winebibbers” simply means drunkard. The phrase “riotous eaters” is interesting in
that it refers to being worthless and vile or gluttonous. I may offend some here with what I am about
to say but this verse puts both the drunkard and the glutton in the same
category. If we were to see someone
drunk walk into the Church Sunday morning I am afraid
many of us would shake our heads in disgust and even be uncomfortable having
them there. Well, we don’t do that when
we see gluttons walk in. Overeating is
the same as overdrinking when it comes to our testimony.
21 For the
drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a
man with rags.
The words “drunkard” and “winebibbers” are the same Hebrew
word. The basic principle is this, if we
drink too much or if we eat too much, it causes drowsiness. If we are drowsy all the time
then there is no hope of having a productive life.
22 Hearken
unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy
mother when she is old.
The word “hearken” simply means to listen with the intention to
obey. The Hebrew word here is also
translated as obey, diligent, discern and perceive. Hearkening unto thy father in the true sense
of this verse is more than just hearing him.
The same is true in the context of this verse concerning the
mother. The word “despise” really means
the opposite of respect and honor. It
means: to regard with contempt or scorn: to dislike intensely; loathe: to
regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern.[1] To treat our mother with anything other that
the highest regard is indicative of a fool.
To turn away from a father’s advice and Wisdom is treason.
23 Buy the
truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction,
and understanding.
This literally means to acquire the truth and don’t trade it for
anything and do the same for wisdom, instruction and understanding. Don’t sell out, don’t go against the things
you know to be true and wise. Take a
stand. I heard a preacher say one time,
“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
24 The
father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth
a wise child shall have joy of him.
There is nothing that sends gratification through the veins of a
father more than seeing his son or daughter making good sound decisions when they
venture off to make their own life.
25 Thy
father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
It would seem that Wisdom has a high value on our
relationship with our parents. If our
children see us using and depending on Wisdom, they too will rely on Her. The trophy comes when they apply Wisdom at an
early age.
26 My son,
give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
It is interesting that in chapter 5 Wisdom starts this discussion
the same way. “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my
understanding:” Generally, it means to listen and pay close
attention to what I am about to say. In
chapter 5 it talks about discretion and avoiding the harlot. The same is true here.
27 For a
whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
“A deep ditch” and “narrow pit” are the same as a grave. There may seem to be some sort of freedom
with this wretched one but clearly this verse indicates confinement. There are some strange justifications created
when a man becomes involved with a whore.
He often forgets her trade and of his own pride thinks she will
cease. That is the first shovel of clay
from the ditch. For the whore, her
intentions are obvious and her means of survival hinges on the capture of fools. The “strange woman” refers to a foreign or
unknown woman. She is much more coy and
subtle in her pursuits. She may be a
neighbor or coworker but she is only interested in the
capture of her prey.
WARNING: men if you are in a relationship and a strange woman
approaches you and begins to fill your head with how wonderful you are, RUN!
28 She
also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the
transgressors among men.
They sew their seeds of enticement to lure their victims into the
paths of hell. There are several verses
in Proverbs 5 that warn more vividly: “3For the lips of a strange woman drop as an
honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4But her end is
bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to
death; her steps take hold on hell.”
“8Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of
her house:”
29 Who
hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath
wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
This section talks about the troubles of them that are constantly
intoxicated or seeking to become intoxicated.
In current times it is not only alcohol but drug abuse as well that
brings people to experience the woes, sorrows and contentions etc.
Back in the times of this writing it was not uncommon for folks to
relax and forget their troubles but the instruction here is not to fall prey to
drunkenness. In Proverbs 31:4-7 king
Lemuel recounts the teachings of his mother: “4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink
wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5Lest they drink, and forget the
law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6Give strong
drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy
hearts. 7Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his
misery no more.”
30 They
that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
The first thing to look at in this verse is where they are
tarrying. They are spending time with
the wine, a long time. There is a danger
here in that the natural progression is on to something stronger, the mixed
wine. That is where they mix in other
liqueurs to enhance the effects. Obviously this is an out of balance condition.
31 Look
not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour
in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
The red wines in those times were the best and most potent. They were strong and capable of moving even
the largest of men.
32 At the
last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
This is an interesting analogy in that the serpent and adder are
both snakes. All snakes bite but only
some have venom. The adder specifically
is known for its venom, it also has one of the most forceful bites, which can
penetrate soft leather. Often the force
of its piercing fangs kills the victims.
The venom is one of the most poisonous.
The adder is well camouflaged and has a willingness to strike.
The wine sits in the bottom of the glass until disturbed just like
the serpent. Another similarity of the
wine and the adder is that there is little hope of survival once they have
their hold on us.
33 Thine
eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Some of the most horrid things are said when in a state of
drunkenness. Self-control all but gone,
the heart fogged from reasoning and the mind numb, the tongue becomes the
serpent of the flesh.
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.
If you personally have ever had too much to drink you know what it
is like when your head starts spinning.
You feel like you are in the middle of the sea being tossed around. In really bad cases
it would be like being up high above the waves, where the mast moves the most,
thrashing back and forth with every wave that hits the side of the ship.
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.
This sounds like the drunkards are vomiting after having willingly
put this sickness in themselves. Unfortunately I have had this experience after consuming too
much wine and the woeful state is one that leaves none to soon.
If you have wine with dinner that is not what is being discussed
here. The discussion here is the danger
of spending an inordinate amount of time drinking heavily. Where the desire to seek it again becomes
part of the days planning. Understand
too that in dealing with someone that has this problem, they are not able to
comprehend all that is going on. They
cannot see the danger they are bound for, nor can they distinguish reality
through the fog of the poison they consume.
I had a cousin who drank heavily.
One morning as he was heading to work after a night of drinking he pulled out onto the road and his tires were in
some loose gravel. The tires chirped as
they hit the pavement and a policeman decided to pull him over. He passed the sobriety test but failed the
blood-alcohol level test. The alcohol in
his blood stream was as though he had just been drinking. The poison was in his system.
[1] despise. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.