PROVERBS 23

NOTES BY VERSE

Note: each ** comment in this document is listed in numerical order according to the verse(s) from this chapter

** Christians are not to aim for self-sufficiency in knowledge, resources or ability but are to depend on God for these blessings

Proverbs 3:7-8 NIV

[7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 14:2 NIV

[2] Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly, but those who despise him are devious in their ways.

Proverbs 19:23 NIV

[23] The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Proverbs 22:16 NIV

[16] One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.

Proverbs 23:1-3 NIV

[1] When you sit to dine with a ruler,

 note well what is before you, [2] and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. [3] Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

** Rather than trusting in Jesus Christ, the world’s approach is to ‘believe in yourself’ – for if we don’t have a good self-image then the world thinks we need therapy!

Proverbs 3:5 NIV

[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Proverbs 28:6 NIV

[6] Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

Luke 9:23-25 NIV

[23] Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. [25] What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Proverbs 19:23 NIV

[23] The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV

[4] Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. [5] Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Proverbs 27:1 NIV

[1] Do not boast about tomorrow,

 for you do not know what a day may bring.

Proverbs 28:26 NIV

[26] Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

** If you’ve ever played the game of Monopoly, then you’ve seen the various strategies people use to win. Some people buy every piece of property on the board and hope to put their opponents out of business. Others save up, hoping they’ll land on green or blue so they can buy up Boardwalk and Park Place and put hotels on them. They can make a lot of money that way. But when the game ends, so do their winnings.  <L120>

Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV

[4] Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. [5] Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

** Avoid and do not follow the way of the fool or wicked; set your gaze straight ahead and be careful to remain steadfast in all your ways

Proverbs 4:14-17 NIV

[14] Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. [15] Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. [16] For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. [17] They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 4:24-27 NIV

[24] Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. [25] Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. [26] Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. [27] Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 18:6-7 NIV

[6] The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. [7] The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

Proverbs 22:24-25 NIV

[24] Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, [25] or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Proverbs 23:9 NIV

[9] Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words.

Proverbs 24:1-2 NIV

[1] Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; [2] for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.

Proverbs 25:26 NIV

[26] Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.

Proverbs 26:4,6-7 NIV

[4] Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. [6] Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one's feet or drinking poison. [7] Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Proverbs 28:4 NIV

[4] Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.

Proverbs 29:24 NIV

[24] The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies; they are put under oath and dare not testify.

** Solomon instructed his son to listen to his elders and beware of the greedy — those who want to take advantage of others — for they are ruthless and only end up destroying themselves

• Sadly, Solomon ended up not taking any of his own advice

• In his middle age, he turned aside from wholly following the Lord when his passion for his foreign wives led him astray even to the extent of worshiping their gods (1 Kings 11)

• Solomon accrued vast wealth, undertook massive building projects, and denied himself no pleasures

• But then, having it all, Solomon saw how empty his life was  <R1795>

• As we find out in the book of Ecclesiastes, he paid a heavy price for his folly and sin against God

• We learn that the ONLY thing that matters is to ‘fear God and keep His commandments’

Proverbs 1:8,10,15-16,18-19 NIV

[8] Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. [10] My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. [15] my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; [16] for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. [18] These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! [19] Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

Proverbs 19:20,27 NIV

[20] Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. [27] Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Proverbs 20:12 NIV

[12] Ears that hear and eyes that see---the Lord has made them both.

Proverbs 20:20 NIV

[20] If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

Proverbs 20:29 NIV

[29] The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.

Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV

[17] Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, [18] for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. [19] So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.

Proverbs 22:28 NIV

[28] Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.

Proverbs 23:6-8 NIV

[6] Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; [7] for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. [8] You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.

Proverbs 23:10-11 NIV

[10] Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, [11] for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.

Proverbs 23:22 NIV

[22] Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Proverbs 30:17 NIV

[17] “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV

[13] Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. [14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

** Early childhood teaching requires discipline from both parents, including corporal punishment that comes from a balance of kindness and love  <M130>

• The Jewish people were noted for their love of children and were among the best of parents in the ancient world

• Verses advocating for corporal punishment in no way support an abusive approach to child-rearing, but instead emphasize the necessity of of discipline if boys and girls are to freely choose God’s way as adults  <R1795>

• There is great hope that the use of ‘divine ordinance’ of the rod will produce godly virtue and parental joy

Proverbs 13:24 NIV

[24] Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Proverbs 10:13 NIV

[13] Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

Proverbs 19:18 NIV

[18] Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

Proverbs 23:13-16,24-25 NIV

[13] Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. [14] Punish them with the rod and save them from death. [15] My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; [16] my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. [24] The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. [25] May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!

• Such discipline must have the right motivation and appropriate severity

• One who has genuine affection for the child but withholds corporal punishment will produce the same kind of child as a parent who hates his offspring

Hebrews 12:5-11 NIV

[5] And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, [6] because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” [7] Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? [8] If you are not disciplined---and everyone undergoes discipline---then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. [9] Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! [10] They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. [11] No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Ephesians 6:4 NIV

[4] Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Proverbs 17:10 NIV

[10] A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.

Proverbs 29:21 NIV

[21] A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent.

Proverbs 29:15,17 NIV

[15] A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. [17] Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.

** You cannot appease, envy or support the wicked for then the innocent suffer

Proverbs 18:5 NIV

[5] It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

Proverbs 23:17 NIV

[17] Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 25:26 NIV

[26] Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.

** The success or prosperity of sinners is brief, for Divine justice will ultimately prevail; sinners will die and God will deal with their inequities, while the righteous will live forever!  <M130>

Proverbs 23:18 NIV

[18] There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Psalm 37:28-29 NIV

[28] For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish. [29] The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

Proverbs 28:21 NIV

[21] To show partiality is not good---yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.

Proverbs 31:30 NIV

[30] Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

** Keep good company if you want to be rewarded with good things; there is a power when associating with the wise that helps build character and keep one from sin  <M130>

Proverbs 23:20-21 NIV

[20] Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, [21] for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Proverbs 13:20-21 NIV

[20] Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. [21] Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

Proverbs 16:29 NIV

[29] A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good.

Proverbs 22:24-25 NIV

[24] Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, [25] or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Proverbs 28:7 NIV

[7] A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

** While alcohol is not condemned outright, being intoxicated is; it is therefore prudent to temper its consumption

• Those who are wise avoid being intoxicated by alcohol because it clouds judgment and induces brawling

• Rulers were not to drink so their judgment would not be clouded  <M130>

• How much more should those who follow Christ carefully watch our intake so it doesn’t cloud our judgment?

 • Satan is looking for any opportunity to establish a foothold in our lives to further his agenda

Proverbs 20:1 NIV

[1] Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;

 whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Proverbs 23:20-21 NIV

[20] Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, [21] for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Proverbs 31:4-5 NIV

[4] It is not for kings, Lemuel---it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, [5] lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

** Believer beware, for Satan masquerades as a representative of God!

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NIV

[13] For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. [14] And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. [15] It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

• No wonder false religions are on the rise when those who call themselves believers in Christ cannot discern the fake from the real

• False religion is also attractive to the world because they belong to the Kingdom of Darkness and cannot hear the voice of God; yet those deceived believe they are doing something righteous by advocating for a religion they don't know is false

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

[13] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. [14] But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

John 8:47 NIV

[47] Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

• The most dangerous of false religions are those that 'appear' to be Scriptural but twist its meaning ever so slightly

• False teaching can go from one extreme to the other -- like turning the true grace-filled salvation that Jesus offers into one that requires works and achievement, or only focusing on God's grace and never being concerned about the condition of their heart or results produced

• False teachers typically espouse empty words and an abundance of intellectual knowledge; words and knowledge does not save but must be believed and put into action

• In the end when they stand before God, many will be surprised their words and knowledge did not get them anywhere; they never submitted to the will of God

2 Timothy 3:5 NIV

[5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

James 1:21-22 NIV

[21] Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. [22] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

• It is imperative believers in Christ continually deep-dive into the Bible to learn from God's 'primary source', for only then can they identify a prevalent Doctrine of Demon

• Believers must examine themselves for a false sense of assurance, such as believing in a formulaic prayer and never examining the condition of their heart to determine their motives and priorities

• In order to have an acceptable walk with God, the desires of a believer's heart must center on Christ; He will not accept a divided heart

Proverbs 23:26 NIV

[26] My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways,

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

[5] Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you---unless, of course, you fail the test?

• Genuine followers of Christ aim to reject the ways of a sin-filled world on a daily basis and, as a result, are known by Christ-inspired fruit

• We must desire to say and do as God commands, practicing the law of God  <M130>

• To God, our hearts must be exclusively devoted, in all its faculties; nothing must be an object of hope or fear, joy or sorrow -- except which is subservient to His glory and in obedience to His commands  <S179>

Luke 6:43-45 NIV

[43] “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. [44] Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. [45] A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

• When all is said and done, God will judge the heart of every individual to determine whether they truly believe in Him or are putting on an act

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

[21] “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

** Solomon outlined the dangers of craving alcohol

Proverbs 23:29-35 NIV

[29] Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? [30] Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. [31] Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! [32] In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. [33] Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. [34] You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. [35] “They hit me,” you will say, “but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”