Proverbs 23:1-12

CHAPTER 23
TEXT Proverbs 23:1-12

1.

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler

Consider diligently him that 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;

Seeing they are deceitful food.

4.

Weary not thyself 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,
Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

6.

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

Neither desire thou his dainties:

7.

For as he thinketh within himself, 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 hearing of a fool;

For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10.

Remove not the ancient landmark;

And enter not into the fields of the fatherless;

11.

For their Redeemer is strong;

He will plead their cause against thee.

12.

Apply thy heart unto instruction,

And thine ears to the words of knowledge.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12

1.

Why consider the ruler (Proverbs 23:1)?

2.

What does put a knife to thy throat mean (Proverbs 23:2)?

3.

What makes a ruler's food deceitful meat (Proverbs 23:3)?

4.

Is getting rich really a wearisome road (Proverbs 23:4)?

5.

What is meant in Proverbs 23:5 by that which is not?

6.

What is meant in Proverbs 23:6 by an evil eye?

7.

Restate the first clause in Proverbs 23:7 in your own words.

8.

Can a person act nice to you when he really doesn-'t feel that way (Proverbs 23:7)?

9.

What might be an illustration of Proverbs 23:8?

10.

What statement of Jesus in Matthew 7 does Proverbs 23:9 seem to parallel?

11.

Is there a connection the two clauses in Proverbs 23:10?

12.

Who is the Redeemer of the fatherless (Proverbs 23:11)?

13.

What is the difference between learning by instruction and learning by experience (Proverbs 23:12)?

PARAPHRASE OF 23:1-12

1-3.

When dining with a rich man, be on your guard and don-'t stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.

4-5.

Don-'t worry yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!

6-8.

Don-'t become obligated to evil men; don-'t long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach and you will vomit it, and have to take back your words of appreciation for their kindness.

9.

Don-'t waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.

10, 11.

Don-'t steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; He Himself will accuse you.

12.

Don-'t refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.

COMMENTS ON 23:1-12

Proverbs 23:1. The usual one-verse saying of Proverbs gives way here to an eight-verse set of instructions. To be invited to dine with a ruler would be a great honor to a man of lowly birth, or to one of the middle class, to whom the manners of courts and palaces were practically unknown (Pulpit Commentary). Since the invitation was extended not out of kingly politeness but with an ulterior motive (Proverbs 23:7-8), our verses suggest that the guest should consider (look into) the one who invited him rather than just the delicious food before him.

Proverbs 23:2. In the presence of such a bountiful, delicious banquet, a man of appetite would be tempted to eat much more than he should. When away from home, one should act as if he had been away from home before. The ruler's ulterior motives in inviting him might be better fulfilled if the man ate and drank beyond wisdom, for in that condition the host may be able to extract information from the guest that he would not otherwise be able to obtain (if this be his motive),

Proverbs 23:3. A further warning, Daniel 1:8 also refers to the king's food as danties. They are deceitful food in that they have insincerely set before the man, and for him to eat to excess will somehow fulfill the ruler's purpose rather than the best interests of the man eating.

Proverbs 23:4. By thus associating with a ruler, the guest may have thought that this was his first step toward the life of the rich, Or, having eaten of such pleasant food, the guest may have determined that he too will someday be rich. Here he is warned of the many weary years and hardships accompanying getting and being rich. So he is told to cease from his own wisdom which in the long run will not prove to be truly wise at all. Other warnings against aspiring to be rich: Matthew 6:19-20; John 6:27; 1 Timothy 6:7-10. Other warnings against following one's own wisdom: Proverbs 3:5; Romans 12:16.

Proverbs 23:5. Riches are here spoken of as that which is not. They are uncertain (1 Timothy 6:17). They may be here today but gone tomorrow (through economic crashes, bad investments, etc.). Kings often had to empty their treasure houses to satisfy invading kings (1 Kings 18:15-16). Consider also Ecclesiastes 5:11; Ecclesiastes 5:15-16.

Proverbs 23:6. An evil eye here had to do with a covetous eye. Compare Deuteronomy 15:9 for a similar use of it. Since this is a repetition of the warning in Proverbs 23:3, the ruler's ulterior motive was his own personal gain to result from the man's being his guest.

Proverbs 23:7. He would be invited to eat and drink, but it was not out of sheer hospitality. This is the deceitfulness mentioned in Proverbs 23:3. This saying is warning us against this type of person. Romans 12:9 (Let love be without hypocrisy) warns us not to be this type of person ourselves. Our verse also shows it isn-'t what we say or do but the heart that determines the real person.

Proverbs 23:8. The dainties were sweet and tasted good, but later he would be able to see through it all, and then he would vomit them up, so to speak. In other words, it was sweeter going down than coming up. Wisdom always says to look to the end of a matter, to the outcome, before one participates, invests, etc.

Proverbs 23:9. Some people show they are fools by despising words of wisdom. We are obligated to share our understanding with those who do not understand, but when we find one who will not listen, will not learn, will not appreciate, but will only laugh at and make fun of that which we say, it is time to turn away and go to someone who will listen (Acts 13:46; Acts 18:5-6). Jesus said, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine (Matthew 7:6). Pulpit Commentary: It is a mere casting of pearls before swine to speak to such a man of high aims, righteous motives, self-sacrifice.

Proverbs 23:10. A landmark was usually a stone or a pillar of stones placed to mark out the boundary of one's land. This verse contains a prohibition against altering those. Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; and Proverbs 22:28 contain similar prohibitions. By moving (or removing) the landmark one could be claiming and using land that rightfully belonged to one's neighbor. This verse contains a special warning if the land taken belonged to the fatherless.

Proverbs 23:11. God will look out for the right of the orphaned, and He will not be easy on one who has taken land away from such. Proverbs 22:23 says, Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil thee.

Proverbs 23:12. It is not merely hearing instruction but applying one's heart to what is being said that really adds learning and knowledge to one. The Bible does not favor a person going his way and finding out everything for himself; it emphasizes instruction and urges each one to learn all he can from the instruction of others.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12

1.

Why should one not eat too much when dining with a ruler (Proverbs 23:1-3)?

2.

Where else in the Bible is king's food referred to as dainties (Proverbs 23:3)?

3.

Tell of the weariness of the rich (Proverbs 23:4).

4.

Cite another warning from the Bible about aspiring to be rich (Proverbs 23:4).

5.

Why are riches spoken of as that which is not (Proverbs 23:5)?

6.

Proverbs 23:6 parallels what previous verse in this chapter?

7.

How does Proverbs 23:7 explain an expression in Proverbs 23:3?

8.

What was the end of those sweet morsels (Proverbs 23:8)?

9.

What statement of Jesus teaches the same thing as Proverbs 23:9?

10.

What did a landmark often consist of (Proverbs 23:10)?

11.

Whom will one encounter who would take financial advantage of the orphaned (Proverbs 23:11)?

12.

What two things are to be applied in getting knowledge (Proverbs 23:12)?