1 When thou sittest to eat with a
ruler, consider diligently what 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: for they are deceitful meat. 4 Labour not 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; they fly away as an eagle toward
heaven. 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither
desire thou his dainty meats: 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. 8 The
morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. 9 Speak
not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. 10 Remove
not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: 11 For
their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee. 12 Apply
thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13 Withhold
not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall
not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul
from hell. 15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even
mine. 16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
(Proverbs 23:1-16)
These latter Proverbs are becoming more related one to the other rather than
simply each verse being expressed as an independent principle. The opening
verse reveals the age old hypocrisy and duplicity of political rulers - even if
the problem has grown more abjectly acute in recent years in America. The
Proverbs are full of beauty and truth - even those truths that we find convict
us should be a joy to discover. A human mind is much comparable to a home - it
should be furnished with many lovely paintings on the wall; and the paintings
of the mind are beautiful truths gleaned from God's Word and Wisdom. Our home
and its furnishings must constantly be guarded against invasion and compromise.
Profane and vulgar language enter into our mind's home as abstract and ugly art
that corrupts, mars, and ridicules the beauty of God's Creation. We must
also guard against the subtle influences of power from high and important
places to blind our eyes to truth. That is the leading point of this chapter in
Proverbs.
1 "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider
diligently what 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:
for they are deceitful meat." It is a Godly virtue to show respect
and deference to dignitaries, but it is not a Godly characteristic to have
one's heart swayed by their scepter. Remember the courage of Daniel in opening
his windows to pray to our God against the ordinance of the King; and the three
lads, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to bow down to the golden
image erected by the King. Note the courteous, but uncompromising answer they
gave to an outraged Nebuchadnezzar: "Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful
to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of
thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
(Dan 3:16-18) God DID save the three with His personal Presence through the
fires of the furnace. How easily modern man bows down to the god of government.
What lack of outrage was heard from the churches of American when school prayer
(a privilege and responsibility practiced since our founding) was ruled
"unConstitutional" by a panel of robed servants of the Prince of the
Air! Once Satan's foot is allowed in the door, he will gain access to the whole
house. Do not overindulge the ruler's dainties by being led down and down the
road of welfarism and dependence. Why does the National Park Service post signs
discouraging tourists from feeding the bears - for they will become dependent
on the food given them and forget how to fend for themselves. ". . . . this
we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
(2 Thess 3:10)
4" Labour not 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; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." Do
not cause wealth to be your main focus in life. There is a wealth of the body
that leads to a poverty of the soul. There is no evil associated with wealth itself,
but the evil comes in the manner in which we exalt wealth above every other
consideration. It is better to enter the gates of Heaven penniless, than to be
cast into the pits of Hell with pockets full of gold. How much of our wealth
shall we take with us, and what shall we leave behind? We shall leave it ALL
behind! The only treasures we take from this life are golden memories and
spiritual treasures on deposit in the First Bank of Heaven. But they that
will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of
money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
" (1 Tim 6:9-10) When we have passed through the Valley of the Shadow of
Death, what will our eyes behold when we open them again - our wealth, or our
fulfilled promises in God? Our wealth shall fly away as an eagle to heaven -
well beyond the reach of a covetous sinner.
6 "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
neither desire thou his dainty meats": 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." 8 "The morsel which thou hast
eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words." Avoid
foolish obligations. This applies even to nations - as George Washington wisely
counseled, "avoid foreign entangling aliances." How can the
meaning be more clearly rendered than by Christ Himself: "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they
shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt
be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
(Matt 12:35-37) ". . . those
things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they
defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the
things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
(Matt 15:18-20)
May I ask a shamelessly personal question of you, Reader? How many good
treasures of your heart have you brought forth this very day? Our hearts and
minds are not different from the memory of the computer. Whatsoever the
computer is programmed to do, it will do. It has no access to viruses and
damaging hackers until it is placed online of the world. If we fill our
minds with the trash of adultery, alcoholism, cursings, and murder that are
available on the line of television access or common society - those things
become depositories in our hearts. But if we read and study God's Word, and
practice that Word faithfully, our hearts will be full of untold treasures of
beauty.
9 "Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the
wisdom of thy words." Dear friends, if we are sons and
daughters of God (and we ARE), then we are princes and princesses of the King
of Kings. Why would a prince or princess waste their time in arguing with the
village fool? Is it not a waste of time to argue with those who reject God's
Word out of stubborn rebellion. Did Jesus Christ ever beg anyone to follow Him?
Neither should we. We may invite strangers to come and hear the Voice of Christ
read and preached from our pulpits, but we should not then hound such people
henceforth, by force, to come. "Give not
that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
" (Matt 7:6) A pig places no value whatsoever upon pearls of
exquisite beauty, and neither will a godless fool place any value whatsoever
over the beauty and truth of God's Word.
10 "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the
fields of the fatherless": 11 "For their redeemer is
mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee." Does this verse
10 sound familiar? If not, perhaps your mind is with the swine (*___~)....it is
a reiteration of verse 28 of the last Proverb (22): "Remove not the
ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." (Prov 22:28) God
reinforces His important points by re-emphasizing them. The Word of God is
constantly reviewing lessons taught and learned for purposes of retention in
our memories. There is, however, a difference in application of the meaning of
verses 10 and 22:28. In Proverbs 22:28, the application is the Word and Truth
of God given us in the Bible - not to meddle with or distort it; in the present
verse 10, the application is toward fair dealings with our fellow man and,
especially with widows and orphans who have no man but God to stand on their
part. It would be a dreadful suffering to have the Mighty Redeemer pleading the
cause of orphans with us for our greed and covetousness.
12 "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to
the words of knowledge." Are rubies and gold ore found
scattered about on the ground of common places? Not so! These elements are
valuable because they are scarce and beautiful. They must be sought out by
informed minds and labored for in the depths of the earth. What of truth? Do we
hear it bantered about among the common rabble of the market place? Not hardly,
it must be sought out and committed to heart. Jesus Words immediately following
His advice on casting our pearls before swine, tells us: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
(Matt 7:7-8) Do not simply READ the Word of God - diligently study and DIGEST
that Word. We must store that Word in our hearts, and why? Do you not remember?
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee." (Psalms 119:11)
13 "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou
beatest him with the rod, he shall not die." 14 "Thou
shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."
See, my friends, God has given us yet another reiteration of truth. If God says
something once, believe it! If He repeats Himself, take it directly to heart
and practice! Where have we heard this truth of verse 13 before? How about the
very last chapter of our devotions (Proverbs 22)? "Train up a child
in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
(Prov 22:6) By repeating, over and over, this principle, God means for us to UNDERSTAND
its importance! Is it better for a child to have a bruised limb, or a broken
and deformed spirit...which? Hear the counsel of Jesus: "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for
thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and
the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it
is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having
two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:45-48) Disregard the social
philosophers who desire to render our children as wimps and disrespectful
bigots and apply the wisdom of God to the raising of our precious children.
15 "My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice,
even mine." 16 "Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy
lips speak right things. " I am well-pleased that
Solomon speaks to us as his own dear sons and daughters. He is motivated by
fatherly love towards all who will share his Father in Heaven and be adopted
into that family of God. How joyous I am when a young heart in my church
is changed into a heart prized by God the Father! When their former desires for
social acceptance and compromise are turned to a desire to please and obey God,
it is an overwhelming joy to me. I feel a fatherly responsibility to every
child, and adult, I see to inform them of the benefits of Christ. What
remarkable and profound happiness when we see the same fervency to share the
Word of God with their peers in young and beautiful hearts!
