True Riches-More Sayings of the Wise
Saying 7
“When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is set before you, and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
Saying 9
Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.
Saying 10
Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Saying 11
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.
Saying 12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die. Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
Saying 14
My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice. My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.”
“When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is set before you, and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive… Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.”
Ever dine with a miser? It’s a miserable experience! When we first came to Ghana, we were forced to live with a businessman who wanted the prestige of having us stay at his house. Unfortunately, this rich man also wanted to control every bite of food we ate and every move we made. We literally found ourselves in a Proverbs 23 situation. This man’s cook was cheating him by buying outdated meat; when the liver in the soup was green, we had to give it a miss. But we were new to the country and uncertain as to what we could say. And those supervising us from the capital city had only been in the country 2 years longer and were living in an expatriate situation while we were living in a totally Ghanaian household dominated by a polygamous fetish worshiper who was a nominal church member. Not only were our supervisors not sympathetic, but they were extremely critical, assuming that we were simply chronic complainers. It was truly a nightmare.
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.” Years ago, a Christian financial adviser wrote a book entitled Money Talks: It Says Good-bye! If the last several decades have taught us little else, they should have taught us the truth of that title. Ponzi schemes, savings and loans failures, disasters with large corporations-all have left investors who were counting on those dividends for support in their old age to struggle. Politicians have treated Social Security funds as cash cows to be milked for their own abuses, refusing to give cost of living increases previously promised. Many senior citizens have been forced to take jobs in fast food restaurants and other places simply to avoid living on dog or cat food. You can rely on God; however, money? Forget it!
“Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.” You can only teach the teachable. If you attempt to teach someone who is not interested, you’re wasting your time and energy on someone who doesn’t want to listen anyway.
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.” Remember that all land in Israel was divided up by families and clans and inheritance of that land remained of paramount importance. God cares for widows and orphans and expects us to do so also. Take advantage of the helpless and you risk God’s wrath.
“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” Why even include this saying? Then as now, there are large numbers of people who are not interested in instruction or knowledge. When I do rounds at the hospital, I teach anybody available, including the cleaners. It’s sad to see the number of nursing students who would rather zone out on their cell phones than learn the profession they claim they want to pursue for the rest of their professional lives.
“Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die. Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol…My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice. My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.” Raising children is not for the faint-hearted! Some parents do everything right; yet, their kids turn out to be monsters. Other parents neglect their kids and yet the kids become exemplary citizens. A song from the musical The Fantasticks says it all:
“Plant a radish. Get a radish. Never any doubt.
That’s why I love vegetables; You know what you’re about!
Plant a turnip. Get a turnip. Maybe you’ll get two.
That’s why I love vegetables; You know that they’ll come through!
They’re dependable! They’re befriendable!
They’re the best pal a parent’s ever known!
While with children, It’s bewilderin’.
You don’t know until the seed is nearly grown Just what you’ve sown.”
This is only part of the song. For the rest, check out: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBcpAaUHwNM)
APPLICATION: Looking at these verses from Proverbs 23, you realize that discipline remains a key focal point-self-discipline as well as discipline of children. It takes self-discipline to survive around the rich and around misers. It takes self-discipline to respect boundary lines and not to covet someone else’s property. And it takes self-discipline to maintain a stable family situation in which children can also learn self-discipline. If you fail to model self-discipline, your kids may not learn it from anybody else.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to discipline ourselves and our children so that we will live lives pleasing to You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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