Proverbs 23

We thank God for the 3 nights of Evangelistic Services that we just had.  The number of friends and relatives who came were quite encouraging and we even had some who came without the invitee and were very serious in listening to the messages.  We pray God will continue to guide them to know the truth.

Speaking about truth, today we again read quite a bit about truths in Proverbs about aspects of our lives.  I really feel that it is very difficult to write about Proverbs because every verse is like a rebuke to me when I reflect it in my own life and I see how far short I am of the standard and wisdom that the Bible demands.

So what I am about to share is first and foremost, very much an encouragement and admonishment for myself and if you have learned something too, please share with me.

Bible Passage:  Proverbs 23

Life in the World

I shall loosely group verses 1 to 12 to refer to it as Life in the World.

We live in a materialistic world today.  Every day, everywhere, we are bombarded with images of luxuries, glitter, glamour, gadgets, cars, properties etc that entice a Christian to feel that they need to invest time and energy to obtain them.  Yesterday, there was an article in the papers that talked about how the young were spending tens of thousands on bags, shoes and more.  And admittedly, I am also sometimes ‘swayed’ by the ‘exciting’ things that is on offer.

So, it is very important to keep our spiritual values foremost in our minds.

Have you been putting all your energies into getting ahead in this world while neglecting heavenly values?  This is a question that I am asking myself now as I come to the end of the year and trying to plan for the next.

Jesus said, “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27).

The author of Proverbs here offered these words of wisdom for everyone who strives for success: “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your understanding ,cease!” (Prov 23:4).  Another translation says, “Have the wisdom to show restraint.”

It is very easy to get caught up in doing things to get ahead in the world.

Take stock of where you are!  The treasures of the world – the gold, silver, houses, lands etc – will one day take to themselves wings and fly away like eagles towards heaven! (Prov 23:5).

At a funeral of a very rich man, this was overheard.

“How much did he leave?”

“He left all”.

We can lay our treasures in heaven only by using it for God.

Life at Home

From verses 13 to 25, I see some verses that speaks about the life at home.

Mark Twain said this…. “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man has learned in 7 years.”

The attitude of children towards parents changes as they grow older.  Some young people show little respect for their parents and it is disheartening to see it.  But as they mature, many begin to recognise that Mom and Dad actually knew a lot more than they give them credit for.

And some young people come to realize with deep regret that if they had followed the counsel of their parents, they could have avoided much heartache for both themselves and their family.

The Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honour your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Eph 6:1-3).

In this chapter, the counsel given is “Listen to your father who begot you… The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him” (Prov 23:22, 24).

So children!  Remember!  Wise children make happy fathers!

And here is a quote for my daughters…. 🙂

Above all else that you can do
To make your father proud of you,
Be diligent, be kind, be wise –
Such traits are priceless in his eyes. ~ Fasick

Life with God

Proverbs 23:17 stands out as a reminder for today….

“…..But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;”

How many of us live in the fear of the Lord all the day?

How many times have we done things in a day with scant respect for God’s holiness and will?

A recurring theme in Proverbs is the fear of the Lord.  This fear is a positive fear.  The Bible tells us that it is the “beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7), that it is “clean” (Psa 19:9), that it gives “strong confidence” (Prov 14:26), and that it is “a fountain of life” (Prov 14:27).  But most significantly, we can choose to be controlled by this fear (Prov 1:29).

The fear of God is reverent trust.  We stand in awe of God, His power and above all, His holiness.  We believe His warnings, His commands, His promises.  We hold His character in such high respect that we choose to “hate evil” (Prov 8:13), knowing that all His commands are for our good.

This is one big reason why I say it is so hard to write about Proverbs because while I can write about it, I know that I am certainly not living in the fear of the Lord all the day.  There remains a lot of areas that I need to improve on…

May God help us all to gain true wisdom.