⁴ Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!  ⁵ Will you set your eyes on that which is not?  For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

We have seen extremes from the lazy, slothful person who refuses to work to one who overworks to get richer and richer.  Both are self-centered and do so at the expense of others and damage to him or herself.  Where is the balance here?

• The slothful person thinks only of himself, refusing to do his share in the workload.  As a result, the slothful person will take advantage of those willing to help him, and does not care who gets hurt in the process.
• Though hard work is a sign of wisdom, we are talking here about the rich who works in excess to gain more and more wealth to a point of hurting others - often his or her family.   Then he, meaning he or she, does whatever he can to protect his wealth, even to the point of taking advantage of others.  
• Neither is thinking of the poor and needy who really needs help.  They are only consumed in themselves.

Riches come and go.  When we leave this world, we cannot take our riches with us.  So then, when all is said and done, what was our life really about?  Will we have regrets or can we face God knowing we did all that he asked of us in this life?

The Miser

⁶ Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies;  ⁷ For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  ⁸ The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words.

While we learned about the ruler's table and the dangers that it can contain, it is no different than the table of the miser.  A miser is one who wants to hang on to whatever he (meaning he or she) has, refusing to share with others.

• While the miser may provide a meal, he does so grudgingly, concerned you will eat too much.  While he may say to freely eat and drink, it is done with stinginess of heart, hoping you will only eat a little, and the rest will be continue to be his.  If you take him at his word to eat and drink freely, the miser will actually resent you for doing so.
• King Solomon is actually saying that the miser will secretly wish you would choke, or have an unpleasant experience on any excess food, such as indigestion or vomit.  That's how much he wants you to eat only a little.  
• Beware of stingy people.

The Fool

⁹ Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

A fool does not appreciate wisdom.  In fact, he will despise hearing it because wisdom is done by people who are self-controlled and disciplined.  A fool walks his own path, which is filled with inconsistencies, and disasters.  The fool will often mock the wise person, where in reality they do envy them for what they accomplish, but the fool is not willing to change his life to accomplish the things that he has in is heart.  So then to ease his conscience, he will mock the wise person to make himself look better in the eyes of others, whereas others will simply see him as a fool. 

The Redeemer of the Fatherless

¹⁰ Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless; ¹¹ For their Redeemer is mighty;  He will plead their cause against you.

We studied a verse like this in another chapter where we learned that stones were used as ancient landmarks to mark off property lines, whether it was nations, cities, or personal property.   If you were the neighbor, those stones were to be left alone, and to move them to make your property bigger would be stealing from the owner of that property.  Some even were so devious to where they would move the stones just an inch or two at a time, and througout time, large pieces of land were stolen.  One's property line was very important back in Bible times, as well as even today.  Wars were fought over property lines.

• In ancient Bible times, there were fields for orphans that grew harvest for those who were so poor to where they had no land of their own.  Often there were plots of land given away to be used as a field for the orphans that was protected by a redeemer relative who would take care of them so they would not starve.  We see a biblical example of that in the Book of Ruth. 
• If there was no redeemer, then God would take care of them, for God watches over the orphans, for they are the defenseless.

¹² Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge

This has been the cry of King Solomon throughout the Book of Proverbs.  First comes knowledge, then purpose to understand that knowledge.  When you do understand and apply that knowledge to your life, you will walk in God's wisdom. 

Correction of a Child 

¹³ Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. ¹⁴ You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.

As was brought out in Proverbs, chapter 14, the timeframe of disciplining a child is not an enless window of opportunity.  There will be a time when if discipline has not been taught, it will be too late.  To not discipline could cause a child to become a rebellious angry adult, and leads to a very unhealthy adulthood that could even lead the child to hell one day. 

• All children need to be disciplined in order to become responsible, wise adults.   A child needs to begin the discipline process at a young teachable age under healthy conditions by godly wise parents.  

Here again, the Bible tells us that it is okay to beat a child with a rod, for he will not die.  This does, however, mean that all discipline should be done out of love and concern for the child's welfare.  The discipline should always fit the misbehavior of a child.  Never too harsh or too lenient.  While the child may cry when disciplined, these early times of discipline are vital in the discipline of a child.  A rod could mean a spanking, or a slap on the hand with a very young toddler.

• I was raised under the fear of a belt strap from my father and a wooden spoon from my mother.  Although I lived under the fear of the belt strap from my father, I never experienced the strap - only the fear of it.  Only once did a see my father pull off his belt from his pants purposing to use it on me.  We were able to work through it without experiencing the belt.  The wooden spoon from my mother, on the other hand, I experienced a number of times on the back of my thighs, of which I am sure I deserved.  When I became a parent, I also used the wooden spoon on the back of the thigh and my kids turned out to be fine people.  
• My parents were loving parents who only wanted the best for me, with the purpose of raising a healthy godly child.  Their discipline came out of the love and care they had for me.  I never once considered it abusive. 
  
  
  • It is sad, however, that we live in a society that wants to avoid all discipline for a child, claiming it to be child abuse.  While there have always been a small percentage who have done such horrible things, most parents are loving people who only want the best for their children. 
  • To not discipline is also a form of abuse, because that is setting up a child to become rebellious and irresponsible adults in society.
  • The reality is that if a child lives under no discipline or abusive discipline from the parents, a time will come to where the child will get bitter at any attempt of discipline and become rebellious toward his parents and others who have authority over them.  Either way, both are a form of abuse and destructive for the child. 

When All is Said and Done

¹⁵ My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;  ¹⁶ Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things..

King Solomon is saying here to his son.  When all is said and done son, if you become wise, walking in God's wisdom, through the knowledge I have taught you, gaining understanding, I will be so happy.  My heart will rejoice as I see you applying that wisdom to your life - how you speak and how you act. 

King Solomon in his wisdom is reminded us of many of the ill effects of alcohol and its intoxication.  Today, that would include intoxicating drugs as well.  Actually, all street drugs are meant to be intoxicating.

While the Bible does not tell us never to drink wine, the Bible is very specific on the dangers of drinking wine or alcohol to excess.

• In its excess, which for some could be one one or two drinks, alcohol can bring much sorrow and contention in life.  It will get where one drink is too many and the one drink searches for more and more to drink. 
• It dulls and deadens the pain of life, never allowing the person to face their pain head on to overcome it. 

While wine or the intoxicating drink is pleasing to the eye, it becomes a temptation that for some, they are not able to restrain from.   Eventually, with its excess, alcohol will bite and sting to where one gets drunk and unable to control one's tongue and actions. 

• The person who abuses alcohol or drugs will drown in their sin and misery like a sinking ship, being unaware of its dangers.  Their minds have been altered to where they are not thinking straight and will do things they would never do when sober, only to suffer a hangover the next morning, with many regrets.
• Alcohol has a degenerative effect of a person to where it eats away at the brain, ruins one's reputation, exhausts one's finances, and yet, the abuser will crave for even more. 

I have witnessed countless and countless of people, many who are friends and loved ones, who have given up all alcohol and drugs to live a life of true sobriety.  Only with Jesus is that possible. 

• Yes, I have seen some stop drinking, but they do not live a life of true sobriety to where they find peace and contentment in their life.  They simply quit the bottle.  Nothing else changed.

There is hope for complete recovery, however, in Jesus for anyone who has been involved in abusive alcohol or drugs.  The ones who do it with Jesus are the ones whose lives are radically changed to become loving, caring people who loves Jesus, and they walk in God's righteousness - all because they know what they once had and they never want to go back.  They would be the first to say that without Jesus, they could never attain the wonderful life they now have, living for Jesus. 

That is it for chapter 23.

God bless!

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com