SSL 8 - Proverbs 23:17-21, 29-35 - STAYING SOBER
LAST WEEK: In Prov. 15:33-16:11, the primary focus of Solomon's proverbs was pleasing God.
Here are five of the main points that we covered:
(1) Only when we honestly fear God for who He truly is, are we in the right relationship to receive "instruction for wisdom." That's Step 1. Step 2 is putting humility before honor, blessings, or even eternal life, because if we aren't humbled, we will not submit.
(2) God judges the heart, not the deeds. The idea of this proverb is that appearances can be deceiving-that a person's speech and actions don't always reflect the condition of his or her heart; however, God looks into our heart and can see our "motives,"-what our true intents are.
(3) Even if you keep your pride to yourself, God sees it and will judge you just the same. Boasting isn't at issue here. The core of this sin is the idea that we are capable of handling the things of life ourselves and don't really need God's help.
(4) We should always make decisions to be right rather than rich. What this means is that you will be perfectly honest in your dealings with everyone.
(5) All of our dealings with our fellow man, financial or otherwise, are measured for honesty and accuracy on God's divine scales. As we move through life, you can be sure that God is "auditing" your books against His standard of honesty and accuracy.
THIS WEEK: Proverbs 23 is a collection of admonitions that a father gives his son. Many of the admonitions appear in couplets in which the first phrase or verse issues the warning and the second gives the rationale for it. In today's lesson text, vv. 17-21 and 29-35, our topics will include not envying sinners (vv. 17-18), acquiring wisdom (v. 19), avoiding gluttony (i.e., over eating, vv. 20-21), and avoiding intoxication (vv. 29-35).
Read Prov. 23:17-18 - DO NOT ENVY SINNERS
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.
18 Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.
v. 17a: "Do not let your heart envy sinners" - This is the main command of the proverb. What is envy? It a longing or desire for what other people have and ill will against them for having it. These are the beautiful people with lots of money and the extravagant life styles that go with them. Movie stars, sports celebrities, billionaires, political figures, and the list goes on. In this context, sinners are people who aren't followers of God, non-believers in our case. They are so self-important and self-absorbed that they feel absolutely no need for God. We notice their plenty and their apparent ease and can be tempted to think that they are living the good life. We might even let ourselves wonder why God allows them to prosper. If we truly feel envy for what others have and their lifestyles, we are, in effect, pointing our finger at God and saying His provision isn't enough! I'm not content with what you've given me-materially. Envy is an insidious sin. And what about feeling resentment toward these rich and powerful sinners because of what they have? That's also sin. Sometimes the reason we resent these sinners is not so much about condemnation of the sins they commit, but the secret wish that we could get away with the same thing. Scripture clearly tells us to set aside all envy of anyone, evil or otherwise (1 Pet. 2:1).
v. 17b: "But live in the fear of the LORD always" - Solomon follows the "do not" with the remedy. We focused on this last week in Prov. 15:33: (1) Only when we honestly fear God for who He truly is, are we in the right relationship to receive "instruction for wisdom;" and (2) when we seriously seek a a right relationship with God, humility must come before everything else, because if we aren't humbled, we will not submit. Fearing God needs to be at the forefront of our consciousness every waking hour of the day. With it, God's wisdom will completely cleanse us of any sinful desires.
v. 18: "Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off" - For us, the future Solomon refers to is the End Time, the Day of Judgment. As a contrast to any feelings of envy toward sinners, this forces us to redirect our attention to the most glorious provision of God in which we place all of our hope-eternal life in God's kingdom (a certainty Heb. 11:1). How can we possibly feel any envy toward sinners who will be "cut off" when the sheep are separated for the goats (Mt. 25:32-33) and face the last terrible judgment?
SOLOMON SAYS 1: If we feel envy towards others for what they have and the lifestyles they live, we are, in effect telling God that His provision to us isn't good enough. Having an envious attitude tell us that we don't have a right relationship with God because it shows that we are neither fearing or submitting to Him. Ask yourself how you possibly feel any envy toward sinners who are destined to be "cut off" when the sheep are separated for the goats and face the last terrible judgment?
Read Prov. 23:19 - AQUIRING WISDOM
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
v. 19a: "Listen, my son" - Listening is one the most repeated themes of Proverbs and is the very first step to acquiring God's wisdom. We "hear" (or see) a lot of words every day from different people, TV programs, radio news, internet, etc. but don't pay close attention or remember most of it. In Solomon's context, it means to listen as carefully as you can with focused attention, interest, and respect for the words being spoken with the object of completely and understanding them. Listening leads to learning and learning leads to understanding. Hearing is a sense, but listen is a developed skill. If we want to listen to God, all we have to do is open our Bibles and read. It's that simple.
v. 19b: "and be wise" - How do you define being wise? This is the practical application of your listening skills. If you listened, learned, and achieved understanding, you demonstrate wisdom when you put it into practice-speaking wise speech, engaging in wise actions, and making wise decisions that reflect what you've learned.
v. 19c: "And direct your heart in the way" - Solomon get more specific here. He's already talked much about the "heart," which includes our thoughts and emotions-the inner-most self that defines our character as a person. To direct your heart means to guide it. This is the third step of the process this verse sets up. (1) If we have listened, learned, and understood, and (2) applied God's wisdom to how we think and live, (3) then, we establish a godly heart that directs us on our path or way of life. This isn't a one-time process but a daily discipline of keeping our hearts in line with God's wisdom.
SOLOMON SAYS 2: The first step in acquiring God's wisdom is listening. It means to listen as carefully as you can with focused attention, interest, and respect for the words being spoken with the intention of completely understanding them. Listening leads to learning and learning leads to understanding. (1) If we have listened, learned, and understood, and (2) applied God's wisdom to how we think and live, (3) then, we will have a godly heart that directs us on our path or way of life. This isn't a one-time process but a daily discipline of keeping our hearts in line with God's wisdom.
Read Prov. 23:20-21 - THE DANGERS OF INTOXICATION AND OVER EATING
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
v. 20: "Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat" - Since Solomon gave this advice to his son nearly three millennia ago, over-eating and drunkenness are obviously not new problems. First, the chief reason we should not over eat or allow ourselves to become intoxicated is because they are both sins and God forbids them. At the same time, because we Americans live in a land of plenty where we can obtain almost unlimited amounts of food to eat and huge varieties alcoholic beverages to consume, the temptation is ever present. Although the Bible doesn't require complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages, most Baptists believe it's the surest safeguard against potential intoxication. Unlike the people of Solomon's day, we have plenty of good-tasting, non-alcoholic beverages, some of which even duplicate the flavor of beer. And we all have to eat to stay alive, so for most of us the temptation not to over eat is virtually a day-to-day challenge. All of us slip from time to time (have you ever been to a Baptist potluck?). But notice that Solomon says not to be "with heavy drinkers" or "gluttonous eaters," which tells us to avoid associating with such people. Eating can be solitary, while the drinking crowd is probably a more dangerous temptation, and young people are especially vulnerable because of peer pressure.
v. 21: "For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags" - If you are a heavy drinker or if you habitually over eat, it's a fact that both of these temptations can render you poor in health, poor financially, and poor in character and reputation. More than 88,000 American people die from alcohol-related deaths each year, and added to that about 30% of all traffic fatalities are related to drunken driving. As to over-eating, the National Center for Health Statistics estimates that nearly 40% of adults aged 20 and over are obese and another 32% are overweight (that's 62% of the adult population!), and obesity rates are on the rise. The health risks caused by obesity are legion: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, and kidney disease are just the short list. Unless they are independently wealthy, people with alcohol or obesity-related health problems have trouble supporting themselves financially, and their families also suffer.
SOLOMON SAYS 3: Heavy drinking and over eating will leave you poor. If you are a heavy drinker or if you habitually over eat, it's a fact that both of these temptations can render you poor in health, poor financially, and poor in character and reputation.
Read Prov. 23:29-35 - THE CASE AGAINST EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ALCHOHOL
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
35 "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink."
v. 29: "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?" - In this verse, Solomon set up six rhetorical questions and provides the answers in vv. 30-35. First, let's define these six distinct predicaments:
(1) Woe: defined as being depressed, feeling sad and miserable, the opposite of being happy.
(2) Sorrow: feelings of real grief, anguish, like when you lose a loved one, the opposite of joy.
(3) Contentions: this is when you're driven to anger and hostility, touchy and lashing out at people.
(4) Complaining: blaming, finding fault with others and circumstances; being critical and nitpicking.
(5) Wounds without cause: these are problems arising from pointless physical injuries: e.g., falling down stairs, starting a fight and getting beat up, hurt in an auto accident, all due to impaired senses.
(6) Redness of eyes: this is a metaphor for the inability to see clearly, both physically and mentally. A person in this condition is literally an accident waiting to happen, on the brink of disaster.
Comment: Before we get into the answers posed by these six questions, we need to stop and talk about the issue of "self-control," what the Bible calls "temperance," which literally means "power over oneself." The very idea of "self-control" describes a battle between a divided self and implies that our "self" produces sinful desires that we should not satisfy but instead "control." In Gal. 5:22-23, the apostle Paul lists self-control as a "fruit" of the Holy Spirit. It's a virtue that, as regenerated Christian believers, any of us can draw upon to hold our carnal desires in check. It's a spiritual tool that we have at any time to keep us from yielding to any temptations that cause us to stumble.
v. 30: "Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine" - So what get us into the six predicaments of v. 29? The answer is excessive consumption of alcoholic beverage and since we're talking about the 21st Century, we need to include recreational drugs like marijuana, meth, and opiates, just to name a few. In this verse, "Those who linger," describes a person doesn't stop drinking but continues to the point of complete inebriation. This is far more likely to happen in a group setting that includes heavy drinkers-party animals. Tasting "mixed wine," in Solomon's day refers to strong drink. In ancient times, it was often necessary to add small amounts of wine to water to both purify it (kill the germs) and make it taste better. Jews typically mixed 5 to 10 parts of water to one part of wine, so a ratio of 4 to 1 or less would be a strong drink. So the proverb is if you (1) drink for too long and (2) mix it too strong, you'll get yourself in the predicaments of v. 29. See that?
v. 31: "Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly" - Here, Solomon is talking about how alcoholic beverages can be an attraction to our senses-sight, scent, and taste. It sparkles in your eyes, its aroma tickles your nose, and the taste-sheer ecstasy! Remember Eve in the Garden? When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Gen. 3:6). If you happen to go to a restaurant that serves hard liquor, look at pictures of 'dessert cocktails' on the drink menu.
v. 32: "At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper" - Solomon now moves to proverbs that identify the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Solomon uses a literary form known as hyperbole-an exaggerated figure of speech. The strong drink that looked, smelled, and tasted so fantastic ultimately caused you to feel like "death warmed over" (my hyperbole). Solomon's point is that the pleasure is short-lived, while the consequences are often long-lasting (or maybe short-lasting if it results in death).
v. 33: "Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things" - If you allow yourself to get drunk enough, you'll start seeing things and those round through an alcoholic haze. Both your senses and your thinking will be severely impaired. You've lost touch with reality. Your nature becomes completely uninhibited and leads you to do and say things you would never say or do if you were sober. All self-control is completely lost. From time immemorial, men have used liquor to cause women to lose their inhibitions for the purpose of engaging in immoral acts. But it can happen to men, too. You probably remember the story of how Lot's daughters got him drunk in order to seduce him (Gen. 19:30-38).
v. 34: "And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast" - If you take the time to visualize this in your mind's eye, you'll get queasy. Have you ever been seriously carsick, airsick, or seasick? Or a stomach bug that resulted in extreme nausea, vomiting, and worse? Excessive consumption of alcohol will make you just as sick. Even if you don't get extreme nausea, you'll end up with a hangover that will make you wish you were dead. Very simply, if you willingly do this to yourself, you're a fool. Some people bounce between sobriety and binge drinking-they reach a point where they lose all self- control and become fools. It can impair the ability to keep a job, leading to financial woes, and it can destroy a family. Young people who are lured into drunken parties through peer pressure are particularly susceptible to this.
v. 33: "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink." - This verse depicts someone who continues time after time to drink him or herself into complete inebriation despite the negative consequences. They no longer control the alcohol but the alcohol now is in control of them. They allowed themselves to become addicted-alcoholics on a path to destruction. As they continue, they progressively become poorer in health, poorer in financial condition, and poorer in character and reputation. Their lives have become a tragedy not only for themselves, but also for their families. What happened?
SOLOMON SAYS 4: Excessive consumption of alcohol is virtually guaranteed to make you sick. Even if you don't get extreme nausea, you'll end up with a hangover that will make you wish you were dead. Very simply, if you willingly do this to yourself, you're a fool. Some people bounce between sobriety and binge drinking-they reach a point where they lose all self- control and become fools. It can impair the ability to keep a job, leading to financial woes, and it can destroy a family. Those who continue time after time to drink themselves into complete inebriation despite the negative consequences, no longer control the alcohol but have allowed the alcohol to be in control of them. They've allowed themselves to become addicted-alcoholics on a path to destruction. As they continue, they progressively become poorer in health, poorer in financial condition, and poorer in character and reputation. Their lives have become a tragedy not only for themselves, but also for their families. What happened?
