I. Proverbs 23:19-24:2
II. The Battle for Your Soul
III. Proverbs often contrasts the lives of wise and foolish people. They are not wise or foolish because of academic, scientific, business, or other educational knowledge but by their worldview and resulting actions. Actions have consequences in this life, some of which are immediate whereas others are obvious much later. All actions have eternal consequences.
IV. This passage also demonstrates the battle between influences in our lives. On one side, God’s wise word and godly people warn us of the perils of the wicked path and the pain that is at the end of the road. On the other side, drunkards and gluttons (20), sexually immoral people (27), and evil people (24:1) want to draw us to their path. Like the beer commercials, the wicked highlight the short-term appeal of fleshly desire but hide the long-term consequences of a wasteful and immoral life on the person, their quality of life, and the pain they cause others along the way.
V. We Choose Our Side
VI. Proverbs exhorts the young man (and would apply to young women) to choose the wise path. This passage along with many throughout the rest of the Bible emphasize that we make choices that have good and bad consequences that determine the quality of our life. There are factors out of our control but much of how we experience life, and its ease or struggle, is a result of our attitude and choices. Even those in oppressed and impoverished communities can assert their ability to choose a wise path and have true joy despite their circumstances.
VII. We choose on what we will focus, what is important to us, with whom we will associate, and how we spend our time. All of these choices have consequences, and these consequences largely create the life we live, the impact we have on the people in our life, and the legacy we leave behind.
VIII. Notice the sense of control in the first few passages of this section:
IX. Be wise – you are not born with this
X. Direct your heart – you aim it in the direction you choose
XI. Be not among the drunkards and gluttons – you choose your companions
XII. Buy the truth – Make the sacrifices to learn truth
XIII. Do not sell the truth – Do not sacrifice the truth for other gain
XIV. Be wise and direct your heart. We must choose the positive influences we will place in our lives and chief among them is the guiding wisdom of God’s word. The heart is inclined to foolishness and evil and we must train it in righteousness. The way to wisdom is revealed in the passage: buy truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
XV. Truth – Truth is that which is certain and reliable. The word is sometimes translated faithfulness. The wisdom of man is ever changing and rooted in an incomplete knowledge of the universe and man himself. God’s word is revealed from divine wisdom of the one who made the universe and gave us life. Consider Psalms 43:3; 86:11; and 119:160 that testify to the truth of God’s word and sufficiency for guiding our life. We can depend on God’s word to provide the basis upon which we will gain wisdom, instruction, and understanding. It is the sure foundation.
XVI. Wisdom – Wisdom is the skillful ability to use the truth to fashion a life that is holy, productive in God’s work, and makes a positive impact on the lives of others. The word “wisdom” is used of the artisans who were skillful in their trade to build and design the beautiful tabernacle. It describes God’s work fashioning the complex and marvelous universe. Vine’s describes the use relative to knowledge as the “ability to make the right choices at the right time.” Wisdom begins with the truth of God’s word, Proverbs 1:5-7.
XVII. Instruction – Instruction is similar to “discipline” in the New Testament, guidance in correct living following God’s truth. Instruction comes in many ways:
A. Listening to the teaching of God’s word from wise parents, teachers, preachers, and others whose life demonstrates the virtue of a godly and righteous life.
B. Learning from our mistakes and the mistakes of others
- Proverbs 23:21 – The drunkard and gluttonous become lazy and impoverished
- Proverbs 23:27-28 – The sexually immoral lead to a narrow well (“deep ditch”) difficult to escape from, become trapped in sexual depravity, and lead to treacherous and deceitful behavior among people. We see this in the society of those who use and are used for sexual gratification. Though immediately appealing and pleasurable, the long-term consequences of the depressing and shameful state is described in Proverbs 5:8-14. [RA]
- Proverbs 23:29-35 – This is one of the most poetic descriptions of the shame and depravity of drunkenness. Despite the violence and humility and the sorrows drunkenness brings on the person, their foolishness leads them to seek it again. Isaiah bemoans those who pursue drunkenness morning and night while forsaking God (5:11-12) and are heroes of drunkenness (5:20-22) but are fools. People who make foolish choices that lead to a difficult and shameful life often embrace the escape of intoxication from drugs and alcohol instead of facing the realities of life and escaping to the forgiveness and wise leading of God.
- Proverbs 24:1-2 – Evil people may have a life that seems pleasurable and appealing but it is full of trouble. Proverbs 1:8-19 describes the perilous earthly fate of evil people who chase evil and warns against being ensnared by their invitation to “join the fun.”
- Proverbs 24:30-34 – The wise person will consider how one’s laziness leads to poverty and the inability to face the trials of life. Diligence in study and making the hard responsible decisions to be productive and work towards the future may not be as fun as wasting time entertaining oneself, but it does prepare us for the inevitable demands of the world and has the good consequence of a satisfying life.
- It is better to learn from the mistakes of others and make different choices than to learn from our own mistakes with the scars, shame, and lifelong consequences that often accompany them.