1<\/strong>. what<\/em> ] Rather, who<\/strong>. Be continually on your guard; let not the luxury that surrounds you betray you into forgetting in whose presence you are, for the favour of a ruler, an Eastern despot, is a dangerous thing.<\/p>\n What is before thee – <\/B>Beware lest dainties tempt thee to excess. Or, consider diligently who is before thee, the character and temper of the ruler who invites thee.<\/P> <\/p>\n Pro 23:1-3<\/span><\/p>\n Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Moderation<\/strong><\/p>\n This virtue the people of God ought to practise in everything. They should exercise self-government in the desire, the use, the enjoyment, and the regret of all that pertains to the present world. Here is commended laying restraint on the animal appetites.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>There are few things, if any, more disgusting and <\/strong>degrading than the studied and anxious indulgence of these appetites. It is particularly loathsome when the man appears to catch with extraordinary avidity the occurrence of a feast, and to be resolved on making the most of his opportunity.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>There are on such occasions temptations to over-indulgence and excess. And then our self-jealousy and watchfulness should be proportioned to two things–the strength of propensity and the amount of temptation. Eat as if a knife were at thy throat. Eat in the recollection and impression of thine imminent danger. Or the expression may mean, Otherwise thou wilt put a knife to thy throat if thine appetite have the dominion.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>A mans conduct on such occasions is marked, especially if he be a religious professor. He may in this way bring reproach upon religion, which ever ought, and which, when genuine and duly felt, will impose a restraint on such indulgences.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>We should also be on our guard against the ostentation of abstinence and plainness–the affectation of extraordinary abstemiousness.<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>There should be special vigilance if there be reason to suspect any snare, any intended temptation for answering a selfish or malicious purpose. Worldly men sometimes do, very wickedly, lay snares for the godly. (R<\/em>. Wardlaw, D<\/em>.D<\/em>.)<\/p>\n CHAPTER XXIII <\/P> Sobriety in eating and drinking, especially at the tables of<\/I><\/P> the great. Have no fellowship with the covetous. Remove not the<\/I><\/P> ancient landmark. Children should receive due correction. Avoid<\/I><\/P> the company of wine-bibbers. Obedience to parents. Avoid lewd<\/I><\/P> connections. The effect of an unfeeling conscience.<\/I> <\/P> NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII<\/P> <\/P> Verse 1<\/span>. When thou sittest to eat with a ruler<\/B><\/I>] When invited to the table of thy betters, eat moderately<\/I>. Do not appear as if half starved at home. Eat not of delicacies<\/I> to which thou art not accustomed; they are deceitful meat<\/I>; they please, but they do not profit. They are pleasant to the sight<\/I>, the taste<\/I>, and the smell<\/I>; but they are injurious to health<\/I>. These are prudential cautions; and should be carefully observed by all who would avoid the conduct of a clown<\/I>, and desire to pass for a well-bred<\/I> man.<\/P> <\/p>\n When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, <\/B>when thou art invited to a feast with a great man, <\/P> consider diligently what is before thee; <\/B>either <\/P> 1. What person or persons. Or rather, <\/P> 2. What things; what plenty and variety of meats and drinks, by which thou mayst easily be tempted to excess, and by that means induced to use such speeches or carriages as may be unfit for thee, or many ways hurtful to thee. <\/P> <\/p>\n 1.<\/B> Avoid the dangers ofgluttony.<\/P><\/p>\n When thou sittest to eat with a ruler<\/strong>,…. Either a supreme ruler, a king, or a subordinate ruler, a nobleman, a judge, a civil magistrate, a person of honour, dignity, and authority; and to sit at table with such is sometimes allowed, and is always reckoned an honour; this particularly diligent and industrious persons are admitted to, who not only are brought to stand before kings and great persons, but to sit at table with them, and eat food with them. And now the wise man advises such how to behave themselves when this is the case:<\/p>\n consider diligently what [is] before thee<\/strong>; or, “considering consider” q: take special notice of the food and drink set upon the table, and consider well which may be most proper and safe to eat and drink of; for though a man may lawfully eat of whatsoever is set before him; every creature of God being good, if it be received with thanksgiving, and sanctified by the word of God and prayer; yet it is a piece of wisdom to make use of that which is most conducive to health, and less ensnaring; and to observe moderation in all, and not indulge to gluttony and drunkenness: and he should consider also who is before him, which sense the words wilt bear; the ruler that has invited him, and sits at the table with him, and take care that he says or does nothing that may give him offence; and also the noble personages that are guests with him, and behave towards them suitably to their rank and dignity; observe their words and conduct, and imitate the same; yea, even he should consider the servants and waiters that attend, lest, behaving in an indecent and disorderly manner, they should report it to his disadvantage to their ruler or others. But how much greater an honour is it to sit at table with the King of kings, and with his princes, and sup with him! when it becomes the saints, who have this honour, to consider what is set before them; the richest dainties, a feast of things, the body and blood of Christ, which should he spiritually discerned by faith; and not the elements of bread and wine only: likewise the persons before whom they are should be considered; Christ, who sits at his table, and the princes of his people with him; and therefore should not feed without fear, and in a disorderly and indecent manner, as the Corinthians are charged, but with all reverence and humility.<\/p>\n q “considerando considera”, Pagninus, Vatablus, Piscator, Mercerus, Gejerus.<\/p>\n Pro 22:29<\/span>, which speaks of a high position near the king, is appropriately followed by a hexastich referring to the slipperiness of the smooth ground of the king’s court.<\/p>\n 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,<\/p>\n Consider well whom thou hast before thee.<\/p>\n 2 And put thy knife to thy throat<\/p>\n If thou art a man of good appetite.<\/p>\n 3 Be not lustful after his dainties,<\/p>\n Because it is deceitful food.<\/p>\n The of is that of end: ad cibum capiendum <\/em>, thus as one invited by him to his table; in prose the expression would be ; , to eat, is poet., Pro 4:17<\/span>; Pro 9:5<\/span>. The fut. clothes the admonition in the form of a wish or counsel; the infin. intens. makes it urgent: consider well him whom thou hast before thee, viz., that he is not thine equal, but one higher, who can destroy thee as well as be useful to thee. With the jussive construction begun by is continued. Zckler and Dchsel, after Ewald and Hitzig, translate incorrectly: thou puttest…, the perf. consec. after an imperf., or, which is the same thing, a fut. meant optatively ( e.g.<\/em>, Lev 19:18<\/span> with , and also Lev 19:34<\/span> without ) continues the exhortation; to be thus understood, the author ought to have used the expression and not . Rightly Luther: “and put a knife to thy throat,” but continuing: “wilt thou preserve thy life,” herein caught in the same mistake of the idea with Jerome, the Syr., and Targ., to which here separates itself. ( ) (Arab. with the assimilated a sikkn , plur. sekakn , whence sekakni , cutler) designates a knife (R. , to stick, vid<\/em>., at Isa 9:10<\/span>). , from , to devour, is the throat; the word in Aram. signifies only the cheek, while Lagarde seeks to interpret infinitively in the sense of (Arab.) bwlw’ak , if thou longest for (from wl’a ); but that would make 2b a tautology. The verb (cf. Arab. l’al’ , to pant for) shows for the substantive the same primary meaning as glutus <\/em> from glutire <\/em>, which was then transferred from the inner organ of swallowing (Kimchi, , Parchon; , aesophagus<\/em>) to the external. “Put a knife to thy throat, is a proverbial expression, like our: the knife stands at his throat; the poet means to say: restrain thy too eager desire by means of the strongest threatening of danger – threaten as it were death to it” (Fleischer). In , means, as at Pro 13:2<\/span>, desire, and that desire of eating, as at Pro 6:30<\/span>. Rightly Rashi: if thou art greedy with hunger, if thou art a glutton; cf. Sir. 34:12 (31:12), “If thou sittest at a great table, then open not widely thy throat ( ), and say not: There is certainly much on it!” The knife thus denotes the restraining and moderating of too good an appetite.<\/p>\n In 3a the punctuation fluctuates between ( Michlol<\/em> 131a) and ; the latter is found in Cod. 1294, the Erfurt 2 and 3, the Cod. Jaman<\/em>., and thus it is also to be written at Pro 23:6<\/span> and Pro 24:1<\/span>; , 1Ch 11:17<\/span> and Psa 45:12<\/span>, Codd. and older Edd. ( e.g.<\/em>, Complut. 1517, Ven. 1515, 1521) write with Pathach<\/em>. , from , signifies savoury dishes, dainties, like (Arab.) dhwakt , from dhak (to taste, to relish); cf. sapores <\/em>, from sapere <\/em>, in the proverb: the tit-bits of the king burn the lips ( vid<\/em>., Fleischer, Ali’s Hundred Proverbs<\/em>, etc., pp. 71, 104). With begins, as at Pro 3:29<\/span>, a conditioning clause: since it is, indeed, the bread of deceit (the connection like , Pro 21:28<\/span>), food which, as it were, deceives him who eats it, i.e.<\/em>, appears to secure for him the lasting favour of princes, and often enough herein deceives him; cf. the proverb by Burckhardt and Meidani: whoever eats of the sultan’s soup burns his lips, even though it may be after a length of time (Fleischer). One must come near to a king, says Calovius, hitting the meaning of the proverb, as to a fire: not too near, lest he be burned; nor too remote, so that he may be warmed therewith.<\/p>\n 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is<\/I> before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be<\/I> a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are<\/I> deceitful meat.<\/P> The sin we are here warned against is luxury and sensuality, and the indulgence of the appetite in eating and drinking, a sin that most easily besets us. 1. We are here told when we enter into temptation, and are in most danger of falling into this sin: “When thou sittest to eat with a ruler<\/I> thou has great plenty before thee, varieties and dainties, such a table spread as thou has seldom seen; thou are ready to think, as Haman did, of nothing but the honour hereby done thee (Esth. v. 12<\/span>), and the opportunity thou hast of pleasing thy palate, and forgettest that there is a snare laid for thee.” Perhaps the temptation may be stronger, and more dangerous, to one that is not used to such entertainments, than to one that always sits down to a good table. 2. We are here directed to double our guard at such a time. We must, (1.) Apprehend ourselves to be in danger: “Consider diligently what is before thee,<\/I> what meat and drink are before thee, that thou mayest choose that which is safest for thee and which thou art least likely to eat and drink of to excess. Consider what company is before thee, the ruler himself, who, if he be wise and good, will take it as an affront for any of his guests to disorder themselves at his table.” And, if when we sit to eat with a ruler, much more when we sit to eat with the ruler of rulers at the Lord’s table, must we consider diligently what is before us,<\/I> that we may not in any respect eat and drink unworthily,<\/I> unbecomingly, lest that table become a snare. (2.) We must alarm ourselves into temperance and moderation: “Put a knife to thy throat,<\/I> that is, restrain thyself, as it were with a sword hanging over thy head, from all excess. Let these words, Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and so that day come upon you unawares<\/I>–or those, For all these things, God shall bring thee into judgment<\/I>–or those, Drunkards, shall not inherit the kingdom of God,<\/I> be a knife to the throat.” The Latins call luxury gula<\/I>—the throat.<\/I> “Take up arms against that sin. Rather be so abstemious that thy craving appetite will begin to think thy throat cut than indulge thyself in voluptuousness.” We must never feed ourselves without fear<\/I> (Jude 12<\/span>), but we must in a special manner fear when temptation is before us. (3.) We must reason ourselves into a holy contempt of the gratifications of sense: “If thou be a man given to appetite,<\/I> thou must, by a present solution, and an application of the terrors of the Lord, restrain thyself. When thou art in danger of falling into any excess put a knife to thy throat;<\/I> that may serve for once. But that is not enough: lay the axe to the root; mortify that appetite which has such a power over thee: Be not desirous of dainties.<\/I>” Note, We ought to observe what is our own iniquity, and, if we find ourselves addicted to flesh-pleasing, we must not only stand upon our guard against temptations from without, but subdue the corruption within. Nature is desirous of food, and we are taught to pray for it, but it is lust that is desirous of dainties, and we cannot in faith pray for them, for frequently they are not food convenient for mind, body, or estate. They are deceitful meat, and therefore David, instead of praying for them, prays against them, Ps. cxli. 4<\/span>. They are pleasant to the palate, but perhaps rise in the stomach, turn sour there, upbraid a man, and make him sick. They do not yield men the satisfaction they promised themselves from them; for those that are given to appetite, when they have that which is very dainty, are not pleased; they are soon weary of it; they must have something else more dainty. The more a luxurious appetite is humoured and indulged the more humour some and troublesome it grows, and the more hard to please; dainties will surfeit, but never satisfy. But especially they are upon this<\/I> account deceitful meat, that, while they please the body, they prejudice the soul, they overcharge the heart, and unfit it for the service of God, nay, they take away the heart, and alienate the mind from spiritual delights, and spoil its relish of them. Why then should we covet that which will certainly cheat us?<\/P> <\/p>\n SOCIAL DISCRETION<\/strong><\/p>\n (Proverbs 23)<\/p>\n Social Discretion<\/strong><\/p>\n Verses 1-3 provide counsel for one invited to dine with a person of high rank or importance. He is to show respect for the host; exercise restraint and eat with moderation; refrain from indulgence in wine and strong drink, Exo 22:28<\/span>; Rom 13:1<\/span>; Tit 3:1<\/span>; Psa 141:4<\/span>; Pro 23:20-21<\/span>; Dan 1:5<\/span>; Dan 1:8<\/span>.<\/p>\n CRITICAL NOTES.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:1<\/span><\/strong>. When thou sittest,<\/strong> etc. Miller here translates Forasmuch as thou sittest<\/em>, and applying the word ruler<\/em> to God gives to the proverb a meaning entirely different from that generally attached to it. See his remarks in the Suggestive Comments. What is before thee?<\/strong> Rather Who is before<\/em>, etc. <\/p>\n Pro. 23:2<\/span><\/strong>. Put a knife,<\/strong> etc. Zckler, Ewald, and others translate Thou hast put<\/em>, or thou puttest<\/em>. The meaning may then be Thou hast virtually destroyed thyself if thou art a self-indulgent man. Delitzsch, however, gives the verb the imperative form, as in the English version. <\/p>\n Pro. 23:3<\/span><\/strong>. Deceitful meat<\/strong>. Literally Bread of lies. Many commentators understand this to mean a deceptive meal, which is not given from motives of hospitality. <\/p>\n MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH <\/em>Pro. 23:1-3<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE TABLE<\/p>\n I. The table of a wealthy man is a place of temptation to the sin of overindulgence<\/strong>. At such a table there is a great variety of dishes, and the human appetite, in common with every bodily sense and mental faculty, delights in variety. The eye is best pleased with a diversified landscape, the ear with a diversity of sound, and the mind when it can vary the objects of its contemplation. So mans appetite is most gratified by a variety of food, and there is much more temptation to excess under such circumstances than when his hunger has to be satisfied from a single dish. Then, again, the food at such a repast is generally of the most tempting kindall the countries of the world are put under contribution to supply it with dainties, and much skill and time is expended upon the preparation of the food. There is little danger of eating too much when bread is the only fare, but it begins and increases in proportion to the palatable nature of the viands. And the proverb seems to be addressed to those to whom a seat at the rich mans or rulers table was not an every-day occurrenceto those to whom it was not given to feast so sumptuously every dayand this would increase the force of the temptation. The variety and the rarity of the dishes is much more tempting to one unaccustomed to such feasts.<\/p>\n II. It is most degrading and injurious to yield to such a temptation<\/strong>. This is implied in the strong metaphor which Solomon uses. An undue indulgence in the pleasures of the table, even when it does not amount to positive gluttony, is a most fruitful source of disease, and for this cause, if for no other, dainty food well deserves the name which is here given to it. But it is also most injurious to mans better nature; it is often the first step to habits of intemperance and licentiousness, but if it does not lead to them it is altogether incompatible with intellectual and moral excellence. A man who is not master of his appetite is below the brute and can be neither great nor good. It is well to remember that an appeal to the appetite<\/em> was one of the elements in the first temptation. An Eastern fable runs thus: A king once permitted the devil to kiss him on either shoulder. Immediately two serpents grew from his shoulders, which, furious with hunger, attacked his head and attempted to get at his brain. The king tore them away. But he soon saw with horror that they had become part of himself, and that, in wounding them he was lacerating his own flesh. Such is the deplorable condition of every victim of appetite and lust.<\/p>\n OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS<\/em><\/p>\n First, thy duty is to be temperate as to the quantity<\/em> of thy diet. God gave man food to further, not to hinder him in his general and particular calling, and surely they sin who feed till, like fatted horses, they are unfit for service. Christians may cheer nature, but they must not clog it. It is a great privilege in the charter granted us by the King of Kings, that we should have dominion over the creatures; but it will be a sordid bondage if we suffer them to have dominion over us. Socrates was wont to say, that evil men live that they may eat and drink, but good men eat and drink that they may live. Secondly, thy duty is to be temperate as to the quality<\/em> of thy diet. Though no certain quality of food can be set down, yet in general this must be observed, that we make not provision for the flesh. (Rom. 13:12<\/span>.) We may preserve the flesh, but we must not provide for the flesh. Our enemy is strong enough already, we need not put more weapons into his hands. The Christian may take his food, but his food must not take him. It is not unlawful to eat dainties, but it is unlawful to set the mind upon them. We may eat and digest dainties, but we may not crave and desire dainties. God made man not for fleshly dainties, but for spiritual delights. Elijah could be content with a raven for his cook. Daniel fed and thrived upon pulse: he looked fairer by it than those that did eat the kings fare. Brown bread and the gospel are good cheer, said the martyr. John the Baptist could live upon locusts and wild honey. The apostles had some ears of corn for a Sabbath-days dinner. Though God is pleased out of mercy to afford us better provision, yet our work must be to mind moderation.Swinnock<\/em>.<\/p>\n It is of the Lord that hunger is painful and food gives pleasure; between these two lines of defence the Creator has placed life with a view to its preservation. The due sustenance of the body is the Creators end; the pleasantness of food is the means of obtaining it. When men prosecute and cultivate that pleasure as an end, they thwart the very purposes of Providence.Arnot<\/em>.<\/p>\n (It will be seen that the following comment is based on Millers rendering. See Critical Notes.) Kings like to see their guests eat. At the very utmost, this part of our behaviour is a matter of indifference. But of God nothing could be more exact. We are all eating with Him; in fact, feeding upon Him; as though He were Himself bread. Forasmuch<\/em>, therefore, is just in place. Discerning well who is before thee<\/em>, that also, is perfectly consistent. And then our sin, what is that? Why, fleshly appetite! What is innocent at courts is idolatry in the banquet to the skies. Serving the creature more than the Creator, Paul expresses it; and gives us ample analogy after a New Testament kind (Rom. 1:25<\/span>, see also Jas. 4:3<\/span>), for understanding how we have put a knife to our throat, if we be men given to appetite.Miller<\/em>.<\/p>\n CHAPTER 23 1.<\/p>\n When thou sittest to eat with a ruler<\/p>\n Consider diligently him that is before thee;<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n And put a knife to thy throat,<\/p>\n If thou be a man given to appetite.<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n Be not desirous of his dainties;<\/p>\n Seeing they are deceitful food.<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n Weary not thyself to be rich;<\/p>\n Cease from thine own wisdom. <\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?<\/p>\n For riches certainly make themselves wings, 6.<\/p>\n Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,<\/p>\n Neither desire thou his dainties:<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n For as he thinketh within himself, so is he:<\/p>\n Eat and drink, saith he to thee; 8.<\/p>\n The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,<\/p>\n And lose thy sweet words.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n Speak not in the hearing of a fool;<\/p>\n For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n Remove not the ancient landmark;<\/p>\n And enter not into the fields of the fatherless;<\/p>\n 11.<\/p>\n For their Redeemer is strong;<\/p>\n He will plead their cause against thee.<\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n Apply thy heart unto instruction,<\/p>\n And thine ears to the words of knowledge.<\/p>\n STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n Why consider the ruler (Pro. 23:1<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n What does put a knife to thy throat mean (Pro. 23:2<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n What makes a rulers food deceitful meat (Pro. 23:3<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n Is getting rich really a wearisome road (Pro. 23:4<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n What is meant in Pro. 23:5<\/span> by that which is not?<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n What is meant in Pro. 23:6<\/span> by an evil eye?<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n Restate the first clause in Pro. 23:7<\/span> in your own words.<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n Can a person act nice to you when he really doesnt feel that way (Pro. 23:7<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n What might be an illustration of Pro. 23:8<\/span>?<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n What statement of Jesus in Matthew 7<\/span> does Pro. 23:9<\/span> seem to parallel?<\/p>\n 11.<\/p>\n Is there a connection the two clauses in Pro. 23:10<\/span>?<\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n Who is the Redeemer of the fatherless (Pro. 23:11<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 13.<\/p>\n What is the difference between learning by instruction and learning by experience (Pro. 23:12<\/span>)?<\/p>\n PARAPHRASE OF 23:1-12<\/strong><\/p>\n 13.<\/p>\n When dining with a rich man, be on your guard and dont stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.<\/p>\n 45.<\/p>\n Dont worry yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!<\/p>\n 68.<\/p>\n Dont become obligated to evil men; dont long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach and you will vomit it, and have to take back your words of appreciation for their kindness.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n Dont waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.<\/p>\n 10, 11.<\/p>\n Dont steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; He Himself will accuse you.<\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n Dont refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.<\/p>\n COMMENTS ON 23:1-12<\/strong><\/p>\n Pro. 23:1<\/span>. The usual one-verse saying of Proverbs gives way here to an eight-verse set of instructions. To be invited to dine with a ruler would be a great honor to a man of lowly birth, or to one of the middle class, to whom the manners of courts and palaces were practically unknown (Pulpit Commentary). Since the invitation was extended not out of kingly politeness but with an ulterior motive (Pro. 23:7-8<\/span>), our verses suggest that the guest should consider (look into) the one who invited him rather than just the delicious food before him.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:2<\/span>. In the presence of such a bountiful, delicious banquet, a man of appetite would be tempted to eat much more than he should. When away from home, one should act as if he had been away from home before. The rulers ulterior motives in inviting him might be better fulfilled if the man ate and drank beyond wisdom, for in that condition the host may be able to extract information from the guest that he would not otherwise be able to obtain (if this be his motive),<\/p>\n Pro. 23:3<\/span>. A further warning, Dan. 1:8<\/span> also refers to the kings food as danties. They are deceitful food in that they have insincerely set before the man, and for him to eat to excess will somehow fulfill the rulers purpose rather than the best interests of the man eating.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:4<\/span>. By thus associating with a ruler, the guest may have thought that this was his first step toward the life of the rich, Or, having eaten of such pleasant food, the guest may have determined that he too will someday be rich. Here he is warned of the many weary years and hardships accompanying getting and being rich. So he is told to cease from his own wisdom which in the long run will not prove to be truly wise at all. Other warnings against aspiring to be rich: Mat. 6:19-20<\/span>; Joh. 6:27<\/span>; 1Ti. 6:7-10<\/span>. Other warnings against following ones own wisdom: Pro. 3:5<\/span>; Rom. 12:16<\/span>.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:5<\/span>. Riches are here spoken of as that which is not. They are uncertain (1Ti. 6:17<\/span>). They may be here today but gone tomorrow (through economic crashes, bad investments, etc.). Kings often had to empty their treasure houses to satisfy invading kings (1Ki. 18:15-16<\/span>). Consider also Ecc. 5:11<\/span>; Ecc. 5:15-16<\/span>.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:6<\/span>. An evil eye here had to do with a covetous eye. Compare Deu. 15:9<\/span> for a similar use of it. Since this is a repetition of the warning in Pro. 23:3<\/span>, the rulers ulterior motive was his own personal gain to result from the mans being his guest.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:7<\/span>. He would be invited to eat and drink, but it was not out of sheer hospitality. This is the deceitfulness mentioned in Pro. 23:3<\/span>. This saying is warning us against this type of person. Rom. 12:9<\/span> (Let love be without hypocrisy) warns us not to be this type of person ourselves. Our verse also shows it isnt what we say or do but the heart that determines the real person.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:8<\/span>. The dainties were sweet and tasted good, but later he would be able to see through it all, and then he would vomit them up, so to speak. In other words, it was sweeter going down than coming up. Wisdom always says to look to the end of a matter, to the outcome, before one participates, invests, etc.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:9<\/span>. Some people show they are fools by despising words of wisdom. We are obligated to share our understanding with those who do not understand, but when we find one who will not listen, will not learn, will not appreciate, but will only laugh at and make fun of that which we say, it is time to turn away and go to someone who will listen (Act. 13:46<\/span>; Act. 18:5-6<\/span>). Jesus said, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine (Mat. 7:6<\/span>). Pulpit Commentary: It is a mere casting of pearls before swine to speak to such a man of high aims, righteous motives, self-sacrifice.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:10<\/span>. A landmark was usually a stone or a pillar of stones placed to mark out the boundary of ones land. This verse contains a prohibition against altering those. Deu. 19:14<\/span>; Deu. 27:17<\/span>; and Pro. 22:28<\/span> contain similar prohibitions. By moving (or removing) the landmark one could be claiming and using land that rightfully belonged to ones neighbor. This verse contains a special warning if the land taken belonged to the fatherless.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:11<\/span>. God will look out for the right of the orphaned, and He will not be easy on one who has taken land away from such. Pro. 22:23<\/span> says, Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil thee.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:12<\/span>. It is not merely hearing instruction but applying ones heart to what is being said that really adds learning and knowledge to one. The Bible does not favor a person going his way and finding out everything for himself; it emphasizes instruction and urges each one to learn all he can from the instruction of others.<\/p>\n TEST QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n Why should one not eat too much when dining with a ruler (Pro. 23:1-3<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n Where else in the Bible is kings food referred to as dainties (Pro. 23:3<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n Tell of the weariness of the rich (Pro. 23:4<\/span>).<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n Cite another warning from the Bible about aspiring to be rich (Pro. 23:4<\/span>).<\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n Why are riches spoken of as that which is not (Pro. 23:5<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n Pro. 23:6<\/span> parallels what previous verse in this chapter?<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n How does Pro. 23:7<\/span> explain an expression in Pro. 23:3<\/span>?<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n What was the end of those sweet morsels (Pro. 23:8<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n What statement of Jesus teaches the same thing as Pro. 23:9<\/span>?<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n What did a landmark often consist of (Pro. 23:10<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 11.<\/p>\n Whom will one encounter who would take financial advantage of the orphaned (Pro. 23:11<\/span>)?<\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n What two things are to be applied in getting knowledge (Pro. 23:12<\/span>)?<\/p>\n XXIII.<\/strong><\/p>\n (1) Consider diligently what is before thee,<\/strong>Rather, Who is before thee; <\/em>that thy host is not an equal, but one who, if offended, might do thee deadly harm.<\/p>\n 1-3<\/strong>. <\/strong> When thou sittest to eat with a ruler <\/strong> The first three verses of this chapter are closely connected, and pertain to one and the same topic.<\/p>\n What <\/strong> Some render Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
TEXT<\/strong> Pro. 23:1-12<\/span><\/p>\n
Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.<\/p>\n
But his heart is not with thee.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n