Chapter 23: Labor Not to be Rich
“Labour
not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” (Proverbs 23:4)
We should never focus on work as
only a means for us to become wealthy. If we become wealthy by our work, then
so be it, but it should not be our main focus.
“…as he
thinketh with his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7)
If a man lusts after sex, drugs or
alcohol then that is what the man is. This is similar to the idea of “you are
what you eat”, we are what we do in private and public.
“Speak
not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” (Proverbs
23:9)
Fools will not listen.
“Withold
not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall
not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from
hell.” (Proverbs 23:13-14)
Does this mean we should be
children? NO! But we shouldn’t be too easy going either… we need to put some
tough love into parenting.
“…despise
not thy mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22)
When our parents get old, we should
still respect them. We should always look out for them, as they have looked
after us.
Chapter 24: Listen to Counsel
In a
multitude of counselors there is safety. We need to learn to take advice from
others! A wise man is strong, and a man of understanding increases that
strength daily.
“Say
not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man
according to his work.” (Proverbs 24:29)
Here we
see that we are judged on our works and are not just saved by the grace of God
alone. We need to remember that if someone has wronged us we can not always get
revenge by doing the same thing to them. Let’s say someone cut off your arm,
would it make sense to cut off the arm of the offender? No. This is what the
scripture is talking about.
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