Verses 1-3
v1 When a ruler invites you for a meal, be careful!
Think, before you eat!
v2 If you might be greedy, then hold your knife near your neck!
v3 Do not allow the ruler’s good food to tempt you!
His food is like a lie.
Commentary
A ruler does not invite you so that you can taste his fine food. He invites you because he wants to discuss serious matters with you. You should not think much about his food or his wine. But you must think about your words. Your advice must be good. You need to speak wise words.
Solomon uses humour in verse 2. Normally you place your knife near your plate. But Solomon jokes that your knife should be near your neck. In your imagination, hold your knife there to warn you. Then you will remember that your life is short. You will remember not to be greedy. And you will remember to advise the ruler wisely.
Solomon continues his advice in verse 3. Be careful if an important person invites you to a special meal. He could want you to do something for him.
Nehemiah 2 explains this lesson. Nehemiah was the king’s servant. The king expected Nehemiah to be happy in the royal service. But Nehemiah had received sad news. So Nehemiah prayed to God. And he spoke carefully to the king. God answered Nehemiah’s prayer. And the king gave to Nehemiah the things that Nehemiah requested.
Verses 4-5
v4 Do not work hard to become rich!
Be wise, and stop!
v5 Do not even glance at money!
Like a bird that flies away, money can suddenly disappear.
Commentary
The Book of Proverbs encourages us to work hard. But some people work too hard, because they want to become wealthy. These people suffer because they use all their energy in their work. Their families suffer too. We ought to be sensible.
We can lose our money quickly. When we die, we cannot take our money with us (Luke 12:16-21; 1 Timothy 6:7). Many things matter more than money. Love is more important than money. Wisdom is more important than money. And God is more important than money or anything else.
Verses 6-9
v6 Do not eat a selfish man’s food!
Do not allow his good food to tempt you!
v7 His thoughts and attitude are always about himself.
He says, ‘Eat and drink!’ But he does not really want you to take any of his food.
v8 This man will make you feel ill.
When you speak with him, you waste your time.
Commentary
Some people pretend to be our friends. But they do not care about us. They might say the right words. They might invite us to their homes. But they do not want to share their possessions with us. Instead, they want to keep their things for themselves. This is not a good attitude. We should not copy it.
The first Christians were very generous. They shared their possessions (Acts 4:32-37). They did this because they loved each other. We might not copy their actions today. But we should still be generous. We should still invite people to our homes. And we should be glad to share our food with our guests (Hebrews 13:2).
Verses 9-11
v9 Do not speak to a fool!
A fool will hate your wise words.
v10 Do not move an ancient fence!
Do not steal a field from a child that has no father.
v11 God will defend that child.
God will oppose you, on behalf of that child.
Commentary
Solomon uses the word ‘fool’ to describe an evil person. This person hates God. So this person hates wisdom. This person does not want wise advice, because that advice would tell him to stop his evil behavior. He will not obey your wise words. See Matthew 7:6.
As in Proverbs 22:28, Solomon reminds us that the boundaries in Israel mattered to God in a special way. But verses 10-11 are also about a child that has no father. Perhaps the child’s father died. Now the child has nobody who will protect the child’s property. Perhaps nobody cares about that child.
But God is like a father to that child. God will protect the child. God will not allow you to steal from that child. God defends the child who has no parents. See Psalm 10:14. God cares for children.
Jesus said, ‘Allow the little children to come to me!’ (Mark 10:14)
Verses 12-16
v12 Learn instructions! Listen to knowledge!
v13 Teach your child to do the right things!
A smack might save him from death.
v14 Smack him!
Save his spirit from death!
v15 My son, if you learn to be wise, then I shall be glad.
v16 I shall be glad when you speak the right words.
Commentary
Sometimes you need to punish a child with a smack. A smack will not kill your child. But a smack will teach him the right way to behave. And your child will learn how to live wisely. Your punishment now may save your child from a much worse punishment later in life. You could even save him from the evil behaviour that might cause his death.
Perhaps you do not need to hurt your child in order to teach that child. The law in some countries may not allow you to hit your child. But you must teach your child. And you must stop your child when that child’s behaviour is wrong. Then the child will learn to do the right things.
But you will be glad if your child learns to be wise. You will be especially glad if you had to punish your child. You must teach your child to be wise. You must teach the child to respect God. And if you do the right things, your child will copy your behaviour. And your child will also teach other people to be wise.
Verses 17-18
v17 When evil men seem to be successful, do not be jealous.
You should continue to trust God.
v18 In the end, your reward will be certain.
Your hope will not be in vain.
Commentary
Perhaps you are jealous because some evil people are wealthy. Or they are famous, or important (Psalm 73:3-5). But you must desire the right things. So do not be jealous when you see evil people. Instead, think about God. Remember that God loves you. Remember the things that God wants you to do. And God will reward you.
Verses 19-25
v19 Listen, my son! Be wise!
Desire the right things!
v20 Avoid the company of those who spend their time with too much food and drink.
v21 People that love food and wine become poor.
They become sleepy, so that they waste everything.
v22 Listen to your father! He gave your life to you.
Do not hate your mother when she is old!
v23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it at any price. Get wisdom also.
And get discipline and understanding.
v24 The father of a good man has great joy.
A wise son gives pleasure to his father.
v25 If you are wise, then your father and mother will be glad.
If you are wise, your mother will have great joy.
Commentary
The father warns his son. The son must not be greedy for food. And he must not be a drunk. This is because greedy people and drunks become lazy. They want only to eat and to drink. They do not want to work. Their expensive habits will waste all their money. This is how they become poor.
If the son loves his parents, then he should listen to them. He should obey their instructions. And he should learn to be wise. Then his parents will be glad. They will have great joy, because their son will be a wise man.
So, the son should choose the best things in life. He should not choose money or possessions. He should choose the truth. And he should choose wisdom, discipline and understanding. These qualities will cause the son to become a great man.
A wise son is better than a rich son. A wise son is better than a famous son. And a wise son is much better than a foolish son.
Verse 22 reminds us about God’s command in Exodus 20:12. Children should respect their parents.
In verse 23, we cannot buy and sell truth with money. But truth and wisdom cost much in effort to obtain. So do wisdom and understanding.
Verses 26-35
v26 My son, obey me with all your heart!
Copy the way that I live.
v27 A woman who sells sex is like a deep hole.
A married woman who tempts you is like a narrow well.
v28 Like a robber, this woman waits for you.
She causes men to do evil things.
v29 Some people are sad and they cry.
They argue and they complain.
Their eyes are red and their bodies have bruises.
v30 These things happened because wine tempted them.
They went to taste the wine.
v31 Do not look at wine!
Do not say, ‘It is pretty! It is red!’
Do not swallow it!
v32 In the end, wine will hurt you.
Wine is like a poisonous snake, which will bite you.
v33 The alcohol will confuse your brain.
Your eyes will see strange sights.
v34 You will shake like a man who sleeps at sea.
You will feel like a man who balances on a ship.
v35 You will say, ‘The people hit me, but they cannot hurt me.
They whip me, but I feel nothing.
I must awake, because I need more alcohol.’
Commentary
The son must be careful about sex. Some women sell sex. They are like a deep hole that a hunter uses as a trap for animals. And some married women tempt other men. They are like a narrow well that a man cannot escape from (Jeremiah 38:6-8).
Wells and holes are dangerous whether they are deep or narrow. And sex is dangerous, unless you are with your husband or wife. Sex can cause many troubles.
In verse 28, a robber waits to attack. The wrong woman is as dangerous as a robber. The son might suppose that the woman waits to greet him. Or he might suppose that she loves him. But she does not obey God’s law. And she will cause him, too, to do evil things.
The writer points out a group of people. They are sad. They argue. They cry. Perhaps we suppose that a terrible event has happened.
The writer tells us what is wrong. These people drank too much wine. Alcohol tempted them. This is terrible, he argues.
Wine may look attractive. But it causes many troubles. When a person begins to drink alcohol, that person sometimes cannot stop. This is an illness called ‘alcoholism’. If someone cannot control alcohol, that person needs help. That person should learn not to drink alcohol again. Doctors might help them. A group called ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ might help. And that person’s friends should explain the problems that alcohol causes. Alcohol causes many illnesses. Alcohol can cause death.
The writer tells us about a drunk’s strange experiences. If someone has an alcohol problem, that person should obtain help early. That person should not wait until they suffer these strange experiences.
The writer seems to know these experiences well. Perhaps the writer himself suffered this problem.
Drunks may see strange things. Some drunks imagine that they see snakes. A drunk might imagine that the snakes are attacking him.
Alcohol confuses a drinker. A drinker cannot think sensible thoughts. Often, he thinks that he needs to drink more alcohol. Really, he needs to stop.
When the drinker drinks too much alcohol, he feels like someone on a ship. The drinker cannot walk in a straight line. He might shake. He might fall. He might be sick.
Now the drinker hurts himself. But he might not feel the pain.
The next day, he might feel terrible pains. These pains are called a ‘hangover’. But the drunk does not learn from his error. He will make the same mistake again, many times.
This is because alcohol confuses the brain. The drunk does not realise that he must refuse alcohol. He thinks that he needs more alcohol. He supposes that alcohol will cure his problems. Really, alcohol causes all his problems.
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