Proverbs 23

Young people often feel like they have heard it all before. A wise person is able to enjoy repeated instruction in the truth, gaining new insight from old words.

We already know about gluttony and drunkenness. And greed is not the way to go. We know too that God watches over the poor and that He will not stand to see the weak abused forever. We are aware that we need to raise our children with loving discipline, and that sin poisons others around us and is not merely an individual choice. And in case you have forgotten, pursuing pleasure with someone who sells her body to you is a very bad idea for lots of reasons.

These are all facts that bear repeating and considering. But we should also consider the bigger picture, and not just the specifics that happen to be mentioned here. Proverbs is not only a list of some important no-nos. The book also presents the big picture, the godly perspective on life that we need to embrace more deeply every day. It teaches us the fear of the Lord who loves His children. If we see Him, we will be helped with thousands of specifics that may not even be mentioned in the Bible.

Some foundational teaching for you: “Let not your heart envy sinners....” Here is very versatile word of wisdom for a heart that can receive it. Those who do not have the fear of the Lord have a very different way of thinking about life. If they do not believe in a coming judgment and the resurrection of the dead, if they do not embrace the fact that Jesus ascended into heaven and that when we die, we face Him who has gone to prepare a place for His children, they will imagine that this life is everything. Because of this fundamental error they will make many wrong and harmful choices. An adversary may make the way of instant gratification look like fun, but do not make the mistake of envying sinners.

Hear the rest of this proverb: “... but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.” If you want the strength that your Redeemer gives to His children who seek Him; strength to endure in the way of the cross that is His good calling for you in this life, then continue with the Lord all day long. “Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” This is the wisdom of the Beatitudes. There is a life beyond this life. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Christ, through His death and resurrection has secured a future and a hope for you that is worth hearing about again and again. Embrace that foundational lesson, and a thousand important examples of how to live a godly life and how to avoid dangerous folly will become increasingly pleasing to your soul.