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As we continue looking at this section within the Proverbs where 30 wise sayings are laid out, Proverbs 23 will take us from wise saying 6 -18.
Wise saying six, 23:1-3: Beware the deceptiveness of riches.
Wise saying seven, 23:4-5: Don’t waste your life laboring for things that won’t last.
Wise saying eight, 23:6-8: Beware of doing business with a cheapskate.
Wise saying nine 23:9: Don’t waste your breath on a fool.
Wise saying ten, 23:10-11: Reminds that the Lord will redeem the weak incapable of defending themselves. Therefore we are to align our ways with wisdom.
Wise saying eleven, 23:12: Determine to stay hot on wisdom’s trail.
Wise saying twelve, 23:13-14: Encourages the corrective wise disciplining of our children. This is not an excuse to discipline at a whim or unwisely, but instead is for us to seek the fruit of wisdom in our children.
Wise saying thirteen, 23:15-16: Demonstrates the path a father should encourage his children to walk – a pathway of wisdom. Notice the emphasis given to the mouth.
Wise saying fourteen, 23:17-18: While we might be tempted to envy sinners, wisdom reminds us of their future of doom. Hope rests in fearing the Lord.
Wise saying fifteen, 23:19-21: Shows the pathway wisdom calls us to walk. Direct your heart in this way…
Wise saying sixteen, 23:22-25: Honor your parents by pursuing wisdom.
Wise saying seventeen, 23:26-28: A prostitute is a deep pit into which joy falls into and is never seen again.
Wise saying eighteen, 23:29-35: A wise warning against alcohol and drunkenness. Those who ask is it right to drink should consider the Proverbs and ask a different question. The Proverbs, again and again, warn about the dangers of beverage alcohol. Ask not, is it right to drink? Ask instead, is it wise to drink? The Proverbs are clear, drinking is a road marker on the pathway of folly. Wisdom calls us to avoid it.