” Wicked rulers cause great trouble to their people when they are in power. We spoke earlier how the ungodly rulers will be overthrown by their people. As we said in
Proverbs 28:12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.
The righteous shall rise and take their place
Dwelling on the honors you deserve can only be harmful. It can make you bitter, discouraged, or angry, and it will not bring the rewards that you think should be yours. Obsessed for what you should have received may make you miss the satisfaction of knowing you did your best.
We know sluggard means lazy. In this case, a person who is so lazy that he will not take care of his own garden; A person who has never gone to the trouble to accumulate any learning on how to take care of his vineyard.
He is so lazy that he has lain in the bed resting and let the whole place grow up with thorns and bushes; He has even let the fence get run down and now wild animals could come in and destroy the crops, that is, if he wasn’t too lazy to put a crop in.
This year it looks like there will be no crop. The owner is too lazy to farm or run the vineyard.
After looking over the situation, there was no question but to fully understand that the owner of this land was in plenty of trouble.
The old saying, “no work, no eat” applies here. We see a person who is a sleepyhead. They lay up in the bed and sleep the day away. Even when they are awake, they spend time idly. A person like this cannot ever quite get around to working; even though there is plenty to do everywhere he looks.
A person on a farm need not hunger. You can grow a crop. This poverty coming is a sure thing when a person is too lazy to work.
An armed man robs because he wants what belongs to others. This person, who will not work, also wants what someone else has worked to produce. This is a very bad thing. It not only brings physical poverty, but spiritual poverty as well, and destroys ones’ self-respect.
The Bible teaches, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is not our job to get even with him.
Let God fight our battles with him. We read in
2 Chronicles 32:8 “With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles,” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.
You see, the Lord fights our battles for us; we do not need to fight them ourselves. Revenge is the way the world operates, but it is not God’s way.
Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruised? Who has bloodshot eyes?
A question drives home a lesson. This is what we see here. The teacher is asking these questions to get you to thinking seriously about what really does cause all of this; and then from verse 30 through 35, the teacher gives us the answer.
Proverbs 23:30-31 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
This describes wine when it is especially desirable and when it is most intoxicating, perhaps as “strong drink” or mixed with spices only and not water, as opposed to the “new wine”, which was fresh and unfermented or less fermented.
Proverbs 23:32 In the end it bits like a snake and poisons like a viper.
This recounts the hangover, but also the more than likely destructive consequences.
Proverbs 23:33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.
The delirium and distortion of reality are part of the drunkard’s miserable experience.
Proverbs 23:34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.
Here is the warning about the dizziness, sickness and confusion of the drunkard, like being seasick at the top of the mast, the most agitated point on a ship in strong seas.
Proverbs 23:35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?
The drunkard’s lack of sense is so severe that his first waking thought is to repeat his debauchery and dangerous sin.
These last six verses are talking about people who drink too much.
Alcoholism, drunkenness, and drugs are a real problem today. The hangover from alcohol is like the serpent’s bite the next day. The drunk cannot remember the terrible things he did under the influence of alcohol.
One of the worst things now is driving while drunk. When the driver of a car is under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the car becomes a deadly weapon.
Drugs can cause a hangover that lasts for literally years. Drug flashbacks can be devastating.
We see above that even though the person who was drunk was beaten severely, he wasn’t even aware of it at the time, because he was unconscious and didn’t notice. That part of his life is a blank. He can’t remember. He doesn’t even know who he was with, so he doesn’t know who beat him. This should surely convince you to leave drugs and alcohol alone.
Proverbs 23:29-35 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me, “you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I do not feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
The soothing comfort of alcohol is only temporary. Real relief comes from dealing with the cause of the anguish and sorrow and turning to God for peace. Do not lose yourself in alcohol; find yourself in God.
Be alerted to the dangers of wine (drinking) It dulls the senses, it limits clear judgment, it lowers the capacity for control, and it destroys a person’s efficiency. To make wine an end result in itself, a means of self-indulgence, or as an escape from life is to misuse it and invite the consequences of the drunkard.
We see, in the first part of this, a man who puts out tremendous work in his business. He puts every skill he has to the task. He works long hours and many days to make his business prosper.
Most young people today will not put out the effort that it takes to make a business a real success. They spend too much of their time doing other things and neglect their business. For the king to take notice of your business it must be very successful and the business community has to have great respect for your ability and dedication to duty.
He will not be foreclosed upon or taken to court, because his dealings will be fair and upright. No mean men will judge him
This again, is warning that it is wise to be slow, and the trouble you can get into by going on another’s note. You can lose what you have worked hard to get, because the other fellow does not pay his debts. You can even lose the bed you sleep on to make someone else’s note good.
When you sign another’s note, it is you taking on his debt; because if he does not pay it, you will have to. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
This proverb refers to preparing for battle. All our preparation for any task is useless without God. But even with God’s help we still must do our part and prepare. His control of the outcome does not negate our responsibilities. God may want you to produce a great book, but you must learn to write. God may want to use you in foreign missions, but you must learn the language. God will accomplish his purposes, and he will be able to use you if you have done your part by being well prepared.
This Scripture is closely related to (verse 28). This to me, is speaking of those who scorn judgment here will face the Judge of the entire world. The word “prepared” here, to me, indicates that this will happen in the future.
(In Proverbs 10:13b), we were told that “a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding”. Meaning this is a reference to corporal punishment applied to the backside and recommends it as the most effective way of dealing with children and fools.
Fools many times, break laws and are punished for their law breaking. I believe fools will face the eternal Judge and pay for their evil deeds. The only way to avoid that punishment would be for the fool to become wise and accept Jesus as his Savior. Proverbs 19 Continued Quest
Under Gods command 