Proverbs 23:22 – An important part of the Fifth Commandment, "Honor your father and mother," is not only to listen to them but to hear what they say, with the promise "that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you." (Deut. 5:16).
The term, "old," implies that this would also apply, when you became an adult.
Honor and respect of parents is like agape-love. They are unconditional. The Fifth Commandment is given without qualification. Just has we are to love others who may not be that lovable, we are to honor parents who may not be that honorable. In regards to abuse, you may need to be prudent and protective, but honor can be still be shown.
23:23 – It is interesting to note how this verse is placed between a verse about how we are to listen to our parents and about what happens, when we do. The truth of God’s word is a precious heritage for parents to pass on to their children.
23:24-25 – Parents want the best for their children both in this life and in eternity.
23:26 – Now, as to a change of subject, one very strategic area of life about which parents are very concerned is the pitfall of fornication.
23:27-28 – God is crystal clear in 1 Thes. 4:3 about fornication: "3For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from fornication; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."
In Proverb 6:20-7:27 extensive details are given about this very subject!! It is interesting to note how much more men are warned against fornication. The physical and medical consequences of fornication are greater for women than for men concerning STD’s and pregnancy. However, in a much more subtle and sinister way fornication has more severe consequences for men emotionally and spiritually, even to the extent of being destructive of one’s soul (see Prov. 6:32). God has "balanced out the ledger" more than most realize.
23:29 – An associated area of this is the pitfall of drunkenness.
Woe…uneasiness…quarreling…babbling…undeserved, inflicted bruises…bloodshot eyes
These six rhetorical questions have the simple answer: "Anyone who gets drunk."
23:30 – Beverage alcohol is alluring.
23:31 – Beverage alcohol is enticing – sparkling and smooth.
23:32 – Beverage alcohol is deadly
Isaiah 28:7-8, "But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean."
23:33 – Beverage alcohol weakens inhibitions, especially in the areas of fornication and vulgar speech. This is one of the most obvious and detrimental consequences of drinking. Even a small concentration of alcohol will cause a hampering of judgment about what one should not do.
Note these five stages: Hallucinations, Perverse/foul Speech, Dangerous Disorientation, Insensitivity to Pain, and Addiction.
23:34 – Beverage alcohol anesthetizes.
23:35 – Beverage alcohol is both numbing and addictive.
24:1 – Bad things can happen to good people, and good things can happen to bad people. Sometimes the latter may make us envious, but steer clear of such people.
The psalmist put it in Psalm 1:1, "Blessed is the man who walked not in the plans fo the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful."
Paul would later write in 1 Cor. 15:33, "Do not be deceived, ‘Bad company corrupts good [upright] ethics [or habits].’"
24:2 – On the surface, it may seem nice but in their hearts and on their lips their evil will become apparent.
24:3 – A home can be firmly founded in life by understanding the Word of God.
24:4 – The things that God knows and has placed in the Bible should be evident in every room of your home and family life. An nice application of this is having Bible verses on plaques and posters and picture around various rooms in your home for people to continually see every day, especially for children.
Questions to consider:
