Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20

New King James Version (NKJV)

1 Wine is a mocker,

Strong drink is a brawler,

And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

2 The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion;

Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.

3 It is honorable for a man to stop striving,

Since any fool can start a quarrel.

4 The lazy man will not plow because of winter;

He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,

But a man of understanding will draw it out.

6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness,

But who can find a faithful man?

7 The righteous man walks in his integrity;

His children are blessed after him.

8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment

Scatters all evil with his eyes.

9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,

I am pure from my sin”?

10 Diverse weights and diverse measures,

They are both alike, an abomination to the LORD.

11 Even a child is known by his deeds,

Whether what he does is pure and right.

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,

The LORD has made them both.

13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;

Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.

14“ It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer;

But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies,

But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

16 Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger,

And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.

17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,

But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

18 Plans are established by counsel;

By wise counsel wage war.

19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;

Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

20 Whoever curses his father or his mother,

His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.

21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning

Will not be blessed at the end.

22 Do not say, “I will recompense evil”;

Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD,

And dishonest scales are not good.

24 A man’s steps are of the LORD;

How then can a man understand his own way?

25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy,

And afterward to reconsider his vows.

26 A wise king sifts out the wicked,

And brings the threshing wheel over them.

27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,

Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

28 Mercy and truth preserve the king,

And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,

And the splendor of old men is their gray head.

30 Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,

As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.

My Thoughts:

1. So let’s start with (v. 1) we read “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
   1. Well I knew that we would have to address the issue of wine at some point. So I will talk about it briefly today and more as we go along. The question as I see it is; should Christians drink wine or any other alcoholic drink? My answer is no and here is why.
   2. As Christians are to like Jesus to be like Jesus we must live like Jesus did, and yes the Bible says that He made wine but what kind of wine? The reason I know that He did not make Alcohol is because wine as we know it is a product of sin. You see to make wine the grape must ferment and this fermentation can only happen because sin entered in to the world and it is through the breakdown of carbohydrates by microorganisms that this happens. So without sin there would be no wine. Ok so as we have established wine is a byproduct of sin and if that is the case then Christ would not have made it or allowed it to pass over His lips.
   3. One last statement on this today. Drinking wine is not a sin, but the issue is that most people cannot control their intake of it and when they drink too much, they open themselves up to things that are sinful. So, a wise men will shun all forms of liquor for the poison that they are.
2. In (v. 5) we read “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”
1. The fool is always ready to give counsel even when no one is looking for it, but the wise man will hold back and allow others to draw it out, as refreshing water is drawn from a deep well. The counsel which is deepest in the heart, like water from the deepest well, is often the best of all.
3. And we will finish today with (v.22) “Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; wait for the LORD, and He will save you.”
   1. There will be a Day of Judgment and on that day Christ will hand out to each what is owed to them, we must not try to carry out this recompense ourselves. Let to Lord do as He does and let go of all desire to pay pack someone for wrong doing, it will only bring you down with them.

Thought of the Day

“When we know what’s true we can discern what’s false”

Years ago, one of the largest gold dealers in the United States was caught in the act of claiming something that wasn’t true. A court-appointed attorney obtained an order to open the company’s vault to confirm a disputed claim that it contained $2 million worth of the precious metal. When the vault was opened, it appeared to hold a stack of gold bars. But a closer inspection revealed that it contained nothing more than 45 blocks of gold-painted wood. Many innocent investors lost a lot of money.

Our heavenly Father lovingly cautions us in His Word about people in this world who come up with deceptive ventures. The writer of Proverbs told us not to believe everything we hear when we buy or sell something (Prov. 20:14). He told us to seek knowledge, understanding, and good counsel in everything we do (v.18). And because we cannot begin to see as the Lord sees (v.24), we should pray for His wisdom in the decisions we must make. God sees through the lies of deception in a way that we never could. He can steer us clear of good-sounding bad values.

Sometimes we end up learning the hard way. But God cares enough to tell us the right way and to warn us to be careful. —Mart De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Many seek and strive for wisdom

But find folly in disguise;

All too few seek first God’s kingdom–

Only this can make them wise. –Anon.

Personal Reflection and Discussion

1. What do you think (v. 9) is saying?
2. What other things do you see in the text?

Prayer Activities

1. Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
2. Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
3. Pray with them and ask for the following;
   1. For God to give us the understanding of His word.
   2. For God to walk with us in all our relationships.
   3. For the individuals on your pray list.
4. Let’s use (John 14:3) for today’s prayer verse.