Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Proverbs
Book: Proverbs
Chapter: 23
Overview:
1-3 God's restraints of the appetite only say, Do thyself
No
harm. 4,5. Be not of those that will be rich. The things of
this world are not happiness and a portion for a soul; those
that
Hold them ever
So Fast, cannot
Hold them always, cannot
Hold them long. 6-8. Do not make thyself burdensome to any,
especially those not sincere. When we are called
By God to his
Feast, and to let our souls delight themselves, Isa 25:6;
55:2, we may safely partake of the
Bread of
Life. 9. It is
our duty to take all fit occasions to speak of Divine things;
but if what a
Wise Man says will not be heard, let him
Hold his
peace. 10,11. The fatherless are taken under
God's special
protection. He is their
Redeemer, who will take their part; and
he is mighty, almighty.
12-16 Here is a parent instructing his
Child to give his mind
to the Scriptures. Here is a parent correcting his
Child:
accompanied with
Prayer, and blessed of
God, it may prove a
means of preventing his
Destruction. Here is a parent
encouraging his
Child, telling him what would be for his good.
And what a comfort it would be, if herein he answered his
expectation! 17,18. The believer's expectation shall not be
disappointed; the
End of his trials, and of the sinner's
prosperity, is at
Hand.
19-28 The gracious
Saviour who purchased
Pardon and peace for
his people, with all the
Affection of a tender parent, counsels
us to hear and be
Wise, and is ready to guide our hearts in his
way. Here we have an
Earnest Call to young people, to attend to
the advice of their godly parents. If the
Heart be guided, the
steps will be guided. Buy the
Truth, and sell it not; be willing
to part with any thing for it. Do not part with it for
pleasures, honours, riches, or any thing in this world. The
Heart is what the great
God requires. We must not think to
divide the
Heart between
God and the world; he will have all or
none. Look to the rule of
God's
Word, the conduct of his
Providence, and the good examples of his people. Particular
cautions are given against sins most destructive to
Wisdom and
Grace in the soul. It is really a shame to make a
God of the
Belly. Drunkenness stupefies men, and then all goes to ruin.
Licentiousness takes away the
Heart that should be given to
God.
Take heed of any approaches toward this
Sin, it is very hard to
retreat from it. It bewitches men to their ruin.
29-35 Solomon warns against drunkenness. Those that would be
kept from
Sin, must keep from all the beginnings of it, and fear
coming within reach of its allurements. Foresee the
Punishment,
what it will at last
End in, if
Repentance prevent not. It makes
men quarrel. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for
themselves. It makes men impure and insolent. The tongue grows
unruly; the
Heart utters things contrary to reason, religion,
and common civility. It stupefies and besots men. They are in
danger of
Death, of
Damnation; as much exposed as if they slept
upon the top of a mast, yet feel secure. They fear
No peril when
the terrors of the
Lord are before them; they feel
No pain when
the
Judgments of God are actually upon them.
So lost is a
drunkard to virtue and honour,
So wretchedly is his
Conscience
seared, that he is not ashamed to say, I will seek it again.
With good reason we were bid to stop before the beginning. Who
that has common sense would contract a habit, or sell himself to
a
Sin, which tends to such guilt and misery, and exposes a
Man
every
Day to the danger of dying insensible, and awaking in
Hell?
Wisdom seems in these chapters to take up the discourse as
at the beginning of the
Book. They must be considered as the
words of
Christ to the sinner.