Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 23:19-35: Drunkenness, Gluttony, and Sloth

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King Solomon offers practical advice on self-discipline and avoiding excess. He begins by urging his son to listen and be wise, keeping his heart on the right path. He warns against excessive drinking and gluttony, noting that these lead to poverty and sloth. These proverbs focus on the importance of respecting parents, seeking truth, and maintaining discipline. Solomon concludes with vivid warnings against the dangers of drunkenness, describing its harmful effects and urging readers to avoid overindulgence in alcohol.

The Rev. Dan Eddy, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Beloit, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Proverbs 23:19-35.

Step into the spiritually rich landscape of the Book of Proverbs, a text divinely inspired and attributed to Solomon, the sage king endowed by God with unsurpassed wisdom. This ancient scripture begins with heartfelt lessons from a father to a son, laying a foundation of moral and ethical guidance before unfolding into a collection of timeless proverbs. It uniquely personifies wisdom and folly as two paths that stand before humanity, offering a choice between a life filled with virtue, fear of the Lord, and understanding, and one marred by shortsighted pleasures and foolishness. Proverbs serves as a compass for those seeking to walk in righteousness, offering insights that resonate deeply with the human experience, guiding us toward a life of purpose and discernment according to God’s will.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Proverbs 23:19-35

19 Hear, my son, and be wise,
and direct your heart in the way.
20 Be not among drunkards[a]
or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and slumber will clothe them with rags.

22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[b] my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteress[c] is a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.[d]
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[e] “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink.”

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Footnotes

Proverbs 23:20 Hebrew those who drink too much wine

Proverbs 23:26 Or delight in

Proverbs 23:27 Hebrew a foreign woman

Proverbs 23:34 Or of the rigging

Proverbs 23:35 Hebrew lacks you will say