4 Lessons
[Proverbs 23:9-14]
Do you think there are people among us Christians who view faith as a means of gaining benefits? I believe there are. I found the basis for this in 1 Timothy 6:5: "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." In the Contemporary Bible version, it says, "There will be no end to the quarrels of those who think of faith as a means of gain," and in reality, one of the reasons why quarrels in the church never cease is because there are people who think of faith as a means of personal gain. So, the question we can ask here is: Why are there people in the church who think of faith as a means of gain? The reason is that their hearts have become corrupt, and they have lost the truth (v. 5). As a result, their hearts are proud, they enjoy debates and arguments (disputes), and they engage in jealousy, strife, slander, and evil thoughts (unhealthy suspicions) (v. 4). Now, why have their hearts become corrupt and lost the truth? The cause is that they "do not follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrines of godliness" (v. 3). Therefore, we must diligently learn God's Word and teachings about godliness and live according to them.
Today, I want to reflect on the 4 lessons that the writer of Proverbs gives us in Proverbs 23:9-14. I hope that we can humbly accept and faithfully practice these 4 lessons.
The first lesson is: Do not speak in the ears of a fool.
Look at Proverbs 23:9: "Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words." As we meditate on Proverbs, we have received many lessons about the "fool." Here are a few examples: A fool speaks carelessly (10:8). In particular, he speaks harshly in anger (15:1), which wounds the heart of the listener (18:8). Even so, the fool does not realize how much harm he causes with the words he speaks in anger. And when he is angry, he only thinks of himself and has no concern about the harm he is causing the other person. Therefore, the fool’s mouth stirs up strife (18:6). Moreover, his mouth invites punishment. That is, the fool’s mouth brings destruction upon himself (6-7). Especially, the fool lies (19:5). A fool acts hastily and recklessly, without knowledge (2). The fool also blames God after committing wrongs (3). The fool seeks unjust gain (10:2) and is lazy (4). The fool knows his fault but does not correct it, continuing to act foolishly (14:24). As a result, the fool will suffer pain in his heart (10). Furthermore, the fool has a closed mind, meaning he is a selfish person who knows only himself. Yet, his mouth is open to express only his own will (18:2).
In today’s text, Proverbs 23:9, the writer gives us a lesson: Do not speak in the ears of a fool. Why? Because the fool will despise your wise words. Dr. Park Yoon-sun explains in Hebrew that the words "fool" and "simpleton" are different. The word "simpleton" refers to someone whose heart is open and immature, susceptible to following any teaching, while "fool" refers to someone whose heart has become hardened and prideful due to evil and dark thoughts (Park Yoon-sun). So, the fool, who takes sin lightly (14:9), does not want to listen to anyone’s rebuke (1:25). Brothers and sisters, what can you say to someone whose heart has been hardened by sin and pride? No matter how wise your words are, he will not listen to you, and he will despise your words. Why? Because his heart is proud. He will look down on you with contempt. And why does he do this? Because the fool hates wisdom. In Proverbs 1:22, it says: "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge." Therefore, Proverbs 9:8 says: "Do not reprove a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." We should not rebuke a fool or a proud person because he will hate us. Instead, we should rebuke the wise, for they will love us.
Second Lesson: Do Not Trespass on the Fields of Orphans
Look at Proverbs 23:10 in today’s text: "Do not move the ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless." The phrase "do not move the ancient boundary stone" refers to what we already meditated on in Proverbs 22:28: "Do not move the ancient boundary stone that your ancestors have set." In Deuteronomy 19:14, the Bible says, "Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone, which the ancestors have set," indicating that we should respect the boundaries set by our forefathers. In other words, do not infringe upon the possessions of others (Park Yoon-sun). The reason is that anyone who trespasses on the possessions of others will be cursed by God (Deut. 27:17).
Dr. Park Yoon-sun gives a broader interpretation of this and says it also means that one should not invade the land of another nation. Why should we not invade another nation's territory? The reason is that God has apportioned the territories of nations (Deut. 32:8, 17:26). A nation should not invade another nation's territory because we are supposed to respect the possessions of others as a principle.
Moreover, especially in the latter part of Proverbs 23:10, the Bible says, "Do not trespass on the fields of the fatherless." This means we should respect the property of orphans and not encroach upon their land. Why is this so important? The reason is that God is the "Father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5) and He loves orphans, so He has set boundaries for their inheritance. God has established boundaries not only for orphans but also for widows (Prov. 15:25).
However, when we look at the Old Testament, especially during the time of the prophet Isaiah, we see that there were some among the people of Israel who did not love the orphans God loved, but instead oppressed them. How can we know this? We can see it in Isaiah 1:23 and 10:2: "Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them" (1:23); "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless" (10:2).
Can you imagine this? A judge who loves bribes not only fails to defend the fatherless but also makes unjust judgments? Can you imagine someone depriving orphans of their rights and even robbing them? How much land do orphans own that would justify such robbery? Psalm 94:6 even tells us that they go so far as to kill the widow and the orphan.
But these people are ignorant of one thing, and that is the truth in Proverbs 23:11: "For their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you." Here, the word "Redeemer" is translated as "Defender" in English. A Redeemer is someone who has the responsibility to meet the needs of those who cannot defend themselves (Walvoord). So, who is the "Redeemer" mentioned by the writer of Proverbs? It is God Himself. God is the Redeemer of orphans. In Psalm 68:5, the Bible says, "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling." Therefore, God acts justly for the sake of orphans (Deut. 10:18). When the lonely orphans trust in the Lord, He helps them (Psalm 10:14). The Lord commands us not to oppress or harm widows and orphans (Jer. 7:6, 22:3), but rather to help them (Deut. 14:29, 24:19-21, 26:12). This is what is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God the Father (James 1:27).
Third Lesson: Listen to the Word of God.
Proverbs 23:12, the key verse in today’s passage, says:
“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge.” Here, “instruction” and “words of knowledge” refer to the word of God (Park Yoon-sun). The writer of Proverbs is urging us to apply our hearts to God’s word and listen attentively to it. But what does it mean to apply your heart to God’s word? It means we must attach our hearts to God’s word. The hearts of God’s devoted children are committed to His word, and so they keep it close throughout their lives, meditating on it day and night. They read the Bible throughout their lives, keeping it beside them (Deuteronomy 17:19). They also dedicate themselves to obeying all the words and commandments in the Bible (v. 19). As a result, they learn to fear God, and their hearts are not proud over their brothers. They do not stray from God’s commandments or turn to sin (v. 20). In this way, we must also attach our hearts to God’s word and listen to it carefully. When we listen to God’s word, we should do so with a heart of obedience. Why? I found the reason in Psalm 116:1-2: “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” We listen to God’s word because He listens to our petitions. Specifically, the psalmist confesses his love for God because God listens to his voice and prayers. In the same way, we also confess that we love God because He listens to our prayers.
So, what does the one who loves God do? Let’s look at John 14:21: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Those who love God keep His commandments. Therefore, those believers who confess that they love God because He listens to our prayers also obey His commandments. If we love God, we will listen to His word with a heart that desires to obey.
The fourth lesson is to discipline your children.
Let’s look at Proverbs 23:13 in today’s passage: "Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die." In raising their beloved children, the Bible in Proverbs 23:13 tells parents, "Do not withhold correction from a child." However, it seems that many parents today are hesitant to discipline their children. In other words, many parents, thinking they are showing love, refuse to discipline their disobedient children. But is this truly what God considers loving our children? Let’s look at Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” The Bible teaches that parents who truly love their children discipline them faithfully. Of course, here “discipline” refers to using the rod. Why does the Bible instruct parents to discipline their disobedient children with a rod or a whip? Let’s look at Proverbs 22:15: “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.” We must discipline our children because it can drive away the foolishness in their hearts. Let’s look at Proverbs 29:15: “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Another reason for disciplining our children is to give them wisdom. Let’s look at Proverbs 29:17: “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul.” The reason we must discipline our children is so that they will bring peace and joy to our hearts.
In Proverbs 23:14, the Bible gives yet another reason for disciplining our children: “You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” The reason we discipline our children, as parents, is that we love them, and even through discipline, we seek to rescue them from the path of death (Walvoord). We also seek to lead them to the path of life (10:17).
The Bible in Hebrews 12:6-8 speaks about the discipline of our Heavenly Father: “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” God, our Father, disciplines us because we are His children. When we disobey Him and do not repent of our sins, He disciplines us. But He disciplines us “for our profit” (v. 10). “For our profit” means that God disciplines us so that we can partake in His holiness (v. 10). Also, through His discipline, He causes us to bear the “fruit of righteousness and peace” (v. 11). Therefore, the Bible says: “... My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him” (v. 5).
To conclude our reflection on the word, today we have received four lessons from the main passage: do not speak to the ears of a fool, do not invade the fields of the orphans, listen attentively to God’s word, and discipline your children. May we all be committed to practicing these lessons in our lives.