A Word to the Wise (Proverbs 22:17–24:34)

Wisdom doesn’t aim to make us clever; it aims to make us whole. Journeying through Proverbs 22–24, we unpack the “words of the wise” and show how ancient guardrails still protect modern lives. From boundary stones to bank accounts, from influence to appetite, these sayings meet us in ordinary choices and ask bigger questions: What lines will you honor? Who gets your compassion? What future are you actually building?

We start with the surprising power of a stone on a field’s edge and trace how integrity shows up in contracts, credit, and care for the vulnerable. God’s special concern for the fatherless and widow isn’t a footnote—it’s a moral north star. Then we turn to money’s magnetism. Hard work is good; heart-work is better. When effort slides into obsession, wealth grows wings and flies away, leaving us tired and thin. We compare short-term shine with long-term hope and offer practical ways to reset ambition without losing excellence.

Finally, we face two appetites that rarely come with warning labels: food and drink. The counsel is direct—draw hard lines with gluttony and stop admiring what makes you stumble. The sparkle in the cup becomes a sting, and self-control proves wiser than self-justification. Along the way, we contrast the soft seats of the wicked with the hard benches of the faithful and explain why the view changes when you look farther down the road. If you’ve felt pulled by envy, pressured by wealth, or dulled by habit, this conversation offers honest direction and durable hope.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Enter The Words Of The Wise
• 3:47 Why Proverbs Transform, Not Inform
• 4:22 Respecting Boundaries And Property
• 5:10 God’s Care For The Vulnerable
• 5:39 Wealth’s Pursuit And Its Limits
• 7:02 Don’t Envy The Wicked
• 8:02 Self-Control With Food And Drink
• 11:02 The Peril Of Strong Drink
• 12:22 Lasting Warnings And Final Blessing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:16

Well, our wisdom journey through the book of Proverbs brings us today to the middle of chapter 22 and the beginning of a new section that's referred to here in verse 17 as the words of the wise. In fact, these are not only words of the wise, they're also a word to the wise. A word to the wise is an expression we use today when we give advice to people who are willing to listen. Well, down here in verse 20, we're told that this section contains 30 sayings of counsel and knowledge. Now, this section is going to take us all the way through chapter 24 and verse 22, where even more sayings of the wise are added to the closing verses of chapter 24. These proverbs were written by other people, but they were collected by Solomon. It was his passion to collect these proverbs. You know, some people are passionate about collecting stamps or coins. People have been known to collect pencils, uh. And a man who had collected more than a thousand toothbrushes. I couldn't help but think he has no excuse for getting a cavity. There are a lot of collections out there. Now, those collections might keep your hands clean and your teeth white, but they can't give you a wise heart. Well, this collection of Proverbs will. Solomon writes here in verse 17, incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge. Now Solomon makes a promise here in verse 18. For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That Hebrew phrase literally reads, If you keep them in your belly and fix them on your lips. Now, these words to the wise don't just inform us, they actually transform us. They weren't given to make us smarter, they were given to make us wiser. Now down here in verse twenty eight of Proverbs chapter twenty two, we have this warning do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. In other words, don't move a boundary marker. Back in the ancient days, people marked the edges of their property with stones from their fields. Apparently, it was common for people to sneak over somewhere and move those stones, perhaps just a little at a time over a long period. Well, this amounts to stealing somebody's property. It was forbidden in the law back in Deuteronomy chapter 27. So God is essentially defending private ownership, the right to own personal private property. Now, over here in chapter 23, we're given a warning in verse 10 about stealing property from the fatherless. God considers taking advantage of such vulnerable people a very serious crime. Other scriptures emphasize protecting people like widows and orphans as well as those without fathers. This would include children growing up with a single mom. Let me tell you, they happen to be a special concern to God. They're vulnerable, and the followers of God ought to pay special attention to their needs. Well, now here in Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 4, we encounter somewhat of a puzzling proverb that reads, Do not toil to acquire wealth. Be discerning enough to desist. Well, at first glance this sort of contradicts other proverbs that encourage hard work and obtaining wealth, which is not sinful. Solomon wrote back in chapter twelve and verse twenty seven, the diligent man will get precious wealth. Well, this isn't a contradiction of that at all. It's one thing to work hard and receive a paycheck. It's another thing, however, to center your life on that paycheck. The pursuit of wealth, wearing yourself out to climb that ladder just one more rung, so to speak. Proverbs 23 and verse 4 here is talking about that kind of pursuit. Focusing on getting rich, by the way, empties your life of fulfillment, and that's because you're never going to be rich enough. In fact, Solomon writes here in verse 5 that your wealth is going to sprout wings and fly away one day. It'll soon be gone. I've heard it said that you've never seen a hearse pulling a Uhaul. We leave it all behind. Now Proverbs chapter twenty four opens here in verse one by recording Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them. Well, in practical terms, don't make them your best friends. Don't hang around their locker. Don't hang around the corner where they're standing. Don't give them an opportunity to influence your life. Well, why not? Well, verse nineteen spells it out. Be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future. Now it might look like they've got a future, but you just need to look a little farther down the road. They might have the nicest seats with the softest cushions, but just look a little further. They're sitting on the deck of the Titanic. They have no future, hope, or joy. But here's the contrast for the believer. Back in chapter twenty-three and verse eighteen, Solomon writes Surely there is for you a future, and your hope will not be cut off. You know you might have a hard bench to sit on today, no cushion, and you might have a lousy view. But just look a little farther where you're heading, to the promised land of pure and wholesome pleasures forevermore. Now we're given some warnings here about overeating and alcoholic beverages. You might not like this particular section, but these are still words to the wise. So with an open heart, let's read here at chapter twenty-three and verse two. Put a knife to your throat if you're given to an appetite. That's a pretty strong way of saying stop overeating, don't get that dessert. Well, of course, many people in the world today don't have enough to eat, but there are others of us, I would say, who can't seem to get enough to eat. In fact, we're often not even hungry, but we're eating. Well, wisdom invites us to take self-control seriously in this matter as well. Now, here in the last seven verses of chapter 23, the Bible describes for us the danger of alcohol. The writer asks here, who has woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, wounds, who has bloodshot eyes? Well, the answer is given here, those who tarry long over wine. And you might say, well, then okay, I'm just not going to tarry very long over wine. But verse 31 goes on to warn this do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. See, this is a reference to strong drink. And frankly, this is the kind of drink that you might be buying at the grocery store today. You see, the wine of today is equal to the strong drink that is forbidden here. Why? Verse 32 describes its dangerous power. In the end, it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. You put this another way, he's saying you can't see straight, you can't walk straight, and you can't think straight. Frankly, this isn't a very pretty picture, is it? This kind of picture isn't going to end up, by the way, on a beer commercial or a wine commercial on television where it's all happiness and it's all smiles and good times. But here's the reality in verse 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. In other words, you're staggering all around. Now, why all the warnings here about drunkenness and gluttony? Well, we need to recognize the problems associated with them. Alcohol has ruined more lives, it's taken more lives than anything else sold over the counter. And uh, unless it comes from our doctor who tells us about the complications and risks to our health that might very well take place in our lives, we're rarely given a warning about gluttony. Has it ever occurred to you that Solomon puts gluttony and alcohol in the same category of warning? Well, that's because they're both equally dangerous. And they're both legal in a sense. And both of them can ruin our lives. So 3,000 years ago, Solomon is collecting some warnings. They're just as important, just as applicable today as they were back then. Oh, so many heartaches could be avoided if we would just listen to these words to the wise and follow them today. Let's not see how close we can get to the line. Let's take these warnings seriously. I, for one, I'm gonna tell you, I'm not keeping a snake in my cupboard. And I'm gonna battle gluttony as a dangerous trap as well. Well, with that, we're out of time. Until our next wisdom journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.