Proverbs 20

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Proverbs Chapter 20

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Solomon, Agur, and Lemuel

Date Penned: (970-931 BC)

Overview: Wisdom to Teach People to Live Godly (c 1-31)

Theme: Wisdom for All People (c 10-24)

Message: Applied Wisdom (v 1-30)

Proverbs 20 Commentary

(20:3) Foolish People - A person who is truly confident of his or her strength does not need to parade it. A truly brave person does not look for chances to prove it. A resourceful woman can find a way out of a fight. A man of endurance will avoid retaliating. Foolish people, however, find it almost impossible to avoid strife. Men and women of character can. What kind of person are you?

(20:4) Being Responsible - You've heard similar warnings: If you don't study, you'll fail the test; if you don't save, you won't have money when you need it. God wants us to anticipate future needs and prepare for them. We can't expect him to come to our rescue when we cause our own problems through a lack of planning and action. He provides for us, but he also expects us to be responsible

(20:9) Being Forgiven - No one is without sin. As soon as we confess our sin and repent, sinful thoughts and actions begin to creep back into our minds and hearts. We all need ongoing cleansing, moment by moment. Thank God for providing forgiveness by his mercy when we ask for it. Make confession and repentance a regular part of your talks with God. Rely on him moment by moment for the cleansing you need.

(20:23) Divers Weights - "Divers weights" refers to the wrongly labeled weights a merchant might use in weighing out a customer's order in an effort to cheat them. Dishonesty is a difficult sin to avoid because it appeals to one of the strongest of temptations--greed. It is easy to get away with cheating when no one else is looking. But dishonesty affects the very core of a person. It makes that person untrustworthy and untrusting, regardless of whether they get caught. Take dishonesty seriously. Even the smallest act of dishonesty contains enough of the poison of deceit to kill your spiritual life. If you have any dishonesty in your life, tell God about it now.

(20:24) Do Not Worry - We are often confused by the events around us. Some things we will never understand; others will fall into place in years to come as we look back and see how God has been working. This proverb counsels us not to worry when we don't understand everything as it happens. Instead, we should trust that God knows what he's doing, even if his timing or design is not clear to us. (See Psalm 3723 for a reassuring promise of God's direction in your life.)

(20:25) Making Vows - This proverb points out the danger of making a vow impulsively and then reconsidering it. God takes vows seriously and requires that they be carried out (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). We often have good intentions when making a vow because we want to show God that we are determined to please him. Jesus, however, says we would be better off not making promises to him because he knows how difficult they are to keep (Matthew 5:33-37). If you still feel you must make a vow, be aware of the consequences of breaking it. (In Judges 11, Jephthah made a rash promise to sacrifice the first thing he saw on his return home. As it happened, he saw his daughter first.) It is better not to make promises than to make them and then later refuse to follow through

Dave Burnette's Life Application

Wine is a Mocker

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue with the Book of Proverbs with Chapter 20. In our text today, we continue in Wisdom with many practical applications, from being balanced to being diligent. What catches my eye is verse 1, which explains the sin of recreational drinking alcohol. In making an application, we see that God gave us alcohol as medicine as other drugs. Still, those who misuse this item are not wise and are deceived. Today, we are bombarded with beer and alcohol commercials, with the world saying it is o.k. to drink alcohol recreationally. Still, the Bible is clear on the use of alcohol. Those who want to justify alcohol bring up how Jesus turned water into wine. Still, it was a "fruit of the vine" or a fresh grape juice, not a fermented alcoholic beverage. Today's verse gives us more insight into this deception. How about you? Do you believe that the recreational drinking of alcohol is o.k.? Let us learn from our text today to shed light on this issue that has many deceived.

Proverbs 20

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Proverbs 20

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

²The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

³It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

⁴The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

⁵Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

⁶Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

⁷The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

⁸A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

¹⁰Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.

¹¹Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

¹²The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

¹³Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

¹⁴It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

¹⁵There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

¹⁶Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

¹⁷Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

¹⁸Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

¹⁹He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

²⁰Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

²¹An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

²²Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

²³Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.

²⁴Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

²⁵It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.

²⁶A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

²⁷The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

²⁸Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.

³⁰The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

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