9 Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.
Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, or put your jewels before pigs, for fear that they will be crushed under foot by the pigs whose attack will then be made against you.
The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him. Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
But they kept quiet and gave him no answer: for the king's order was, Give him no answer.
The Jews said to him, Now we are certain that you have an evil spirit. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead; and you say, If a man keeps my word he will never see death.
The man said in answer, Why, here is a strange thing! You have no knowledge where he comes from though he gave me the use of my eyes. We have knowledge that God does not give ear to sinners, but if any man is a worshipper of God and does his pleasure, to him God's ears are open. In all the years nobody has ever before seen the eyes of a man blind from birth made open. If this man did not come from God he would be unable to do anything. Their answer was: You came to birth through sin; do you make yourself our teacher? And they put him out of the Synagogue.
And a number of them said, He has an evil spirit and is out of his mind; why do you give ear to him?
But when the Jews saw such a great number of people, they were full of envy and said evil words against Paul's preaching. Then Paul and Barnabas without fear said, It was necessary for the word of God to be given to you first; but because you will have nothing to do with it, and have no desire for eternal life, it will now be offered to the Gentiles.
And some of those who were supporters of the theories of the Epicureans and the Stoics, had a meeting with him. And some said, What is this talker of foolish words saying? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange gods: because he was preaching of Jesus and his coming back from the dead.
Now on hearing about the coming back from death, some of them made sport of it, but others said, Let us go more fully into this another time.
And they went away, for there was a division among them after Paul had said this one thing: Well did the Holy Spirit say by the prophet Isaiah to your fathers, Go to this people and say, Though you give ear, you will not get knowledge; and seeing, you will see, but the sense will not be clear to you: For the heart of this people has become fat and their ears are slow in hearing and their eyes are shut; for fear that they might see with their eyes and give hearing with their ears and become wise in their hearts and be turned again to me, so that I might make them well. Be certain, then, that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will give hearing.
For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him. Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge: But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles; But to those of God's selection, Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.
We are made to seem foolish for Christ, but you are wise in Christ; we are feeble, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have shame. Even to this hour we are without food, drink, and clothing, we are given blows and have no certain resting-place; And with our hands we do the hardest work: when they give us curses we give blessings, when we undergo punishment we take it quietly; When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Proverbs 23
Commentary on Proverbs 23 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 23
Pro 23:1-3
The sin we are here warned against is luxury and sensuality, and the indulgence of the appetite in eating and drinking, a sin that most easily besets us.
Pro 23:4-5
As some are given to appetite (v. 2) so others to covetousness, and those Solomon here takes to task. Men cheat themselves as much by setting their hearts on money (though it seems most substantial) as by setting them on dainties. Observe,
Pro 23:6-8
Those that are voluptuous and given to appetite (v. 2) are glad to be where there is good cheer stirring, and those that are covetous and saving, that they may spare at home, will be glad to get a dinner at another man's table; and therefore both are here advised not to be forward to accept of every man's invitation, but especially not to thrust themselves in uninvited. Observe,
Pro 23:9
We are here directed not to cast pearls before swine (Mt. 7:6) and not to expose things sacred to the contempt and ridicule of profane scoffers. It is our duty to take all fit occasions to speak of divine things; but,
Pro 23:10-11
Note,
Pro 23:12-16
Here is,
Pro 23:17-18
Here is,
Pro 23:19-28
Here is good advice for parents to give to their children; words are put into their mouths, that they may train them up in the way they should go. Here we have,
Pro 23:29-35
Solomon here gives fair warning against the sin of drunkenness, to confirm what he had said, v. 20.