Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 481 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Get the Truth and Never Sell It - Proverbs 23:17-35

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 481 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of Chapter 23.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Tomorrow in the United States we will be celebrating our Thanksgiving holiday. I would encourage you to pause and take the time to reflect with gratitude for all the blessings that you have experienced over this past year. Even if you happen to be in a difficult season of life, there is much to be thankful for.

With a heart of gratitude, let us break camp for today and head out on our trek to explore the nuggets of wisdom which are found in the second half of Proverbs 23. We are currently in the third section of Proverbs, which covers 30 sayings of the wise. We have explored thirteen so far, and today we will continue with five more. One of those sayings is…

Get the Truth and Never Sell It

Let’s start our trek with verse 17.

17 Don’t envy sinners,

but always continue to fear the Lord.

18 You will be rewarded for this;

your hope will not be disappointed.

It is so easy to look at others that seem to be prospering and desire what they have. Most often though, you only see one small aspect of their lives, and you don’t see all that they struggle with. Regardless of others, you need to make wise and prudent choices in life and continue to follow God’s precepts. When you do this, you will eventually see a harvest from your good and faithful planting. This harvest will give you hope, which will minimize your disappointments in life.

19 My child, listen and be wise:

Keep your heart on the right course.

20 Do not carouse with drunkards

or feast with gluttons,

21 for they are on their way to poverty,

and too much sleep clothes them in rags.

As Solomon instructs his children, you can learn much from his exhortation. You are to be wise by keeping your minds and hearts on that that which is helpful. That is to hike the good trails of life. If you allow yourself to be influenced by people with questionable morals and ethics, you will soon end up like them. Some of their unseemly traits are laziness, poverty, gluttony, and drunkenness.

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,

and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

23 Get the truth and never sell it;

also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.

24 The father of godly children has cause for joy.

What a pleasure to have children who are wise.[e]

25 So give your father and mother joy!

May she who gave you birth be happy.

There are few joys as great in life for parents to groom our children into mature, responsible adults. To do so, your life must represent what you desire your children to become. That means that your life will show truthfulness, integrity, wisdom, discipline and good judgment at all cost. It is then that you will be able to take pleasure that your children follow your wise example, and it will bring you much joy.

26 O my son, give me your heart.

May your eyes take delight in following my ways.

27 A prostitute is a dangerous trap;

a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.

28 She hides and waits like a robber,

eager to make more men unfaithful.

In this passage, Solomon once again visits a familiar subject for his son.