and save his soul from death.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad;
16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and keep your heart on the right path.
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy the truth and do not sell it;
get wisdom, discipline and understanding.
Questions to consider:
- Relate the “fear of the Lord” with (a) wisdom and (b) hope.
- To what extent do you “envy” evil? Why?
Have you ever had a moment when you’ve wished that you could “just do what everyone else was doing”? As a college student, I definitely remember there being moments when part of me wished that I didn’t have such particular standards or morals by which I was living my life. It seemed, in those moments, that things could have been so much easier if I would just “go with the flow.” The author here admonishes against such thoughts, and encourages the reader to be “zealous for the fear of the Lord.” Today, let’s ask for the ability and desire to seek diligently after God, and to not get caught up in the things of this world that may be tempting at first glance but ultimately not for our benefit.
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