Proverbs 23:24-35

24 The father of a righteous man has great joy; 

he who has a wise son delights in him.

25 May your father and mother be glad; 

may she who gave you birth rejoice!

26 My son, give me your heart 

and let your eyes keep to my ways,

27 for a prostitute is a deep pit 

and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

28 Like a bandit she lies in wait, 

and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? 

Who has strife? Who has complaints? 


Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine, 

who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, 

when it sparkles in the cup, 

when it goes down smoothly!

32 In the end it bites like a snake 

and poisons like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange sights 

and your mind imagine confusing things.

34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, 

lying on top of the rigging.

35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! 

They beat me, but I don't feel it! 

When will I wake up 

so I can find another drink?"

Questions to consider:

What do you take away from this passage as relevant to your life?
What things in your lives are like the red wine from verse 31?
How can you avoid those things?

Possibilities for prayer:

This passage strikes me as being about the more practical aspects of wisdom. We sometimes think of wisdom as a very grand idea that is more about understanding in a very broad and over-arching way, but this passage refers to the importance of using wisdom in making simple, even everyday decisions. Let’s take this day (or tomorrow if you’re reading this at night) to seek God’s wisdom as we go about our daily routines, making decisions that may seem small or mundane. You might be surprised at the results!