Proverbs 20:1–7

Some say that yayin and shekar have a general sense that includes unfermented liquors. But our text shows the opposite. The book gives its caution about wine in a strong, pointed style. It drops no hint about a particular sort. "Yayin is a mocker, shekar is raging." Most who argue for total abstinence change the phrase when they quote it or reason on it. They make it read "the 'wine' which is 'a mocker.'" That twists the meaning. The passage warns us not to be deceived by any wine or strong drink. The warning fits these two words well, if they are the general terms for the fermented drinks of the grape, and of other fruit or grain, known in ancient times.

There is no creature of God which has not an important place if used rightly. But men who are blind to His will chase their pleasure without care. That chase lures them into open sin and serious harm. This is especially true of wine and strong drink; the one deceives, the other maddens. The warnings are many and obvious on every side. Those who go wrong through them have only their own folly and self-will to blame.

Verse 1 is a plain warning. While "a little wine" may be good for one's stomach (1 Tim. 5:23), yet when a person drinks it just because he likes it, it becomes "a mocker" (v. 1), turning the drinker into a brawler. His lack of wisdom in this may lead him badly astray, as a great number have learned by experience.

Since the use of wine among the people of Israel was lawful, the warning is against drinking to excess (Deut. 14:26). The Bible gives many illustrations of the truth of this proverb-warning. We may think of Noah, Lot, Nabal, Ben-hadad, Belshazzar and others.

In Christ alone we see perfect, unwavering wisdom and faithfulness in judgment. Wine speaks of anything that only excites or stimulates for the time. Pleasures may intoxicate a man, as they did Solomon for a time. So may personal pride, money-making, or any of the many other things that influence the desires of the flesh. These may affect the thoughts so much that sound, sober judgment fails for a time. Let us remember this too when we hear the call, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).

Believers today are both kings and priests (Rev. 1:6). They should take this to heart. They should not indulge in anything that might cloud their sober discernment and wisdom in bearing witness to the Lord.

Alas! alas! how much of this there is, especially where drink is concerned! It is appalling to think how much intoxicating drink professing Christians consume. We are fully convinced that the devil has used stimulants to ruin the testimony of hundreds. Through them he has caused these people to make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. Thousands ruin their fortunes, ruin their families, ruin their health, ruin their souls. It is all through the senseless, vile and cursed desire for stimulants.

Rulers are not a terror to good work, but to evil. The king does not carry the sword for nothing. God has appointed him as His servant, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who does evil. So the terror he inspires is like a lion's roar. To provoke his anger is to sin against your own soul. That, again, is sheer folly and wrong. Do you want to have no fear of an authority so able to punish? Then do what is good, and you will have praise from it.

On the other hand, the way of self-will ruins both the life we now have and the life to come. It is simply the path of sin. "And whoever sins against me (Wisdom) does violence to his own soul; all who hate me love death."

The wrath of a king is just as terrible. He does not hold the sword for nothing. His anger comes "as messengers of death," especially to those who have reason to fear. "But a wise man will pacify it." We see this in both Jonathan and David. They appealed to the king and were heard, even though his anger was unjust.

If this is true of any earthly king, how much more true of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. Only a very foolish man will dare to provoke Him to anger, for it is to his own harm: he sins against his own life. Matthew 22:1-14 shows this clearly. The King had arranged a marriage for His Son and sent His servants to call the invited guests. But the guests made light of it and refused to come, and even went so far as to murder His servants. That insult moved the King to send His armies to destroy those murderers and burn their city... So let everyone be careful never to bring the wrath of the eternal God on themselves.

So the believer fears God all the more, and fears the king by honouring him as God's representative in earthly matters. The king is to be obeyed in everything, except where obedience would dishonour God and His Word. Even then the believer is to suffer the consequences. He must never resist or rebel, as those do who love to meddle and change things. Even in this life their ruin comes suddenly, when they least expect it.

The picture can be applied to Him who is the Lamb of God and also the Lion of the tribe of Judah. One day He will roar in His displeasure and show the wrath the world has so well deserved. But even then His grace will shine out, for in wrath He will remember mercy — the mercy promised to Israel.

There is no more common snare than meddling where we have no business or duty. The self-sufficient are prone to this. Their vanity leads them to credit others with failure, and themselves with wisdom. They are the men of common sense and of righteousness, if others are more brilliant. So in their folly they rush into that strife from which the right-minded hold aloof to their honour.

This verse makes it clear that an honourable man will stop quarrelling, "since any fool can start a quarrel." Sheba (2 Sam. 20:1) proved it true. He took advantage of a disagreement in Israel between the men of Israel and the men of Judah. Within a short time he suffered terrible consequences and had his head cut off.

A gossiper repeats tales and rumours that harm others. A meddler interferes in other people's affairs, freely giving opinions about matters that are not his concern. Neither one is thinking of helping the needy or putting a wrong right. Both are the flesh indulging its love of slander.

Some minds fall into the snare of meddling with evil. They dabble in it, wanting to mend it, but the evil still draws out their energies. The simple Christian rule is to be simple about evil, wise about good. Meddling with evil gives you, without your noticing, an appetite for strife.

Discord among the people of God will surely stop if no one adds fuel to the fire. "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife." But to spread the details of trouble or wrongdoing (or imagined wrongdoing) by carrying tales is grievous guilt. It multiplies the fury of the flames.

Josiah should also have known the proverb copied by the men of Hezekiah: "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears" (Prov. 26:17). And another: "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling" (Prov. 20:3). It was not of faith — otherwise why disguise himself? … And God, who is the God of peace and righteousness, would not preserve him, as He had Jehoshaphat.

"Only by pride comes contention," says the proverb. There never was a bit of trouble between believers but pride was at the bottom of it! You stand up for your rights, and the Lord will put you down. You may get what you want, but the Lord will have His hand against you. A Christian should be like a piece of rubber — always giving way, never resisting. The one exception is the devil.

There is also danger from a person's own slothfulness. It paralyses the ordinary call to work. God has made it the rule that plowing time is not when things are growing, and still less when they are ripening. But a sluggard finds an excuse for putting off his duty in the cold weather that is inviting him to hard work. Does he plead the winter against plowing? Then he will beg in harvest and have nothing.

Perhaps one of the earliest outward marks of inward decline in a Christian is this. He is ready to excuse himself from devotedness and diligence in the Lord's service. He speaks of difficulties no one ever heard of before, and he fears dangers too. So his plain neglect is both explained and excused. He "will not plow because of the cold," and says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!" (Prov. 22:13; Prov. 20:4.) The human mind can easily imagine or invent obstacles to unselfish, God-honouring service. Give in to that, instead of holding to the truth at all costs, and such a person soon finds a place of ease.

It was cold, and he would not plow. Because he did not plow, he could not sow. And because he did not sow, he had nothing to reap but thorns and nettles, which were only fit for the fire.

If a lazy man decides not to plow because the weather is cold, of course he will have no crop, and when others are harvesting, he will beg from them (v. 4). If he had been wise, he might have sought the counsel of someone wise enough to store counsel in his heart like deep waters (v. 5). But a lazy man is too lazy to seek such counsel, while a man of understanding draws out the counsel he needs.

The slothful man would not do the work that must come first. Sinners would rather not have their hearts broken. It is humbling and painful work. They resist the plowshare in the conscience, and prefer to be left alone in their sins. Long ago the apostle Paul "reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment." Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you." (Acts 24:25.) Felix felt the apostle's powerful appeal to his conscience, but he did not answer it. He refused the plowshare and left his heart unbroken.

But what of the others? They are left outside. They "beg in harvest and get nothing." Was the slothful man "without sense"? So were these foolish virgins. They neglected the oil their lamps needed. Sadly, the lamps could not keep burning without oil. "Our lamps," they cry, "are going out." Hope dies inside them as they realise their fatal lack. And, solemn thought, in that day the Lord refuses their cry, "Lord, Lord, open to us." His answer is, "I do not know you."

We miss chances to honour the Lord, and they never return. We misuse what God has entrusted to our care. We waste time, health, and strength in the routine or the amusements of this present evil age. "What is the harm in this or that?" says the slothful man. He little thinks that someone truly alive to God and seeking His glory would never ask such a question.

Laziness brings the danger of neglecting the right season. Empty self-importance shows itself whenever a thorny question comes up. Both show the worth of intelligence, and the need to take pains to reach it. The truly wise are not superficial. Counsel in their heart is "deep water." It does not bubble over on every occasion, however small. And few things mark a man of understanding more than the discerning ability to draw it out.

If a lazy man decides not to plough because the weather is cold, of course he will have no crop. When others are harvesting, he will beg from them (v. 4). If he had been wise, he might have sought the counsel of one who was wise enough to store counsel in his heart like deep waters (v. 5). But a lazy man is too lazy to seek such counsel, while a man of understanding will draw out the counsel he needs.

For a man with a fallen nature, in a fallen world, to trust himself is to play the fool. God is not in any of his thoughts. He is sure he needs no advice; he is right in his own eyes... He who is wise distrusts himself and listens to counsel. Nor does he cheat God and his conscience by seeking counsel from the weak and easy-going, but from the godly.

It should be a great help to notice how the Lord dealt with these two erring saints. This helps all who seek to shepherd the Lord's people, and those who are pastors by a divine gift. He Himself knew all their thoughts and the cause of their trouble. Even so, He used His questions to draw out what was in their minds. In other words, He led them to empty their hearts before He speaks a single word.

On the other side there are the counsels of the heart. There are the counsels of the inmost heart of the person we are inclined to criticise — those secret springs and motives which we cannot see. And never let it be forgotten: there are also the secret springs and motives of our own hearts, the hearts of those doing the criticising.

"Most men will proclaim each his own goodness" (v. 6). This is just as true today as when it was written. The Pharisee of Luke 18:11-12 would tell God how much better he was than other men, but the Lord said of him, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled" (v. 14). "But who can find a faithful man?" So faithfulness stands opposite pride. You can depend on a faithful person to tell the truth, and the truth will never flatter our pride.

Men commonly put on a show of kindness to the whole world. They cheat themselves into believing that their talk and tears over the widow and the orphan are real kindness of an unusual sort. Let us beware of living in such an empty show. Remember that the Word of God asks whether the reality is there in deed and truth. "A faithful man who shall find?"

Such boasting seems to be an echo of the boastful speech of Laodicea: "I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Rev. 3:17). It will certainly meet a similar judgment from the Lord of the churches in the day of Christ. Meanwhile, such words recall the sayings of the wise man: "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness." "Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give" (Prov. 20:6; Prov. 25:14).

A steward needs one great quality. It is not cleverness, eloquence or popularity, but "faithfulness". This agrees with the Lord's own teaching, when He spoke of the "faithful and wise manager" (Luke 12:42). Later, near the end of his life, the Apostle could write to Timothy, "what you have heard from me … entrust to faithful men" (2 Timothy 2:2). We, like the Corinthian believers, may at times value servants by their knowledge or their gifts. But God measures their spiritual value by their faithfulness.

Such souls do exist, however, in a world where faith is rare. Most love glory from men more than glory from God. Yet glory from men is as short-lived as it is empty, and glory from God as everlasting as it is solid.

It should be a great comfort to every Christian to know that God has had a Faithful Witness in this world. We are all very conscious of our own unfaithfulness. The nearer we come to God the more conscious of it we become, but the more we rejoice in the Faithful Witness. All God's witnesses, from the very beginning of time until now, have been more or less unfaithful. They witnessed for God according to the grace He gave them, but not one of them could claim perfection. Only one blessed Man could — Christ Jesus. He is the Faithful Witness.

To walk in integrity is the fruit of divine grace. Faith alone can enable anyone to do this. We live in a world of empty show, and our nature is corrupt or false, proud or empty. Either way, that nature is easily satisfied with itself and open to self-conceit.

But it is wonderful to see this integrity of heart come into the full light of God's presence. Once it shrank from that light, because the light searched everything. Now it wants God's thorough searching, so that it may get rid of the evil that it hates. Note too that mere integrity will not do without God to find out the evil. By nature, an honest man may use his conscience. But the eye needs light to search with, and in the same way we need the presence of Him who is light.

People commonly fail in the same way. They put on a display of worldwide kindness. They cheat themselves into believing that their talk and tears over the widow and the orphan are real kindness of an unusual kind. Let us beware of walking in such an empty show. Remember that the Word of God asks whether the reality is there in deed and in truth.

God rewards those who seek Him out. The blessing is not only a good conscience in his walk. God also does not forget his children after him.

The walk of the righteous man will be one of integrity, and the normal result of this will be the true blessing of his children (v. 7). Abraham is an example of this integrity. The Lord said of him, "I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19).

The children of believers are, of course, like other children by nature. The nature we can pass on is the old one, not the new: to have that, they must be born again, as everyone must. It does not always follow, as we know, that a saved man has a saved household. But suppose faith in God is joined with faithfulness in the place where God has put us. Then His promise stands: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Here is the thing that tests us. It is not our words alone that bear fruit this way. Our words and our ways work together.

God gave that good son Asa for David's sake. And David was Asa's great-great-grandfather! To the fourth generation David's ways brought down blessing on his descendants. And we know also that God visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation (Ex. 20:5). This is a most solemn thing for each one of us to remember. Our walk, day by day, may affect our children for blessing or otherwise. It may do so for as much as three or even four generations, or for far longer.