Day 44 - Do not let your heart envy sinners
1 When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.3 Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies;7 for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost.“Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.9 Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words.10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,11 for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.14 Punish them with the rod and save them from death.15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed;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.
- What does this passage say about the danger of wealth and food as traps?
- How does God describe a “wise heart” in these verses?
- What do these proverbs say about envy and our future hope?
- How should these truths shape your ambitions and desires?
- Where do you sense God gently correcting you?
Which proverb challenges or encourages you most today?
God, keep my heart from chasing after what fades or fools me. Teach me to live in Your wisdom, not worldly wealth. Give me a heart that trusts in Your future and fears You above all else. Amen.