Proverbs 23:17-21 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 23:17-21, which read,

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always.  Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.  Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.  Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

This is a longer proverb given to us today.  We are re-introduced to the fear of the Lord that we came across the first time in chapter 1 and verse 7:  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."  Sinners go after sin while the wise go after God.  Sinners have an awe or respect of sin and follow after it while the wise have an awe or respect of God and follow after Him.  The proverb starts by instructing us to not let our heart, our inward emotions, get attached to what sinners are going after but rather keep that heart attached to knowing God more and living what you are knowing of Him.

One of the lures of sin is the instant gratification that it can bring.  Another is that if you don't enjoy life now, in the way of sin, then you won't have any enjoyment later.  Remember the old beer commercial to "Grab all the gusto you can"?  Solomon is telling us that there is a future in following after God.  The hope you have will happen as it says in the Scripture even though the attack of Satan is to say otherwise.  Satan wants you to act foolishly now because you are going to miss out on all the fun if you don't.  God wants you to act wisely now because a eternal future lies ahead for those who acknowledge and follow after Him.

In this version the following after God is called "the way."  This is also the phrase used to describe the early Christians who made up the 1st century church.  They were followers of "The Way."  We are to listen and then put application to what we have heard from God which is the definition of wisdom.  To be wise is to take knowledge of God and put it into action.  This happens when we, down deep, engage our heart for the One who is instructing us and we are following in His footsteps.

The proverb then gives us two examples of those who are trying to get us to engage in something now:  excessive drinking and eating.  These are two problems that we still face today.  There are many things that we can do in excess that are sinful.  These two are very visible for us to observe and the effects of them.  It is interesting that the proverb is to not "be with" heavy drinkers or the with gluttonous eaters of meat.  We are many times guilty of putting ourselves too close to sin.  We play with the line in the sand but being close has its effects.  We may not be participating now but sin is having its affect on us as we are close enough to feel its lure.  

The heavy drinker and the glutton will have the affect of the drink and food take over their physical function.  Actually their body will shut down into a sleep to recover from such harmful activities.  They will be sleeping when they could have been serving our great God.  They are losing out on some of this time that they were saying we were going to be losing out on for not participating in their sin.  The opposite has happened to them.  We find them out of action and missing out on opportunities to make life better because of the sin of instant gratification.  More is not always better in the short and long run of life.  The more in these examples actually shorten the life and the quality of it.  Don't get too close and get sucked into this mentality.

God has a way and we are to respect Him and His words.  A future is ahead for us of the hope that He has given to us.  Make sure to protect that wisdom by not putting sin ever before you.  You might not be participating in it but it is doing a number on you that will pounce when there is an opening.  It is crouching at the door waiting to come in.  Let us pray.

"Lord, how we flirt with the line.  Help us to have our heart so fixed onto You that we see the error of sin and its effects.  May we not be lured into its false hopes because we are far from that line.  Help us to recognize when we are in a dangerous zone so that we can keep our heart only for You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam