5 wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.
for wealth is not for ever; and doth the crown [endure] from generation to generation?
Enjoin on those rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to trust on the uncertainty of riches; but in the God who affords us all things richly for [our] enjoyment;
And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them; and [they of] Sheba fell [upon them] and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee.
Verily, man walketh in a vain show; verily they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up [riches], and knoweth not who shall gather them.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt; or those riches perish by some evil circumstance, and if he have begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
Wherefore do ye spend money for [that which is] not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye [that which is] good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
But thine eyes and thy heart are only on thine extortion, and on the blood of the innocent, to shed it, and on oppression and on violence, to do it.
But this I say, brethren, the time is straitened. For the rest, that they who have wives, be as not having [any]: and they that weep, as not weeping; and they that rejoice, as not rejoicing; and they that buy, as not possessing; and they that use the world, as not disposing of it as their own; for the fashion of this world passes.
Go to now, ye rich, weep, howling over your miseries that [are] coming upon [you]. Your wealth is become rotten, and your garments moth-eaten.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Proverbs 23
Commentary on Proverbs 23 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 23
Pro 23:1-3
The sin we are here warned against is luxury and sensuality, and the indulgence of the appetite in eating and drinking, a sin that most easily besets us.
Pro 23:4-5
As some are given to appetite (v. 2) so others to covetousness, and those Solomon here takes to task. Men cheat themselves as much by setting their hearts on money (though it seems most substantial) as by setting them on dainties. Observe,
Pro 23:6-8
Those that are voluptuous and given to appetite (v. 2) are glad to be where there is good cheer stirring, and those that are covetous and saving, that they may spare at home, will be glad to get a dinner at another man's table; and therefore both are here advised not to be forward to accept of every man's invitation, but especially not to thrust themselves in uninvited. Observe,
Pro 23:9
We are here directed not to cast pearls before swine (Mt. 7:6) and not to expose things sacred to the contempt and ridicule of profane scoffers. It is our duty to take all fit occasions to speak of divine things; but,
Pro 23:10-11
Note,
Pro 23:12-16
Here is,
Pro 23:17-18
Here is,
Pro 23:19-28
Here is good advice for parents to give to their children; words are put into their mouths, that they may train them up in the way they should go. Here we have,
Pro 23:29-35
Solomon here gives fair warning against the sin of drunkenness, to confirm what he had said, v. 20.