Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 20:1-15: Drunkenness, Idleness, and Fraud

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Solomon warns against the dangers of wine and strong drink, emphasizing that they lead to mockery and brawling. He highlights the value of prudence, hard work, and honest dealings. The passage underscores the importance of just weights and measures, avoiding deceit, and the significance of wise counsel. Solomon also reflects on the preciousness of wisdom and knowledge, advocating for a life of integrity and diligence.

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Proverbs 20:1-15.

Step into the spiritually rich landscape of the Book of Proverbs, a text divinely inspired and attributed to Solomon, the sage king endowed by God with unsurpassed wisdom. This ancient scripture begins with heartfelt lessons from a father to a son, laying a foundation of moral and ethical guidance before unfolding into a collection of timeless proverbs. It uniquely personifies wisdom and folly as two paths that stand before humanity, offering a choice between a life filled with virtue, fear of the Lord, and understanding, and one marred by shortsighted pleasures and foolishness. Proverbs serves as a compass for those seeking to walk in righteousness, offering insights that resonate deeply with the human experience, guiding us toward a life of purpose and discernment according to God’s will.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

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Proverbs 20:1-15

20 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.^[a]
2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
³ It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
⁴ The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
⁵ The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
⁶ Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man who can find?
⁷ The righteous who walks in his integrity—
blessed are his children after him!
⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment
winnows all evil with his eyes.
⁹ Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
¹⁰ Unequal^[b] weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹¹ Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.^[c]
12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the Lord has made them both.
¹³ Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
¹⁴ “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
but when he goes away, then he boasts.
¹⁵ There is gold and abundance of costly stones,
but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

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Footnotes

1. Proverbs 20:1 Or will not become wise
2. Proverbs 20:10 Or Two kinds of; also verse 23
3. Proverbs 20:11 Or Even a child can dissemble in his actions, though his conduct seems pure and upright

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org