"When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee; and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats; for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: for their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee."
Diligence is commended in the close of the preceding chapter; this opens with the commendation of temperance or moderation. This virtue the people of God ought to practise in every thing. They should "let their moderation be known unto all men"-that is, their self-government in the desire, the use, the enjoyment, and the regret, of all that pertains to the present world. In the opening verses, we have one particular description of moderation,-the laying of a restraint, at all times, but especially on occasions of peculiar temptation, on the animal appetites. The verses suggest the following observations:-
1. There are few things, if any, more disgusting and degrading, than the studied and anxious indulgence of these appetites:-to see a man surveying the table, with an epicure's eye; carefully selecting his favourite articles; and in his manner of preparing and eating them, making it manifest to all about him that his whole soul is on the contents of his plate, and that nothing annoys him so much as any interruption such as endangers their getting out of season, and losing their nice relish. It is particularly loathsome, when the man appears to catch with extraordinary avidity the occurrence of a feast, and to be resolved on making the most of the opportunity. What man can be more despicably low than he "whose God is his belly?" When Solomon says-"Consider diligently what is before thee,"-it is for a very different purpose, and in a very different frame of mind, from those I have been mentioning. It means-Consider well the scene of temptation that is before thee, and be upon thy guard.
2. There are, on such occasions, temptations to over-indulgence and excess. And then our self-jealousy and watchfulness should be proportioned to two things-namely, the strength of propensity, and the amount of temptation. This is the import of the strong expression in the second verse-"and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite." The import seems to be-eat as if a knife were at thy throat;-eat in the recollection and impression of thine imminent danger; remember that the knife wherewith thou dost feast thy delicate or thy gluttonous appetite had better be at thy throat than used for such a purpose,-so prejudicial to health, to reputation, to the credit of thy profession, to the interests of thy soul. In several versions we have the sense given-"Otherwise thou wilt put a knife to thy throat, if thine appetite have the dominion." For-
3. A man's conduct, on such occasions, is marked;-especially if he be a religious professor. He may, in this way, bring reproach upon religion: which ever ought, and which, when genuine and duly felt, ever will, impose a restraint on such indulgences. How sad, when a religious professor gives occasion to the ungodly, with the leer of sarcastic scorn, to say-"Ah! did you see how the holy man--the man of spiritual abstraction-how he did enjoy himself!-he made the most of it!-with what a gusto, and what culinary connoisseurship, he discussed his meal!" Thus are all his pretensions to spirituality turned to ridicule; and from his example encouragement is taken by others to persist in such indulgences and excesses: while any usefulness he might have is impaired and lost, and his reputation for consistency forfeited.
4. On the other hand, we should be on our guard against the ostentation of abstinence and plainness,-the affectation of extraordinary abstemiousness;-declining this, and refusing that, merely for the purpose of drawing attention, and further fixing that attention by incidental remarks-incidental in appearance but studiously introduced and timed,-for the express purpose of having it said-What a singularly abstemious man he is! how plain in his tastes! how exemplarily indifferent to the gratification of his appetite!-This would be little better than gratifying one carnal principle instead of another,-vanity, instead of gluttony or epicurism, the love of notice and distinction, instead of animal appetite and the love of dainty fare,-the lust of the mind, instead of the lust of the flesh.-Our duty, then, is-indifference to the indulgences of the table, without the obtrusive ostentation of it; eating and drinking in moderation, what is set before us, without the affectation of singularity.
5. There should be special vigilance, if there be reason to suspect any snare-any intended temptation, for answering a selfish or a malicious purpose. Worldly men sometimes do, very wickedly, lay such snares for the godly. They do so to try them,-for the diabolical satisfaction of witnessing the inconsistencies into which they thus seek to entice them. They then laugh at them, and make sport of their principles: for "fools make a mock at sin."-I do not say that anything of this kind is meant to be conveyed by the terms of verse third-probably not. The meaning of that verse seems to be no more than that evil often lurks under the semblance of good;-that while present enjoyment is promised and pressed upon us, the consequences, if we suffer ourselves to be thrown off our guard, may be bitter.-"When you see a number of dishes, of very different kinds," says a sensible expositor, "think with yourself-Here are fevers, and agues, and gouts in disguise. Here are snares and traps spread along the table, to catch my soul, and draw me into sin. Sense gives a good report of this plenty; but reason and religion tell me to take heed, for it is deceitful moat."
Verse Pro_23:4. "Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom." "Labour not to be rich." What a startling interdict this! What an immense proportion of the world's toil, and especially in such a community as our own, does it bring under condemnation and proscription! Were all the labour directed to this forbidden end to cease,-how little would be left!-what a sudden stagnation would there be of the turmoil of busy activity with which we are daily surrounded! What are the great majority of men about,-in our city and in our country? What keeps them all astir? What is the prevailing impulse of all the incessant bustle and eager competition of our teeming population? Are not all,-with a wider or a narrower estimate of what riches mean,-"labouring to be rich?"-The love of fame has been called the universal passion. Is not the love of money quite as much, if not more, entitled to the designation? Yes; and many a time does the wisdom of the world set itself to the defence of the world's toil and the world's aim-alleging many plausible, and some more than plausible, things in its pleadings. "Riches," say they, "keep a man and his family from dependence. Riches enable a man to enjoy many comforts that are in themselves lawful and desirable. Riches procure a man distinction and influence in society. By this and other means, riches put it in a man's power to do good:-why should we not 'labour to be rich?'" It is all true; and the plea is in part quite legitimate. Yet Solomon, by the Spirit, with the authority, and in the kindness of God, enjoins-"labour not to be rich."
His meaning evidently is, that the acquisition of the worldly wealth must not be a man's primary aim-that which chiefly occupies his desires, his thoughts, his schemes, his time, and his toil,-to the neglect of concerns of incomparably higher importance, and to a forgetfulness of the amount of temptation, and of danger to these higher concerns, which success in his pursuit brings with it,-so as to preclude serious inquiry about the grand problem-the most momentous by infinite degrees, that can occupy the mind of man-how an eternity of being may be to him an eternity of well-being.
"Cease from thine own wisdom" may be considered as regarding both the object of pursuit, and the manner of pursuing it. The object, considered as the main end of life, is infinitely unworthy of a reasonable being; and the manner in which the pursuit of it is carried on is characterized by a disregard of God that is the very essence of impiety. All this is true, even on the supposition that the result of the labour were certain acquisition, and the riches, when acquired, a sure possession,-sure for life and for posterity. But-
Verse Pro_23:5. "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not J for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."-How emphatically strong this language! "Upon that which is not!" So precarious are the riches when obtained, that they are hardly allowed the attribute of existence!-that which is not!-How beautifully the air-bubble glitters in rainbow hues, as it floats on the stream, or mounts into the atmosphere!-but in a moment, it bursts, and is gone. Solomon here uses a different figure:-"for riches verily make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." Such was the experience of the wise man's times:-surely I need not say in what a degree it has been the experience of our own. How frequently, and how affectingly in many cases, has it been exemplified!-Sometimes the wings grow gradually. Their begun and advancing growth is perceived by the owner, and the result dreaded, when others know nothing of it, and are fancying all secure. His eyes are sleepless with solicitude amidst the envy of the ignorant around him. At other times, the event is as unanticipated by the possessor as it is by others. The wings are the product of a moment, and the flight unexpected and sudden. A single unlooked for contingency in providence,-and all is gone!-the accumulations of half a life-time vanished in an hour! A change in the commercial tariff of a foreign state;-a sudden fall in the markets;-a single unsuccessful speculation, from which additional thousands were expected;-the bankruptcy of some house that was esteemed of established and unshaken credit;-a hundred causes may, one or other, occasion the sudden annihilation of property and prospects. The very "labouring" to be rich,-the very eagerness after the object,-the "hasting" to its attainment, is not unfrequently the very means of bringing all to nothing.
"Wilt thou," then, "set thine eyes upon that which is not?" To set the eyes upon it, is to set the heart upon it. The fixing of the gaze on any object, is the expression of fond desire. The original word contains the idea of special avidity. Nothing can be more unwise:-not only because we may lose the object of desire, how largely soever acquired, even while we are here, but because we must part with it very soon at the longest. Riches may leave us; we must leave riches. How simple, yet how conclusive the consideration-"We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out," 1Ti_6:7. And then-how solemn but how little thought of, the lesson which follows-"They that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows," verses 1Ti_6:9-10.
Verses Pro_23:6-8. "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words."-We had formerly occasion to notice the different acceptations in which the phrase "an evil eye" is taken in Scripture. Here, it has evidently the sense of a covetous, penurious, stingy, grudging disposition. Such persons as are here described were to be found then. They are to be found still. They invite and entertain others, under the impulse of various selfish motives. They must, for appearance and reputation's sake, pay back their debts of this description; or it is necessary in the way of business; or they like to make a little show, to gratify a spirit of ostentation, and yet grudge and fret at the means. Their entertainments, therefore, are not given from any motive of regard for any but themselves. So that, while with the lips, as a matter of course, they profess great hospitality-"Eat and drink, saith he to thee!"-every mouthful that is swallowed, when, unfortunately their invitation is accepted, is eyed with a secret twinge of fretful regret for having asked you. They would have been better pleased had the invitation been declined. How does this discover itself? It does not always. It may, at times, be pretty successfully concealed. But in general it may be known from the character of the parties, as apparent in other things. A stingy disposition can hardly hide itself. And when a man's general character is known,-it is known how very ill a particular display of profusion and finery assorts with his ordinary doings, and his established reputation; and hence cannot fail to arise the suspicion, and more than suspicion, that there is something under it,-something else than the unwonted appearance of friendly generosity. And then, unless the simulation is singularly well kept up indeed, the difference will be perceptible between the open, frank, sterling cordiality of genuine heartfelt kindness, and the affectation-the hypocritical pretence of it. The eye belies the lips. While he says one thing, he looks another. While "Eat and drink" is on his lips,-he will, at the same time, by his remarks on the dearth of living, and the high price of particular articles, and the great pains he has been at for your entertainment,-he will betray the true state of his feelings. They are far more with his purse than with his guests.
It is evident, from the very expression, that the man is supposed to be in some degree known. "The bread of him that hath an evil eye" means the provision of one, of whose character this is a manifest feature. The dissuasive advice may be considered as suggested by different considerations. It is painful to the spirit of sensibility to be laid under obligation to men of this sort,-persons who hold their favours so high, and look for so much in return for them. It is, moreover, most irksome and distressing, to partake of any thing respecting which there is the remotest ground of surmise that it is grudgingly given. A share of the very homeliest meal,-even of the crust and water of the beggar,-with a real hearty welcome, is preferable to a place at the most sumptuously covered board, where the dainties have been provided and are partaken with a grudge. When this is the case, there is loathing at the very idea of having so much as tasted them. This appears to be the sentiment in the eighth verse:-"That which thou hast swallowed shalt thou vomit up." The very thought of the spirit in which the entertainment has been given, will sicken thee to nausea:-and withal "thou shalt lose thy sweet words."
"Thy sweet words" may mean the words spoken by him to thee. The guest at the time might augur good from them; might flatter himself with his being a special favourite; might, like Haman, go home merry and glad of heart, and full of expectation. But "the good words and fair speeches" were only another part of the simulation. They are mere air. They come to nothing. They are followed, when you have gone away, and he sees your back and the door fairly shut upon you, with fretting and grumbling against you for the expense you have put him to. He reckons up the cost, and curses you in his heart.-But, "thy sweet words" are more naturally understood of the words spoken by thee to him. They were words of thanks and compliment-of flattery for the style, abundance, and variety of his entertainment,-his equipage, his dishes, his wines, his entire set-out. They are lost on one who in truth, when all is known, so ill-deserved them,-a mere dissembler of hospitality and friendship. Your having accepted his invitation, laid him under the necessity of asking others; and your having partaken of his sumptuous dinner, is recorded in his mind against you as a deadly offence; and all your "sweet words" go for nothing! Surely one would rather be famished than be regaled with such grudged abundance.
The injunction, or dissuasion, I need not surely say, is by no means intended to give any license or encouragement to a spirit of pride or disdain. No. It is only a salutary warning to be cautious of bringing yourselves under obligation to any selfish and hypocritical dissembler of kindness, who only wishes to lay you under such obligation to serve purposes of his own. The man who has thus entertained you will boast of his hospitality; tell others of it, making the most of it for his own behoof; set it down against you, debiting you on account of it with certain expected good turns at your hand, when he comes to need them. He will throw it up to you, should you not do all he looks for; or rail at you to others for ingratitude and meanness in forgetting his kindness. He will remind you of it again and again, with vexatious importunity,-teazing you for your favour and influence in some object he has in view for himself or his family. It is amazing what an amount of expectation a man of this sordid and selfish disposition will found upon a dinner! Your having sat at his table, eaten of his dainties, and drunk of his wines, is price enough even for your conscience itself. Beware of him. Keep yourself free.
There is nothing more odious in the sight of God than every description of hypocrisy, whether practised to Himself or to fellow-men. He "desireth truth in the inward parts." And let all bear in mind, that, whatever a man may succeed in feigning himself to be with his neighbours-the representation in the words before us is, in regard to God, always true-"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." No imposture can succeed with God.
Verse Pro_23:9. "Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words."-The lesson here taught is one of discretion. It refers to all cases, in which we have reason to apprehend that the latter part of the verse will be the result. In such cases, it is generally better to hold our peace; since by speaking we only give the fool occasion to sin. There may be many cases in which it becomes essential for us to deliver our own souls by bearing our testimony to the truth, "whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear;" that our consciences may be at ease, being clear of their blood. And the lesson here taught is one of judicious discrimination as to the times and seasons when speaking is likely to be profitable, or the contrary. And the lesson relates, not only to our speaking directly to the fool himself, but to speaking in his presence and his hearing, when, by his contradicting and blaspheming, or by his light and "foolish jesting," he may not only render what we say unavailing to others, but even injurious.*
* See Pro_9:7-8; Mat_7:6.
Verses Pro_23:10-11. "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: for their Redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee."-We had this subject before us, under its general form, in Pro_22:28. Here it comes before us in a more special form. But when the twenty-eighth verse of the preceding chapter is connected with the twenty-second and twenty-third, the connexion will render the lesson very much the same with that in the verses now claiming our attention. And its recurrence again is only an additional proof of the peculiar interest taken by the blessed God in the description of persons mentioned.
The shifting of landmarks, and the plundering of fields,-in any case a flagrant act of injustice and wrong,-is here represented as having in it a much more than ordinary heinousness when the objects of the unrighteous fraud and aggression are the unprotected-those who have been deprived of their natural guardian and maintainer of their rights and interests. The claim of such to sympathy and care is one which has been very generally admitted by mankind-in word and theory at least; but selfishness has too often come between the sufferers and the kindness which was their due. "When, however, this has been, in any remarkable degree, the ease, it has been regarded as indicating an inhumanity that was fit for the perpetration of any deed whatever that is oppressive and ruthless. When Job's friends, in their irritation, are disposed to be most severe upon him, this is one of the charges they falsely prefer against him.*1 And when Job draws the character of wicked men who merited the wrath of heaven, this is one of its heavy features,*2 And when he denies the charge against himself, the very opposite is strongly affirmed by him as the true description of his character.*3 On behalf of "the fatherless," God's jealous protection and avenging omnipotence are here anew pointedly pledged. The word for redeemer signifies the man who was "next of kin,"-the kinsman, on whom, by the law of Moses, it was incumbent, as a matter of duty, and with whom too it was a matter of interest, to look after the concerns of his poor relations; with whom lay indeed the avenging of their blood, if, in any case, their life should, in cruel selfishness, be taken away. It was on the principle of that statute that Boaz called upon the next of kin to come forward and redeem the inheritance of Elimelech at the hand of Naomi, and that, upon his hearing the conditions and declining, he did it himself. Now he who happened to be the redeeming kinsman might himself be poor, and powerless, and without either means or influence. But they should not, on that account, be unprotected and unbefriended. Jehovah himself would take the place of their kinsman,-would "plead their cause" would maintain their rights, would redress their wrongs, would bring His power to bear against their oppressors. He would fulfil for them the part of their near relation: and he is "mighty." Hear his words:-"Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless," Exo_22:22-24. These, you may think, are Old Testament threatenings, be longing to a judicial law that has passed away:-or, more properly, they belong to the special theocracy, being strictly no part of the judicial law, inasmuch as they do not prescribe any punishment to be inflicted by the hand of roan, but announce what Jehovah himself would, by his own interposition, execute. Be it so. But think you that the character of God has changed? Such assurances and threatenings are not mere warnings of punishment; they are expressions of character. And do you imagine that under the new dispensation,-which, in a special sense, is the dispensation of love, the ministration of mercy,-the compassion of Jehovah towards those who need it, has diminished? that His zeal in their behalf has suffered abatement? That, assuredly, were a grievous mistake. The God of love has not ceased to pity, and to pity with a special compassion, the unprotected, the friendless, the poor. Look at his character as it was manifested in the person of Him who could say-"He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." This exhibition of the divine character introduced the new and spiritual dispensation. And was there any failure of regard for the poor?-of pity for the fatherless and the widow?-of power in behalf of the destitute? Let not the oppressor fancy that there is no Jewish law now,-no theocracy now. There is a theocracy, although of a different kind. "The Lord reigneth;" and woe to the defrauder or oppressor of the destitute! He shall not escape. "Their Redeemer" is no less "mighty" than he was of old. He will avenge their cause at last, with terrible retribution.
*1 Job_22:5-10. rr
*2 Job_24:3-4; Job_24:7-10. rr
*3 Job_29:11-13; Job_31:16-22. rr
Let the poor, the fatherless, and the widow, when wronged, beware of harbouring and cherishing in their own bosoms the sentiments of resentment or revenge. Let them rather, in humility and forgiving meekness, put their case into the hands of Him, of whom it is said-"The poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless." He will appear for them. If God allows them to suffer, when thus submissive to His will, He will graciously give them to experience that "all things work together for their good,"-and that His "grace is sufficient for them;" and He will at last give them to the full of "the unsearchable riches of Christ." In their most destitute condition even here, enjoying the rich provisions of the gospel, they have no reason to envy the wealthiest of the wealthy, the greatest of the great. The latter may envy them. Jehovah himself "is the portion of their inheritance and of their cup; he maintaineth their lot." He is theirs, and they are His. They who have the fulness of God's covenant promises have infinitely more than the world can give to its most successful and favoured votaries. They to whom Jehovah says, "Thy Maker is thy Husband," have strong consolation in their desolate widowhood. They who, though they are deprived of an earthly, have a heavenly Father, are better off than those who have the earthly without the heavenly. They who are heirs of the eternal inheritance, who are, in every step of life, advancing nearer to possession of that from which no power of earth or hell shall ever be able to eject them, are more blessed far than the men of this world whose possessions are present, who are, at every step through life, coming nearer to the end of their lease,-a lease of whose duration they themselves are ignorant, and which, at the will of the universal Proprietor, may terminate in a moment when least they are thinking of it. Their landmark is fixed for them in the better country. It shall never be removed. They shall be "found in their lot in the end of the days"-in the consummation of all things:-and having settled in that lot,-the lot of their inheritance,-they shall hold it in eternal security.
