We should probably take this verse as a general exhortation rather than as part of either the preceding or the following saying. It is a general admonition to apply these wise declarations to life. It provides an intermission in this list of proverbs and introduces the remaining 20 appeals in the 30 sayings of the wise.
23:13-14 The sage again advocated discipline. Beating with a rod is not the only form of discipline advocated in Proverbs. It is simply one form used here as a poetic parallel to discipline (Heb. musar, moral correction). Other forms of discipline (reproof, temporary isolation, "grounding,"etc.) may be more appropriate in some situations with children of differing ages and temperaments. These verses assure the parent that the child will not only survive the discipline, but he or she will survive because of it.
"The idea is that discipline helps the child to live a full life; if he dies (prematurely), it would be a consequence of not being trained. In Proverbs such a death might be moral and social as well as physical."166
23:15-16 This saying balances the previous one. The child's choice is as vital as the parent's discipline. The affectionate "My son"adds a warm touch and removes any inference that the writer enjoyed whipping his child. This father's greatest concern was that his son should learn wisdom. Parents receive joy when they observe their children making wise choices.
23:17-18 The long view, even beyond death, is essential to avoiding envy of the wicked who frequently prosper in this life. We should always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. Looking up (v. 17) and looking ahead (v. 18) can help us avoid envying sinners.167
23:19-21 Overindulgence in food and drink normally leads to sleepiness, then laziness, then poverty We should avoid the constant companionship of people marked by these characteristics. Excessive eating and drinking are usually symptoms of deeper problems.168This saying also implies that the influence of bad companions is strong.
23:22-23 Heeding wise parental instruction is hard for some children, but it is necessary for them to become wise. By listening to and obeying his or her parents the child learns to listen to and obey God. Submission to parental authority makes submission to divine authority easier. Honoring parents here means listening (paying attention) to their instructions.169
23:24-25 Note again that righteousness and wisdom were synonymous in the mind of the writer (v. 24). Children who follow God's way of wisdom not only bring joy to themselves but also to their parents.
23:26-28 Another exhortation to apply what follows prefaces this saying. It is especially important. Our culture glamorizes sexual promiscuity, but these verses reveal its true consequences: entrapment, constraint, painful loss, and treachery. Two types of harlots are in view: the unmarried (Heb. zonah, "harlot"or "prostitute") and the married (nokriyah, "adulterous woman"or "wayward wife,"v. 27).
23:29-35 This classic description of drunkenness ironically illustrates the folly of that vice. The father urges his son to remember how too much drinking will end so its present enjoyment will not captivate him.
"While alcoholism is a medical problem, it is also a moral problem because it involves choices and brings danger to other people."170
24:1-2 Previously the writer cited the end of evil companions as motivation to avoid their company (23:17-18). Here it is their essential character that is the basis for the same advice.
24:3-4 The house in view is probably one's life experience including literal houses, one's household, his business, etc. (cf. Matt. 7:24-27). If it takes wisdom to build a house, it takes even more wisdom to build a household. Wisdom is essential for all domestic enterprises.
"The replacement of book shelves by television sets and of the study by the den' in modern homes (regressing from human to bestial habitats!) is a sad commentary on our times."171
24:5-6 Again we see that the wise person is not completely self-reliant. He recognizes his own imperfection and looks to others to supplement his own personal deficiencies. "Wage war"means to seek to overcome any obstacle one may face in life. Wise strategy is always more important than mere strength.
Christians need to overcome the obstacle of understanding the meaning of Scripture before we can apply it to our own lives and explain it to others. For this God has given us a multitude of counselors in the writers of commentaries and other Bible study aids. The Christian is a fool who does not listen to these counselors by reading what they have written to supplement and check his or her own understanding of the text.
24:7 Wisdom is beyond the fool's reach. Therefore he does not--if he has any wisdom at all--seek to give advice in the decision-making places of his world.172
24:8-9 Other people will despise the person who dreams up plans that end in evil. Such planning is sin and the work of a fool. Fools are not necessarily unintelligent, but their plans result in sin.173
24:10 The day of distress is a day when trouble comes. If a person does not persevere but quits under this pressure, he shows that he does not have strength that is a fruit of possessing wisdom (cf. 24:5a). We never know our true strength until we find ourselves in situations that demand much from us. Weak people plead adverse conditions so they can justify quitting.174
24:11-12 The people carried away in verse 11 are evidently innocent captives or oppressed individuals. We have a responsibility to help such people. If we claim ignorance of their condition as a reason for not helping them, we need to remember that God knows the true condition of our heart and will requite us accordingly. We are responsible to rescue those who are in mortal danger. This includes warning and teaching those who are hastening to destruction.175
"In Proverbs 24:12 Yahweh is represented as one who weighs the heart.' This figure goes back to the Egyptian god Thoth, who is often represented as standing at the judgment of the dead beside the scales with the human heart."176
The concept of God weighing the heart was also very old in Israelite theology going back as far as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:17-19).
24:13-14 The writer pictured the pleasantness and desirability of wisdom in this saying. It prepares for the future. Folly does not.
24:15-16 To make a point the speaker spoke to his son as though he was addressing a wicked man in this saying. This device gives the warning more force since the wicked man's main concern is his own self-interest. The point is that the righteous is resilient because he trusts in God. Furthermore God defends the righteous. Virtue triumphs in the end.177
24:17-18 To complete the thought we might add at the end of this saying "and turn it on you."Gloating over someone else's misfortune is a practice God disapproves even if the other person is the adversary of the righteous (cf. Matt. 5:44). Fear of God's displeasure should warn the wise away from this attitude and activity.
24:19-20 The sage again addressed the problem of envying wicked people who enjoy temporary prosperity (cf. 23:17; 24:1). The lamp is the life of the wicked. They are doomed; they will have no good outcome for their lives.178
24:21-22 The change in view is deviation from the will of God or the laws of the king. The phrase "both of them"(v. 22) refers to God and the king. The structure is again chiastic to emphasize the central thought of the proverb. People should fear God and the government because they both punish rebels (cf. Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:17).
This concludes the so-called 30 sayings of the wise as is clear from 24:23a.
