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“Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things”

(Pro 23:1-16)

[Study Aired December 25, 2025]

Pro 23:1  When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
Pro 23:2  And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
Pro 23:3  Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
Pro 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Pro 23:5  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Pro 23:6  Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Pro 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Pro 23:8  The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
Pro 23:9  Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Pro 23:10  Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Pro 23:11  For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
Pro 23:12  Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Pro 23:13  Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Pro 23:14  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Pro 23:15  My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
Pro 23:16  Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

God’s joy is fulfilled when we are of the same mind and speaking the same “right things” (Php 2:2, 1Jn 4:17, Php 4:4-9), and it is by the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” that God’s purpose of taking us from being all the things we read of in (1Ti 1:13-14) to become His children who have lips that “speak right things”.

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

The devil’s goal is to do the diametric opposite of all these points found in (Php 4:5-7), taking away our peace, our joy, and ability to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. If we’re granted to do these things, the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. The world’s idea of ‘peace, peace when there is no peace’ is what currently makes up the companion of fools that in time will be destroyed (Pro 13:20, Rev 14:8, Rev 18:2).

Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Pro 13:20  He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

It is through the life of continual prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving to God that the groundwork in our hearts can be laid for us to fulfill the following verses which will reassure us that our “reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things”:

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Php 4:9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

The principle point being made in this first section of the proverbs we will look at tonight gives us instruction on how to keep ourselves unspotted from this world as we visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, which is what pure religion is (Jas 1:27).

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The affliction of the widow represents the cross that the elect are called to bear in this life through the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”(1Ti 1:14). This abundance from God is what is needed in order to overcome the adversary, which we will do by the grace of God (Gal 2:20, Eph 6:16).

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  (the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”)

It was after Christ explained to his disciples the degree of forgiveness that is needed in order to follow him that they said unto the Lord, “Increase our faith”. Iniquity is going to abound at the end (Mat 24:11-13) of this age and we are going to have greater and greater need of God’s love and faith which He will supply to the body of Christ ‘exceedingly and abundantly’ so that His love does not wax cold within us. This is how God is going to witness to the world of those who are His (Joh 13:35), those whose “reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things” (Gal 5:6, Rom 8:39, 1Ti 1:14, 2Ti 1:13).

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Luk 17:3  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. [iniquity shall abound Mat 24:11-13]
Luk 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Luk 17:6  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Gal 5:6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Col 1:27, Col 1:24)

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words (Rev 3:11), which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Pro 23:1  When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
Pro 23:2  And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
Pro 23:3  Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

These first three proverbs are talking about how we are to walk in and out and amongst so great a people (Psa 86:11-15, 2Ch 1:10, 1Ki 3:7-9), which is accomplished by the faith of Christ and God’s love being shed abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:10). The “deceitful meat” being talked about is all the lies of Babylon that we need to be washed of so we can know how to “behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”(1Ti 3:15)

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Psa 86:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psa 86:12  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
Psa 86:13  For great is thy mercy toward me:(Rom 11:30-32) and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell^{H7585 = sheol}. [my own abussos, grave, pit, sheh-ole’, my carnal nature]
Psa 86:14  O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

2Ch 1:10  Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
1Ki 3:8  And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
1Ki 3:9  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

Our battle is not against flesh and blood as it sounds like it is talking about in these opening proverbs. No, it is rather speaking against the powers and principalities that are proceeding forth from the ruler of this world, Satan the devil (Eph 6:12), and therefore we must always “consider diligently what is before thee” and destroy our old man’s carnal appetite with the word of God, which is likened unto a sword or knife (Heb 4:12) that can cut. This is the knife we need to put to our throat – “put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite”. Thank God He has promised that sword won’t depart from our house (2Sa 2:10, 1Pe 4:17)

We are called to not love the world (1Jn 2:15-17), which is what we are doing when we are “desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat” (Heb 12:16).

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat [“deceitful meat”] sold his birthright.

Pro 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

When we are trying to figure life out by our own wits, we can be assured as God’s elect that a trial is on the horizon, which will bring suffering in our life that will cause us to “cease from thine own wisdom” as we’re brought to our wits’ end (1Pe 4:1, Psa 107:25-30, 1Co 2:4-7).

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh (Heb 5:8-9), arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.(1Jn 2:17)

Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:(1Co 2:13)

So, yes, we are being admonished to not be obsessed over making it our goal to be physically rich in this world, and that thought parallels with the idea of the rich young ruler whose physical riches are a representation of his self-righteous and iniquitous heart which was not given at that time to see that he was wretched, miserable, poor and blind (Rev 3:17, Mat 19:16-22).

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. (“I am rich, and increased with goods” Eze 33:13)

Pro 23:5  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Pro 23:6  Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Pro 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Pro 23:8  The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Paul’s estimation of the world and all that is in it should be ours (Php 3:8), and therefore God asks us, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?” [the temporal world that is passing, not losing our life so we can gain it (Mar 8:36, Mat 10:39)], or will you do this, (Php 3:13-15), and in so doing overcome the riches that “make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven”.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

When we set our eyes upon that which is not, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?”, we are being seduced by Babylon which has nothing to offer us but empty spiritual calories. We are commanded therefore, “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats”.

A spiritual harlot’s heart is not with us when we join ourselves unto her, (Pro 30:20), is what we are learning when we read: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee”, and such a resultant act of eating will cause us to vomit up the vomit we returned to (2Pe 2:21-22), losing “thy sweet words” which are the words of God that we are to protect at all cost.

Pro 30:20  Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Pro 23:9  Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

In the early immature stages of our walk we tend to not believe that people will trample under their feet the things we have come to see as being precious, and certainly did not expect that they would turn again and rend us.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Pro 23:10  Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Pro 23:11  For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

“The old landmark”, as we looked at last week, is the word of God ‘that changes not and therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed’ (Mal 3:6, Joh 6:68). God tells us in His word that the whole world is deceived and we are not to try to remove their old landmarks of deception, which is the negative example of that point, any more than we are not to remove the positive spiritual landmarks of God’s truths that have been proven and are being held fast to (1Th 5:21).

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Entering not into the field of the fatherless is another reminder for us that we are not to try to change this world, but rather remember that God is a father to the fatherless (Psa 68:5-6, Mal 3:5) and He is their mighty redeemer who will plead their cause, as we see in these verses:

Psa 68:5  A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Psa 68:6  God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

The vulnerable in the world are not forgotten by God, their fatherless plight that God ministers to is a shadow of the pure religion being formed in the elect who are first to be the true fatherless ones in the spirit, no longer being of our father the devil, and having come out of Babylon which was our first mother (Jas 1:27).

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (1Jn 4:17, Psa 68:5)

Pro 23:12  Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

(Rom 2:13) says “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” God is after our hearts and ears, and will have us receive His instruction and His words of knowledge because of the new heart that He has given us (Joh 4:23, Eze 36:26).

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Php 2:12-13, Luk 17:10)

Pro 23:13  Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Pro 23:14  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

The child is us, the children of God who must be received through correction (Heb 12:6). God loves us and will not withhold correction with those who are being judged in this age because He does not want us to die spiritually and then have to be judged in the lake of fire, second death, great white throne judgement (Act 14:22, Rev 3:18-19, 1Pe 4:17).

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

The rod is the word of God that convicts us of our wrong doing (Rom 2:4-5) and will deliver our “soul from hell”^H7585, from the valley of the shadow of death, the abussos, the grave, the flesh and blood part of us that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50).

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Luk 12:32)
Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Pro 23:15  My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
Pro 23:16  Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

God will rejoice when our hearts are no longer hardened and impenitent (but rather contrite and broken Isa 66:2). It will be by His mercy, which is shown in His judgement upon the body of Christ in this life, that we are going to be able “speak right things” and God’s “reins shall rejoice” in His workmanship that we are (Psa 107:2, Mal 3:16-18).

Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; (our carnal minds)

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Mal 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (primarily seen within as our old man decreases and Christ increases Joh 3:30)