Provers 20:1-19 has as its theme our need for salvation. It begins with our text for today which is Proverbs 20:1-4 which is a condemnation of vice.

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
    whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;
    those who anger him forfeit their lives.

It is to one’s honor to avoid strife,
    but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Sluggards do not plow in season;
    so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

Proverbs 20:1-4

Each one of these four verses points out the unwise folly of a distinct vice. Vere 1 points us to alcohol, and by extension other intoxicating substances. The conclusion is elegant in its simplicity: Being led astray by these things is unwise.

Incurring the wrath of the king seems to also be unwise, as it leads to death. In our day, we have ample opportunities to poke government in the eye and incur its wrath in some way; this too would be unwise. Many years ago, I knew a guy who was part of a group of people who prided themselves on not paying taxes. They made many interesting presentations on how the law does not require anyone to pay them. I never went along with them; maybe they were right, maybe they were wrong, nut all these years later I am sitting here writing a Christian blog, and those guys are sitting in prison. Angering the king is still a bad idea.

Verse three has already come up several times: it isn’t wise to get yourself into every quarrel that comes along; you might even find yourself in a cell next to those old tax protesters I mentioned.

Finally, verse four refers to laziness. This one reminds me of a great line in an old John Lennon song: “There’s a place for you in movies, you just gotta lay around”. Yes sir, that’s how you become a star, lay around the house until Hollywood comes along and knocks on your door: Unwise.

Please note the understated way that this whole subject is handled here. There was no name calling, no yelling, no insults, just simple and clear practicality. You can make choices that are wise… or not.