Proverbs 20 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Proverbs 20 Short Summary:
Proverbs 20 continues the short proverbs of Solomon that began in chapter 10. Solomon’s proverbs are recorded in Proverbs chapter 10 through chapter 29. These proverbs are typically short and concise statements of wisdom for the medication of the reader.
Proverbs 20 Summary
BREAKDOWN OF PROVERBS - CHART
DEFINITIONS:
Prudence (19:14) – Acting carefully; moving through life cautiously and thoughtfully.
Sluggard (19:24) – A lazy person who is slow to do their work.
Scoffer (19:25) - A Mocker; Someone who makes fun of something or someone.
HIGHLIGHTED PROVERBS:
PROVERB #1:
Proverbs 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
Alcohol makes men into mockers and brawlers, which aren’t traits of wise men. Wise men are respectful and self-controlled.
When a person gets drunk, the alcohol inside them is guiding them in their decision making. Those who are led by alcohol are going to be “led astray,” led into making foolish choices.
Knowing this, we don’t ever want to put ourselves in a position where we are being led by strong drinks.
A wise man must always be sober, his mind clear and discerning, so he can make godly choices at every instance. He won’t allow himself to be led by anything that might cause him to sin, he is smarter than that!
Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus and told them not to be filled up with wine, but to be filled up with the Spirit of God.
Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
PROVERB #2:
Proverbs 20:3 – “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.”
It’s an honorable thing for a man to avoid arguments and diffuse tense situations.
A wise man knows arguing and anger are rarely productive, so he carefully discerns tense situations to keep them from boiling over.
The wise man also doesn’t walk into environments where he knows a lot of quarreling is going to be present. He keeps his distance from such unproductive places. He knows how anger often leads to sin, and he avoids putting himself in those situations.
He isn’t eager to argue, and he knows how to keep an argument from happening.
On the other hand, every encounter the fool has devolves into an argument. He fights about petty things, keeps company with other quarrelers, and has no skill at deescalating situations.
He is eager to argue about everything and gives no pause to consider what sins it might lead him into.
PROVERB #3:
Proverbs 20:29 – “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.”
Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”
Young people are blessed by strength, health, and beauty, but those are not the only admirable characteristics a person can have.
Solomon tells us the gray hair of the elderly is a crown of glory, a sign of their wisdom and experience.
Most western cultures admire youth, but they don’t value older people the way they should.
They worship youthfulness but have forgotten to seek wisdom from the old.
In the big picture, it seems inevitable that a culture obsessed with youth and beauty will be shallower than a culture that respects the old and honors them as fountains of wisdom.
