Neville Goddard on Proverbs 23:1-35 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Proverbs 23 in context

Scripture Focus

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

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

5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

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

10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

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

13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Proverbs 23:1-35

Biblical Context

The passage warns against chasing outward pleasures and riches, urging prudence, discipline, and discernment. It calls the reader to cultivate instruction, truth, and fear of the LORD.

Neville's Inner Vision

See the chapter as a study in the state of your own consciousness. When you imagine sitting at the table of a ruler, you are not executing a social ritual but encountering a state of awareness that would sway your decisions by appearances. The warnings about dainties, deceitful meat, and wine are signs that outer temptations do not feed your being; they fly away like wings unless you root your mind in inner steadiness. Wealth, the text says, can fly; yet you can learn to distrust the flight by anchoring your regard in the I AM within. The evil eye and flattering words point to thoughts that would mislead your heart, so you guard your heart and align it with instruction and knowledge. Discipline becomes a spiritual practice, not punishment, delivering your soul from the hell of habit. If your heart is wise, your inner father rejoices; the fear of the LORD all day ensures an end your mind can trust. In short, your present life is shaped by your inner posture—watch, revise, and dwell in wise, self possessed discernment.

Practice This Now

Imaginative_act: Assume the posture of the inner ruler now. Close your eyes and declare, 'I am the I AM; I govern my appetite with wisdom.' Then feel it real by visualizing yourself calmly turning away from outward dainties and tasting only what aligns with your inner truth.