Stricken and Not Sick - Proverbs 23:35

In the book of Proverbs Solomon asked, “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has babbling? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not you upon the wine when it is red, when it gives his color in the cup, when it moves itself aright. At the last it bites like a serpent, and it stings like an adder. Your eyes shall behold strange women, and your heart shall utter perverse things. Yes, you shall be as he that lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lies upon the top of a mast”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse thirty-five of Proverbs Solomon said, “they have stricken me … and I was not sick” where we read,

They have stricken me, shall you say, and I was not sick;

they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?

I will seek it again.

The verse begins, “They have stricken me, shall you say, and I was not sick;” Solomon began with the words, “they have stricken me” or “they, other people, struck, beat, hit, scourge, conquered, subjugated and ravage me, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks”, “shall you say” which means “will you utter, declare and proclaim”, “and I was not sick” or “and I, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks was in no way or manner be made weak, grieved, diseased and wounded”. Solomon shared how the person who is intoxicated with fermented wine and mixed drinks will declare that they have been struck, but they never felt any pain. 

The verse goes on to say, “they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?” Solomon continued with the words, “they have beaten me” or “they, the other people, have struck, smote, hammered and broken me, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks, down”, “and I felt it not” which means “and I, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks, did not know, perceive, see, find out or discern”: “when shall I awake” or “at what time and moment I, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks, show signs of waking or rise from sleeping”? Solomon said the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks will declare that people have stuck them and they didn't even know it, and they would wonder at what time they will wake up so they can do the following. 

Finally the verse says, “I will seek it again.” The verse ends with the words, “I will seek it” or “I, the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks, will desire, request and search for the fermented wine and mixed drinks” “again”which means “another time”. Solomon said the person who drinks fermented wine and mixed drinks will wake up and search for the intoxicating drinks another time. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we see how Solomon described more traits of the person who continually seeks for fermented wine and mixed drinks. They can become so oblivious to their surroundings that they can be struck and do not know it, and their greatest desire when they wake up is to find another drink. This is an addiction that God desires to keep us from having, and when we yield to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and keep us protected from addictive elements that keep us from perceiving when we are hurt and only produce a desire to partake of them again. 

Next time we begin a new chapter and see Solomon say, “be not you envious against evil men”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".