“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” I’ve heard this quoted many times to make the point that you are what you think. Or shall I say misquoted? That’s not what the text actually says, nor what it means. Here’s the passage in context, in three different translations:
Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments. (Prov 23:6-8, NASB)
Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; 7 for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments. (Prov 23:6-8, NIV)
Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, 7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words. (Prov 23:6-8, ESV
The first thing to notice in all three translations is that it doesn’t read “a man” as in any person (as one might infer from the KJV), but rather “he.” It has a specific kind of person in mind. What kind of person is that? A stingy person. Solomon is warning against duplicitous, selfish people who have their own interests in mind, but act as if they care about you. They are not showing you their true hand. Their heart doesn’t match their words. Outwardly they pretend to be generous, but inwardly are stingy.
While one may be what they think (or conversely, think according to what they are), that’s not the point of Proverbs 23:7.
Keep it in context….
Thinking to Believe 
November 15, 2016 at 5:45 am
The Bible consistently warns against and castigates hypocrites. Jesus/Yahshua Himself did so throughout His own earthly ministry:
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:42)
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? (Job 27:8)
An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. (Proverbs 11:9)
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November 15, 2016 at 9:29 am
Another good example, T.R!
But you said, “The first thing to notice in all three translations is that it doesn’t read “a man,” but rather “the man.” Did you mean to say the reverse-“a” rather than”the”?
Perhaps the “misquoters” are confusing it with Luke 6:45 :… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks”.
Don
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November 15, 2016 at 9:35 am
I should have said the “Outta contexters”.
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November 15, 2016 at 8:04 pm
Post 1 is out of context with the Post Outta context # 6.
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November 15, 2016 at 8:05 pm
Don:
Outta contesters would really be confused if they linked it to 6:45…….
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November 15, 2016 at 9:24 pm
Thanks for the call-out Don. I’ve fixed it.
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November 16, 2016 at 7:26 am
Re: post # 4.
From T. R.:
“Solomon is warning against duplicitous, selfish people who have their own interests in mind, but act as if they care about you. They are not showing you their true hand. Their heart doesn’t match their words. Outwardly they pretend to be generous, but inwardly are stingy.”
* * * * *
The bottom line is this:
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:12-14)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
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November 16, 2016 at 8:23 am
The Berean: Isaiah 65:1-5 (continuing post # 1.)
http://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.showBerean/BereanID/8473/bblver/NKJV/Isaiah-65-1-5.htm
From the above article by John W. Ritenbaugh:
Our concern is His holier-than-you accusation. In this case, God is saying that Israel was rejecting Him, as if they were somehow better than He was and did not need the correction He had for them. Within a Christian assembly, a negative exclusivity can form in an individual and create hazards in our attitudes about ourselves and others, laying a spiritual minefield.
This attitude requires understanding. We must be careful. It causes some among us to be aloof within the group to their own hurt or to withdraw themselves and become independent. It infected the Jews of Jesus’ day—in fact, the origin of the word “Pharisee” is vague, but most commentators believe it means “separatists.” It affected the church, too, in the days of the apostles.
Matthew 9:10-11 records an incident in which a form of it confronted Jesus:
And so it was, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus’ response pointedly reveals the error in their thinking and conduct.
Galatians 2:11-13 exposes its existence in the early church:
But when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
This is a possible downside of the true church’s exclusivity. It can produce a self-righteous, I’m-better-than-you hypocrisy if we forget or overlook the fact that it was God’s work and not ours that provides our calling and spirituality. Even today, there are groups claiming to be the exclusive true church.
* * * * *
But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)
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November 16, 2016 at 9:25 am
Post # 7 outta context to justify why Post # 1 outta context but the twist cannot make is straight.
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November 16, 2016 at 1:25 pm
We seem to have gone far afield of T.R.’s series of outta context scriptural examples. After al, this is his blog site and he is kindly endeavoring to bring to our attention valid examples of such passages so we his readers won’t be among those who make such contextual mistakes.
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