Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
This verse comes from Proverbs, a collection of practical wisdom sayings in the Bible, most attributed to the ancient Israelite King Solomon. "Keeping the law" means living according to God's wisdom and instructions — it's shorthand for a life of discernment and self-discipline. "A companion of gluttons" refers not only to people who overeat, but to people who live for excess and immediate gratification without restraint. In the ancient world, honoring your parents was a profound moral and social obligation, so "disgracing your father" was serious — it meant your choices were bringing public shame on your family and community. The core idea here is one Proverbs returns to again and again: the company you keep doesn't just reflect who you are; it slowly shapes who you become.
God, give me wisdom about the people I let closest to my life. Help me be the kind of friend who helps others grow — and give me the honesty to see when a relationship is quietly pulling me away from you. Guard my heart without making it hard. Amen.
Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become someone who has lost control of their choices. It happens gradually — through proximity, through the slow drift of spending time around people whose habits quietly become your habits, whose ceilings quietly become your ceilings. Proverbs is blunt about this in a way that feels almost uncomfortable: your companions don't just mirror who you already are. They're actively forming who you're becoming. This isn't a call to be cold or to abandon anyone who struggles. It's an honest question about gravitational pull. Who are the two or three people closest to your life right now — and do they generally make it easier or harder to become the person you actually want to be? You might not need to end any relationships. But you probably do need to answer that question honestly, and then decide what to do with what you find.
What does "keeping the law" mean in the context of Proverbs — and how would you translate that idea into the practical rhythms of your own life today?
Think about your closest friendships: do they generally make it easier or harder for you to live with the kind of discipline and integrity you say you want?
Is it realistically possible to be deeply close to someone whose habits are self-destructive without being gradually shaped by them? What would maintaining that kind of closeness actually require?
How do you hold the tension between being a loyal, present friend to someone who is struggling and honestly protecting your own values and direction in life?
Is there a relationship in your life that you know — if you're honest with yourself — is slowly pulling you away from who you want to be? What is one honest step you could take this week?
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Proverbs 23:22
He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.
Proverbs 19:26
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1 Peter 4:3
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Proverbs 29:15
Be not among winebibbers ; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Proverbs 23:20
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
Titus 1:6
For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
Proverbs 2:1
He who keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise and discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father [and himself].
AMP
The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
ESV
He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.
NASB
He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
NIV
Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, But a companion of gluttons shames his father.
NKJV
Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.
NLT
Practice God's law—get a reputation for wisdom; hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.
MSG