As he thinketh in his heart, so is he. That’s how the KJV renders Proverbs 23:7, a go-to-text for many prosperity preachers. Many teachers argue that our imagination creates our prosperity. They say that we can think our way into health and wealth. Then they furnish Proverbs 23:7 as proof of this ‘truth.’ Do they interpret this text rightly?
For example, T. D. Jakes, based on Prov. 23:7a insists that “You are one thought away from the greatest experience you’ve ever had in your life.” Andrew Wommack’s book The Power of Imagination seeks to show his followers “the true potential of your imagination.” The book uses Prov. 23:7a to “show you how to think properly so you can be all that God created you to be!” Admittedly, Wommack does not just imagine your money into his pocket—his book costs $15.
My article will not discuss the dangers of this New Thought-sponsored positive thinking. Andrew Spenser, Thomas Kidd, and Tara Isabella Burton did a great job already. Rather, I would like to discuss one prooftext peppered over such kind of teaching: Prov. 23:7
A Text Without Context
Dr. Don Carson’s Dad used to tell him that a text without a context is a pretext for a prooftext. We can make any verse mean whatever we want if we ignore its context. For example, suppose I say, “then it hit me.” So what hit me, and where did it hit me? Does ‘it’ refer to a hammer? Wood? Maybe a stone? Or, is it a new thought, a fresh understanding that hit me? The meaning lies in context, doesn’t it? Without context, anything can mean anything. But if something can mean anything, it really means nothing.
I often labor to explain this principle to people, especially on social media. They react either by calling context ‘a religious spirit’ or retreat to ‘well, that’s your revelation, I have mine.’ So, I will say two things about that.
First, if communication must occur, there must be a shared medium, whether spoken or not, through which words, phrases, and sentences transmit sense. Without fixed meanings, whether through the words themselves or the context in which they are used, we cannot sensibly communicate. If words are subjectively malleable and mean whatever we choose, we are back to Babel where confusing communication destroys civilization — and the salvation of many (Gen. 11:1-9).
Secondly, authorial intent is crucial to meaning. The whole question of whether the figure on the ground is a six or a nine can go on forever until we ask the author. But if the meaning of the ancient text subjectively lies with the modern reader, then the text means nothing. But biblical interpreters must strive to study Scripture from the author’s viewpoint, seeking to understand why and what they wrote. And context is crucial in understanding authorial intent.
Back to Prov. 23:7
The context of Proverbs 23:1-8 has the author discussing desirable dainties and deceitful dishes. The author cautions us to be careful when rich rulers invite us to dinners, to “put a knife on your throat” (v. 1-2). He does not want us to be greedy for food or presume that an outward invitation necessarily translates into inward affection from our well-to-do hosts. External generosity does not always ensue from good motives.
The author also warns against craving riches after setting our sights on the extravagant delicacies of the rich. Riches, he says, “certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (v. 5). So, when you visit affluent homes or farms, do not covet them, for they are not firm foundations upon which one can build a lasting identity or satisfaction.
Besides, be careful not to eat the bread of stingy people, those with ‘an evil eye.’ Desire not their delicacies (v. 6). Because such a person is ‘inwardly calculating’ and while he says to you ‘eat and drink,’ “his heart is not with you” (v. 7). Otherwise, you might end up vomiting even the morsel of bread you ate, despite the pleasant conversation you thought you had at the dinner table (v. 8). At that time, your positive or creative imagination shall not save you from such a calculating stingy man.
These verses are straightforward in meaning. We must then wonder what motive lies behind those who misuse Prov. 23:7a to teach their prosperity gospel and New Thought. When we read the whole verse, the text says nothing about thinking positive ideas. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” The verse says: watch out, don’t let outside looks fool you. If you could know your host’s inward scheming, you would see that he isn’t your friend. That’s all the text says.
So, we carefully consider the context of every text we read. No text is an empty vessel into which we may freely stuff our subjective meanings. God’s Word is God speaking to us. Therefore, we must listen, not be creative with the text’s message.
Prov. 23:7 does not teach or summon our imaginative and creative power. It’s a warning against greed and covetousness. The text also opposes a sort of naivety that makes us mistake a smile for kindness or a dinner invitation for friendship. The author wants us to know that a desperate pursuit of food and finances can cost us much—even our soul.