“Do not crave his delicacies”
[Proverbs 23:1-8]
Do you know what are some of the best foods in the world? In a Facebook survey of 33,000 people over a three-week period from a group, I saw an article that published ‘The 50 Best Foods You Picked in the World’ (Internet). Looking at that article, all of the oriental foods were ranked #1 to #10 among the 50 best foods in the world. 1st, 2nd and 6th place were Indonesian foods. These were foods I had never tried. However, sushi and ramen, the Japanese foods we know, are ranked 3rd and 8th. And the Thai food Pad Thai was 5th. As for the Korean foods, Kimchi and Bulgogi ranked 12th and 23rd. Vietnamese Noodle Pho was 20th, and Mexican Taco was 27th. Don't you want to eat these delicious foods? Perhaps you want to eat when you are hungry. So why do we feel hungry? The reason is said to be a sign that we need to eat something because our body is running out of energy. It is said that this hunger is caused by two main mechanisms. One is blood sugar and the other is when the stomach is empty. A person named Sang-man Kim, a professor at the Cha Medical University, who is the leading authority in chronic fatigue, detoxification, obesity, and clinical nutrition, said, ‘When our brain detects that sugar in the blood has fallen, it stimulates the appetite center, which is the feeling of hunger that we feel.’ It is said that when we feel this hunger, we develop a desire to eat. When the stomach is empty, as we all know, it is when the stomach makes rumbling sounds. This is mostly evidence that the stomach is empty. Professor Sang-man Kim said, ‘Then, when the stomach contracts, it secretes ghrelin, an enteric hormone’ and when it gets to our brain, we feel hungry and we're looking for something to eat.’ But the problem is we overeat. Why do we fall into the temptation of food and overeat? Professor Kim said 'stress' as the biggest culprit in overeating. Stress is not just the emotional stress we get from our boss. It's a more comprehensive concept. In other words, ‘Every situation that doesn't go according to my will all acts as stress on my body without knowing it.’ For example, when we fight or get angry because of a relationship, it certainly puts stress on our body. When this happens, energy decline appears in our body, which is called a hypoglycemic state. The brain then immediately signals that it needs fuel to generate energy, and what it needs is sugar, not fat or protein. The reason is because our brain uses only sugar to create energy. That’s why we eat the foods with high sugar content when we are hungry. Another important secret to stress-provoking overeating is the hormonal secret. Professor Kim said, ‘When we are under stress, we must also provide a substance that can overcome the stress.’ ‘The representative of that substance is serotonin’. Therefore, in order to relieve stress, a hormone called serotonin must be secreted so that we can overcome stress and live. There are many ways to secrete serotonin, and some people say that they exercise and eat spicy foods. They drink alcohol and even use drugs. Professor Kim said, ‘Even if we eat what we want to eat, serotonin, a hormone that overcomes stress, comes out’ and ‘that's why if we feel stressed out without our knowledge, we will covet food’ (Internet).
If we look at Proverbs 23:3, 6, the Bible says twice, ”Do not crave his delicacies.” I would like to receive the lessons God gives us while meditating on three things.
First, what does it mean to crave delicious food?
In Proverbs 23:3, 6, the Bible says “Do not crave his delicacies” and it is talking about 'gluttons'. Look at verse 21a: “for drunkards and gluttons become poor, ….” Here, the Latin word for “gluttons” is “gluttire” which means “to gulp down or swallow,” which also means to swallow food quickly and loudly. That means "over-indulgence" or over-consumption of food. There are 613 commandments in the Torah of Judaism, but the 169th commandment says that overeating or excessive drinking is prohibited (Wikipedia). The Bible says a lot about food cravings. Sodom and Aunt, as we know, were committing sexually promiscuous sins against God. But in the first half of Ezekiel 16:49-50, the prophet Ezekiel says: “'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. ….” In these Scriptures, the prophet Ezekiel said that among the sins committed by Sodom and Gomorrah, it was “overfed”. In other words, they ate too much food. In addition to this, Sodom and Gomorrah are said to be "unconcerned." In other words, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah ate too much food and were overfed, so they were unconcerned. This is also their sin. When I think of these words of Ezekiel, I remember the words of Deuteronomy 31:20 and 32:15 that I meditated on at the morning prayer meeting last week: “When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant” (31:20) and “Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior.” (32:15). Moses knew that when the Israelites entered Canaan, the Promised Land in the future, they would eat and be full, fat, enlarged, and prosperous. In Deuteronomy 8, the Bible describes the land of Canaan as follow: “a good land” (v. 7), a land that the Israelites have no shortages and lack of food (v. 9), and “the good land” (v. 10). Moses feared that when the Israelites eat and are satisfied, build fine houses and settle down, and when their herds and flocks grow large and their silver and gold increase and all they have is multiplied, then their hearts will become proud and you will forget the LORD their God (vv.12-14). That fear was specifically that the Israelites would say to their hearts, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (v. 17). In connection with this passage, when we meditate on Proverbs 23:1-8, the craving for delicious food means that we eat like the Israelites and become full, fat, and bloated, and eventually our heart becomes arrogant. In other words, it has to do with the cravings for food and the pride of the heart. Not only do we gain weight when we are greedy for food, and we are full and gain weight, but we also gain weight in our hearts and become arrogant. At that time, our human instinct tries to enjoy carnal security in vain. Regarding such a person, Jesus said in Luke 12:19 – “And I'll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”
Another Bible passage about food craving is Philippians 3:19 – “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” The Bible says that the god of the wicked man who will be destroyed is “stomach”. In other words, evil people are addicted to coveting and eating food (Torrey). Do you think a person can become addicted to eating? When we say “addicted” we will mainly think of alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction, sex addiction, etc. But nowadays, when it comes to “addiction”, there is also Internet addiction and shopping addiction as well. But is there any food addiction? The Journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ) (March 9, 2010) said that 'food addiction' is an important part of obesity, the 21st century epidemic that is currently showing the fastest growing trend. The cause of obesity is that the body consumes more calories than it spends. If excessive calorie intake (overeating) is 'compulsive' and cannot be controlled by one's own will, some scholars refer to that condition as 'food addiction (Internet). In the end, I think it’s good to say that “Do not crave his delicacies” in Proverbs 23:3, 6 as saying that we should not become addicted to food.
Second, whose delicious food is the Bible telling us not to crave?
In Proverbs 23:3, 6, the Bible tells us not to crave “his” delicacies. Who does “his” refer to here? Look at verse 1: “When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you.” In fact, the Bible says not to crave the ruler’s delicacies. And here, “a ruler” isn’t just ordinary ruler, but the luxuries of a wealthy ruler (MacArthur). And this lavish rich man is an influential person (MacDonald). When such a person gave a banquet, the Bible is telling us not to crave the delicious food he prepared. By the way, this influential, luxurious and wealthy ruler is “a stingy man” (v. 6). Look at Proverbs 28:22 – “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.” By the way, the opposite of “a stingy man” here is “A generous man”. Look at Proverbs 22:9 – “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” The generous shares his food with the poor while the stingy man doesn’t share his abundant foods. The stingy man is a scrooge. This is what Proverbs 23:7 says about this scrooge, the stingy man: “for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” In other words, the ruler (v. 1) is the one who is always thinking about the cost first. It is hypocritical to pretend that he is generous when he provides food for a banquet even though he is so stingy (Walvoord). His heart is never with us (v. 7). Such a person even abuses the poor in order to gain his own advantage. Also, he treats delicious food and even bribes to the richer people than himself (22:16).
When I think of the stingy man in the Bible, I think of "Nabal," the husband of Abigail, a wise woman, who is the lavish rich man who doesn’t share his abundant food with others. Who is Nabal? Nabal was a man who lived in Carmel in Judah. In 1 Samuel 25:2, he said, he was very wealthy and had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. His name “Nabal” means “Fool” (v. 25). In other words, he was a fool even to his wife's eyes. And in the words of his wife Abigail, Nabal was a “wicked man” (v. 25). Even the servants of Nabal told Abigail about their master: “He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him” (v. 17). Nabal, who couldn’t communicate with other and whose wife wife and even his servants said he was the wicked man “was harsh and evil in his dealing” (v. 3). So he returned David's good for evil (v. 21). In other words, David was very good to Nabal (v. 15). David's young men were with Nabal's servants day and night to protect them and all of Naba’s flock (vv. 15-16). Therefore, none of theirs was lost (v. 7). However, Nabal was bad and stubborn, and his conduct was wicked. He despised and treated the servants sent by David poorly. When David's servants came to Nabal and told what David said, “… let my young men find favor in your eyes … Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David” (v. 8), this is what Nabal said to them: “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master” (v. 10).
When we eat with a stingy person, we have to think about who is sitting in front of us. Even if he seems to be generous to us, we must not forget who he is. And we shouldn't crave the delicious food he serves.
Third and last, why is the Bible telling us not to crave his delicious food?
Look at Proverbs 23:3 – “Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.” The reason why they don't want the ruler's delicious food is because it is a deceitful food. In other words, the reason why we should crave his delicious food is because that food can be a bait to deceive us. Do you think food can be deceiving bait? When I asked this question, I was reminded of the scene of a stingy rich man living luxuriously in a Korean drama dining with a politician. Mainly in such scenes, we see a rich man getting what he wants to get by offering a bribe while serving a meal to a powerful politician. Then the politician has a meal with the rich man in order to get the bribe. In the end, the rich man treats the politician with food and gets what he wants with the bait of money. And both of them are attracted to greed when they see that the politician falls for the bait of the money and meets the demands of the rich man. After all, what is important here isn’t the meal that they have together but their motivation when they share the meal together. What would you do if the rich man served you as a meal to gain something from us with impure motives? What would you do if someone bribes you for something he wants to get from you while eating together? Look at 2 Peter 2:13 – “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.” What does it mean? The false teacher, who doesn’t keep the truth, craves food, and deceives us even at the feast where he sits with us. If we fall for the trick, we will feel unpleasant in our heart to vomit what we ate later when we realize that the trick is for us (Prov. 23:8) (Park). And the word of gratitude to him when he was offered a meal will go back to vain (v. 8). Therefore, we should not crave the false teacher's delicious food. It is clearly deceitful food (v. 2).
Why do so many people fall into the false teacher's ‘deceptive food’? Why do so many people fall into the bait of the stingy rich man? Can't it be because people are in need? Wouldn't it be easy to fall for the bait of the wicked rich man in a desperate situation where money is desperately needed and there is no money? But even more persuasive than that, the lure of money is bound to be tempting enough if there is greed in our hearts. Especially, as in Proverbs 23:4, if we are wearing ourselves to get rich in our greed, we can fall into the bait of money thrown by the wicked rich man. If we were struggling to get rich, what would we pay attention to? Isn't it riches? (v. 5) This is what the Bible 1 Timothy 6:9-10 says: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Those who want to get rich fall into temptations and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires. They will fall into ruin and destruction. Those who love money and covet it are deceived, depart from the faith, and pierce themselves with many grief. That is why the Bible says, “But you, man of God, flee from all this” (v. 11).
In Proverbs 23:4, the Bible says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” We should not wear ourselves out to get rich. But we should have the wisdom to show restraint. We must abandon our human wisdom that doesn’t obey God's word and try to collect wealth in a false way of man (Park). We must have self-restraint wisdom. What is the self-restraint wisdom here? There are two things we can think of:
(1) Self-restraint wisdom is thinking.
We must think about who is in front of us now (v. 1). As we eat together, we have to think about what kind of person is sitting in front of us. In other words, it means to spread your wings of thought and think wisely rather than freely thinking about the other person. We must restraint out thinking. We need to be able to grasp the motives of the other person's heart by listening carefully with discernment and not believing all of the other person's words unconditionally.
(2) Self-restraint wisdom is self-control.
Look at Proverbs 23:2 – “and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” We must not only abstain from our thoughts, but also from food. Here, self-control of food is self-control of the mind, especially when considering the context. We must not set our hearts on our riches even when it increases (Ps. 62:10). I think that self-control of the heart is to resist the temptation of greed of any kind and to keep our hearts content. If we don’t control our hearts in this way, we will fall into the temptation of covetousness and become slaves to covetousness. What must we do to obtain this self-controlled wisdom? Of course, the most important thing is to ask God for wisdom (Jam. 1:5). We must not only seek wisdom, but also ask for “self-control”, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). In the midst of that, we need to realize a little desperately that the desire for riches is futile. Look at Proverbs 23:5 – “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Therefore, we must not put our hope in wealth which is so uncertain (1 Tim. 6:17).
If we think that we are overeating and think that it makes us fat, Professor Sang-man Kim says that it belongs to a dangerous habit with our own life as collateral (Internet). There are two reasons, one is 'because overeating threatens blood vessel health' and the other is 'because overeating causes a lot of active oxygen'. ‘Because overeating eats more than the energy available to that person, the remaining energy must be accumulated everywhere. It is the fat cells that accumulate. As fat cells increase, they store nutrients that come from keep on eating. However, there is also a limit to the storage of these nutrients by fat cells. When fat cells can no longer store, the nutrients float in the blood vessels and commit various kinds of brutality. This is because fat accumulates in the blood vessels, causing hyperlipidemia, and the accumulation of sugar in the blood vessels weakens the blood vessels, causing intravascular bleeding. So, overeating becomes the source of all the diseases leading the 21st century. … The food we eat uses oxygen to metabolize energy. However, at this time, oxygen, which inevitably burns unsafely, remains. That is active oxygen. This active oxygen is known to be the main culprit in promoting aging. In addition, it indiscriminately attacks organs in our body, causing chronic diseases. However, when we overeat, we also make a lot of active oxygen in our body. Professor Sang-man Kim emphasizes, 'Preventing overeating can be the most reliable way to prevent aging and keep health.' So how can we prevent overeating? Four lifestyle practices to prevent overeating are to eat slowly, make serotonin secretion well, refrain from foods high in sugars, and don't get spoiled with taste. In order not to overeat, it is also necessary not to eat MSG. That is the secret to ending the temptation of taste and of overeating. Professor Kim said, ‘Today, it is like a heaven of salty, sweet, and delicious food all around us. The wisdom of living in this era is to eat as bad as possible, and not to eat unless we are hungry (Internet).
The Bible Proverbs 23:1-8 commands us, “Do not crave his delicacies”. We must not covet the delicious food of the stingy, luxurious rich man. The reason is because that food is deceitful. We shouldn't covet his delicious food because that food can be deceiving bait. We should not try too hard to get rich and have the wisdom to restrain ourselves. We must ask God for self-restraint wisdom. So we need to know how to control ourselves. In particular, we must know how to control our hearts. Then we will be able to resist any temptation of covetousness and be content with Jesus alone.