Be Careful What You Eat Proverbs 23:1-8
I like to eat, as you can see. God has blessed us with some wonderful stuff to eat – imagine life without cheese!!! Today, we look at some proverbs which use food as a way to illustrate a truth.
Some background:
Ø 31 chapters, 915 verses 970-930BC
Ø Solomon was the main writer
Ø Agur and Lemuel penned a chapter each
Ø 1 Kings 4:32 - 3000 proverbs of Solomon, 800 are in this book
Ø Main theme: wisdom
* A proverb is not an absolute*
ü “Train up a child…”
ü “Wealth can be fleeting…”
1. Watch What You Eat Verses 1-3 Eating with a ruler
Not everyone has your best interests at heart.
Rulers (people in power) sometimes have deceitful motives behind the good stuff, the delicacies.
Have you ever been sucked in and taken down (for a ride) by an unscrupulous person? (Promotion from the boss – illustration)
There is a lot of nice stuff out there, but it comes with a price.
“A knife to your throat” Wow! Pretty extreme – but some situations can be very serious. Some commentaries say, “Bite your tongue.”
Q. Was not Solomon a ruler???
Be wise – look closely at the situation. Some people don’t have your best interest in mind.
Q. Is it too good to be true?
2. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Verses 4-5
How’s that million dollars going? Wealth: here today, gone tomorrow. If there is one thing which defines our society, our culture today, it is: We want it and we want it now.
Money/wealth is not evil of itself. “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
The warning is two-fold.
1. Don’t trust in riches/wealth, they may be gone before you know it.
2. Don’t put riches/wealth before God. Don’t make it an idol.
Matthew 6:24 “Can not serve God and money.” Why? It could sprout wings….like an eagle – powerful, swift. The proverb didn’t say like a chicken!!!
Don’t trust in wealth – Put your faith and trust in God. Rich and poor people die, then the judgement. Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
3. The Stingy Man Verses 6-8
Remember Scrooge McDuck – scrooges are usually rich/wealthy
Again, watch out for the trap. This is a warning. A schemer (liar) eg. used car salesman/politician. Look good on the outside. ‘Come on in, ya galah, have a cigar’….type
The warning is about the person’s character and motives. He says, “Eat and drink,” but his heart is not with you. He wants to take you down. (Time share holiday, phone scammers)
*What about other Christians, church leaders, pastors????
Illustration:- An invitation to someone’s home…..
We, as Christians, have to guard against this and also check out hearts.
4. Being Drunk Hurts Verses 29-35
WOE….Appropriate expression to start off with. These verses give warning about being drunk (under the influence of any substance which takes away our reason, our ability to make wise judgements) It looks good….at the start.
Conclusion
The writer of Proverbs gives us warning to be wise in these circumstances.
- Be careful and wise when people of power and influence place things and opportunities in front of us. Too good to be true. What are their motives? Is their heart for us or against us?
- Even with our church and other Christians, we must be on our guard.
- Choose God and His ways over wealth, money, position. It all could ‘go West’ very quickly.
- “Store up treasures in Heaven.”
- Don’t get drunk and say dumb stuff.