Day 1,066: Proverbs 23- Redirected Appetites

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    observe carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,
    for they are deceptive food.

4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;
    be discerning enough to desist.

5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
    for suddenly it sprouts wings,
    flying like an eagle toward heaven.

6 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.

9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
    for he will despise the good sense of your words.

10 Do not move an ancient landmark
    or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong;
    he will plead their cause against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction
    and your ear to words of knowledge.

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
    if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

14 If you strike him with the rod,
    you will save his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
    my heart too will be glad.

16 My inmost being will exult
    when your lips speak what is right.

17 Let not your heart envy sinners,
    but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

18 Surely there is a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.
 
19 Hear, my son, and be wise,
    and direct your heart in the way.

20 Be not among drunkards
    or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
    and slumber will clothe them with rags.
 
22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
    and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy truth, and do not sell it;
    buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
    he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

25 Let your father and mother be glad;
    let her who bore you rejoice.
 
26 My son, give me your heart,
    and let your eyes observe my ways.

27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
    an adulteress[g] is a narrow well.

28 She lies in wait like a robber
    and increases the traitors among mankind.
 
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
    Who has redness of eyes?

30 Those who tarry long over wine;
    those who go to try mixed wine.

31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup
    and goes down smoothly.

32 In the end it bites like a serpent
    and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
    and your heart utter perverse things.

34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
    like one who lies on the top of a mast.

35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;
    they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?
    I must have another drink.”
 
 
Meditation
Wisdom walks with redeemed appetites, satisfied souls hungering for God and His glory. Enemies of the cross live as if their appetite, or stomachs, are their god. In contrast, believers are citizens of heaven who hope in Jesus to satisfy and who hunger for the glory of God (Philippians 3:18-20).
 
Wisdom calls you to examine and redirect your appetites in regards to:
 
Delicacies of the wealthy (1-3): Hungering for these will only deceive your heart.
Wealth in general (4-5): Discerning when enough is enough is wisdom to live by.
Food of the stingy person (6-8): Their heart is not with you as they are manipulating you.
More land and power (10-11): Moving ancient landmarks only to make your mark is foolish.
Sexual sin (26-28): Playing outside God’s design is only destructive.
Alcohol and drinking (29-35): Not knowing when to say when is more than a sin, it will sting like venom of a serpent to kill you and what you hold dear.
 
Today’s reading begins and ends with wise warnings to re-order appetites, but it also includes direction for what to hunger for:
 
Hunger for heart instruction and knowledge (12-15): You will be glad and gain life!
Hunger for wisdom and listen to the ways of wisdom (16-26): Your inmost being will exult!
 
Lustful appetites seeking to dominate food, wealth, power, sex, or alcohol will end up dominating and destroying us. Jesus redeems our hearts and redirects our hungers, satisfying our souls so we can feast on His sovereign grace and hunger for His glory.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which aspects of our appetites that wisdom highlights stand out to you the most, and why?
 
-Do you control your appetite or does your appetite control you? What does this reveal about the satisfaction level of your heart?
 
-Jesus is the only one who can satisfy the desires of our hearts. How can you redirect your hungers for Him and His glory? Be specific.
 
Key Verses
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.