Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67
Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.
Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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23 March 2011
Proverbs 23
Focus: “Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.” Proverbs 23:3.
You have most likely heard the quip that says GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE—PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE. Along this same line I recently heard someone on the radio make a very similar technical point: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SUBSTANCE ABUSE—ALL WE HAVE IS SELF ABUSE. In other words, SUBSTANCES DON’T ABUSE PEOPLE—PEOPLE USE SUBSTANCES TO ABUSE THEMSELVES. So at the heart of this widespread problem is, in fact, THE HEART. And THE HEART, in fact, is the great theme and focus of this book of Proverbs—indeed of the entire Bible. Therefore, by this approach, it is not valid for someone to say, “I have an alcohol problem,” or “I have a drug addiction.” And it’s easy to see how such a declaration can serve as a kind of cop-out of personal responsibility since blame is shifted to the alcohol or the drugs. An accurate word of correction would be, “No, you don’t have an alcohol problem or a drug addiction, you have a HEART problem—a thinking problem—habitual wrong thinking that keeps you bound!” I’m not going to pose as some professional counselor on the problems of SUBSTANCE ABUSE, but I am certain that there is no hope for correction without a correction of the mind—THE HEART. Proverbs 4:23 deserves repeating: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Let’s review the context of our focus verse. “When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.” To be sure, even FOOD is a substance that can be used to abuse one’s body—thus GLUTTONY. And CRAVING is another way to describe habitual wrong thinking that creates what we call ADDICTION.
There is a shocking idea contained here suggesting that very drastic measures (slitting one’s throat—physical suicide) must be taken against out-of-control CRAVINGS (addictions). I’m going to assume that this is rhetorical or metaphorical language and not to be taken literally—any more than we should literally tie a mill stone around the neck of one who offends and drop them overboard in deep water (…from the words of Jesus in Luke 17:1-2). The point is that the Biblical Gospel is so absolutely vital and eternally important that serious drastic measures are in order to deal with anything that would interfere with its reception and application. Can we not compassionately conclude that anyone who disagrees with this view is actually giving evidence of a very serious ADDICTION?
“Their kitchen is their shrine, the cook their priest, the table their altar, and their belly their god.” - Charles Buck