Your Family Has Your Best Interest at Heart

Proverbs 23:
1. When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2. And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Our first impression from reading this might be, “What’s wrong with enjoying a good meal at the invitation of the rich? Why must I impute some evil into the host’s intentions or his food?” Let’s see if we can find the lesson in this text.

First it is obviously an invitation to dine with a rich person who can provide a very fine banquet, even a feast. Because of the circumstances surrounding the invitation we are warned to keep our eyes open and our wits about us. We probably wouldn’t be given the same caution if our neighbor invited us over for a meal. Second, the caution is strengthened if we have a history of and weakness for overindulgence. The knife to the throat statement is just hyperbole to emphasize the risk. Finally, verse three seems to indicate that there is something in the nature of the food, not necessarily in the intent of the host.

I think it is important to note that generally speaking there was no middle class in these ancient societies. There tended to be the common people, and then the wealthy who also exercised some authority as rulers. So now this becomes something like the farm boy on his first trip into the big city. The issue is vulnerability. Or as the saying goes . . .

“It's hard to keep the boy on the farm once he's seen Paris.”

He is at risk of being overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, assume that his host has his best interest in mind and unsuspectingly be drawn into rowdy partying. There are many similar warnings throughout Scripture, one is just a few verses away where the unsuspecting guest is drawn in to be used by the host for his own purposes.

“Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 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 morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.” (Proverbs 23:6-8)

Food and partying seems to be a common way for those with evil designs to draw in the unsuspecting.

“Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” (Psalm 141:4)

It appears that the prodigal son was also drawn into this trap and squandered his inheritance.

“And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Luke 15:12-14)

So the lesson to be learned here is not that we can’t enjoy a good meal from rich friends, or that we can’t enjoy feasting with our friends. The warning is to always exercise self discipline and don’t allow your self to come under the influence or control of those who don’t have your best interests at heart. This is the value of working within the context of a Family Legacy. You are surrounded by those who have your best interest at heart and are pulling together for your success and the success of the family.