Proverbs 23.1-3
“When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.”
At first reading, this proverb simply gives advice for table manners when you dine with a person of authority. But look deeper … the proverb is using this scenario as a metaphor for much that is happening in our world today.
Consider how many people today are “sitting down to eat” with the influencers of society. Students “sit down” at the table of teachers. Churchgoers sit down at the table of pastors. Readers sit down at the table of writers. People sit down at the table of their TV, car radio, iPhone, iPad, newspaper, or laptop. Movie-goers sit down at the table of movie theaters. People sit down at the table of politicians and pundits.
At every table there is “food” that is being offered, and often the food is appealing and appetizing. Those who are offering you the food want to feed you. They want you to consume their message and ideology.
Do you get the picture?
With regard to any table where you sit, this proverb admonishes you to observe carefully the “food” that is put before you. It admonishes you to be discerning, and it offers a graphic warning that should grab your attention: Be very, very careful when the food that is put before you appeals to your appetite, because people who are in positions of authority will sometimes try to manipulate you with “deceptive food” that is attractive, but potentially dangerous. The more appealing the food is, the more dangerous it is.
Deceivers tell you things you want to hear, not things you need to hear. They tell you attractive lies, not the open truth. They attempt to seduce you through distortions and deceptions. They don’t appeal to reason, they appeal to emotion. They don’t want you to think, they want you to react. They don’t appeal to your character, they appeal to your appetite.
The proverb warns us, “Do not desire his delicacies.” The message is: Don’t take the bait. Don’t fall for the lie. Don’t give-in to the seduction. Don’t eat the food he offers! To emphasize the warning in figurative (and quite graphic) terms, it says, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.” In other words, if you are tempted to eat the food of the deceiver, you are better off using the knife at the table to cut your own throat, because if you consume the food being offered, it will kill you anyway.
Look no further than the various socialist ideas being promoted today by influencers in our society, especially on college campuses. Young people are being offered this message, and they are consuming it. Yet, history is very clear that socialist regimes are oppressive and totalitarian.
How strong is the sentiment of socialism among young people? A YouGov survey that reported that given a choice, 44 percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 29 would prefer to live in a socialist nation rather than a capitalist country. Another seven percent would choose communism. However, the same poll revealed that only 33 percent of the respondents could correctly define socialism.
Many young people are sitting at that table and foolishly consuming a message that appeals to their appetites, but in the end would be deadly. Would these same millennials choose socialism, if in exchange for “free” education and “free” health care, they would have to give up their personal property? Would seven percent of millennials declare their willingness to live under communism if they knew the real costs of communism as practiced in some 40 nations over the past century — the denial of free speech, a free press, and free assembly, the imprisonment and execution of dissidents, no free and open elections, no independent judiciary or rule of law, the dictatorship of the Communist Party in all matters and on all occasions?
Let us be diligent about the admonition of this proverb. Be careful what you consume. Be careful about the “tables” where you sit. Be extra careful about “the food” that influencers put in front of you. Recognize when they are bypassing your reason and appealing to your appetites. Many will claim they want to help you, but in reality they are trying to deceive you.
Don’t fall for the lies. Don’t take the bait. Don’t eat the food that is offered. Keep the warning every before you: “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.”
Always remember: The more appealing it is, the more dangerous it is.
