Classic KJV - Proverbs 13:25

A Literal Translation

There’s an old saying, “Some eat to live, and others live to eat.” This proverb reveals that those who live to eat are never satisfied by what they eat. They may spend much money and effort in consuming scrumptious dishes, but they’re always left in need.

The literal translation of this verse reads, “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked is in want.” This best captures the Hebrew, as it implies that the righteous eats to keep body and soul together, using food as a tool or means to an end. The wicked treat food as an end in itself.

Restraint and Satisfaction

The righteous exercise self-restraint at the table, since they are eating for a greater purpose. Virtue avoids excess. “Enough is as good as a feast,” to those who have inner peace and joy. The word “enough” means up to stomach capacity for the righteous. The wicked cram themselves beyond their healthy capacity, right up to their pain threshold. So gluttony is the most common form of substance abuse in North America. Ironically, like all addictions, it leads to more craving and even less satisfaction. All too often we eat for stress-reduction or emotional comfort, rather than physical need.

We read in Ezekiel 7:19 about those who are wealthy, but cannot satisfy their soul (spiritual needs) nor their stomach (physical needs). God wants us to be fully satisfied, but satisfaction cannot be found where God is ignored. Perhaps the wealthiest, wisest man of all time, King Solomon, expressed this same truth, after he’d indulged every possible pleasure: “Who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” Ecclesiastes 2:25. We find a similar message in Isaiah 57:21 and Isaiah 48:22: “There is no peace for the wicked”—no satisfaction, no rest. This proverb: The wicked stay permanently unsatisfied.

Gluttony

Gluttony brings a temporary thrill or distraction from the body. This is not true satisfaction. Anyone who doesn’t draw inner nourishment from their Creator and Saviour can overcompensate with food, and still end up disappointed and unsatisfied. So William Penn said “Rise from the table with an appetite, and you will never sit down with one.” We should listen to our souls for our “what to eat” and “stop eating” signals, not to our stomachs.

Dual Nourishment

Is rampant pleasure-eating simply a desperate attempt to fill a void of spiritual nourishment? Sometimes it’s not what we eat, but what’s eating us! Some are unable or unwilling to move ahead spiritually through the steps of confession and repentance. So the less-than-righteous Rolling Stones sing in their hit rock song, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” One suspects where they were looking for it.

Every culture on earth distinguishes between “eating” and “dining,” between mere “food” and a “meal” or “supper.” Food is what each of us eats, but a meal is what we share together. With all the broken families, bullying, “liberation,” anxiety disorders, and depression torturing our children today, child therapists insist that the “first line of defense” for our kids is the sacred family meal. Too many families eat separately, and more eat at the same table, but with the television or their cell phones. The non-negotiable family meal is a family’s spiritual backbone. There should be pride and gratitude in the preparation of a good meal, and that meal can and should include the Word of God.

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

The Bible promises that those who believe in Jesus Christ “will not be disappointed” (NASB-Romans 9:33). So the apostle Irenaeus of Lyons cheered, “The glory of God is man fully alive”—God wants us to be satisfied, but truly satisfied, “fully alive.”

Jesus Himself says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).

The wicked continue to go “hungry,” because they’re seeking food and satisfaction in all the wrong places, in this way deliberately snubbing their Creator—the One who is the giver of every good, perfect gift (James 1:17) for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 4:4).