“While dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you. If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat; don’t desire all the delicacies, for he might be trying to trick you. Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted. Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you.”
Proverbs 23:1-11 NLT
Our lusts will be our undoing. It is a facet of our finiteness that we have to contend with. At any given time, each moment is not the same as the last. This makes our time unstable and it fuels the desire to constantly try to achieve, take hold of, and consume more and more things. Yet, we are also created by an infinite god who wishes us to have an eternal relationship with him. In this way, we are challenged to view things beyond the confines of the present and what is before us. Instead, we are called to value things which are transcendent and do not expire with the passing of time. When we do not do this, we inevitably betray our transcendent creator and things seem to fall apart. This is greatly demonstrated by the problem with storing manna. Whenever we seek to take more than what we have been given, it becomes like stored manna. When stored beyond the moment, it would turn to flies. This is true of whatever we try to take for ourselves as well. Whether we store it, trap it, or even destroy it to keep it for our future use, it becomes a plague upon our life that spreads disease, plagues and all manner of unclean things. We should instead be content with what we have been given and give thanks for it.
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