Sin of Gluttony

The media is bombarding us with the stunning revelation that Americans are too fat. Health and government experts cry foul as more Americans are found to be obese. We have television shows like Biggest Loser and Too Fat for 15, which purport to make heroes out of those who can lose the excess poundage.

But I wonder if we're focused on the right thing. I don't deny that too many people in this country are too fat. That's obvious. But we seem focused on the weight, as a measure of obesity. The higher the scale tips, the more concerned we become. Is that really the right measure? Isn't there a spiritual dimension to this? (Of course there is!)

The Bible has much to say about what people eat. Most of it is found in the Old Testament - which most people don't think we have to follow any more. But Jesus said that isn't so. He did not come to abolish the law --- but rather to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) What Jesus changed were the the requirements of the covenant ... because now we have a new covenant.

When it comes to eating, the new covenant still allows the Bible to provide us with a significant amount of context around what and how we should eat. Let's take a look at some of those Bible verses.

Exodus 16:18-27 tells the story of God providing daily manna for the Israelites. But He became angry with them when they took any more than they really need.

Leviticus 3:17 says that must "... never eat any fat or blood ..." Of course we know that we can now eat anything we want. On the other hand, if it wasn't good for the Israelites, you must ask yourself how good it could be for us now.

In Numbers 11:18-34, we see the story of the Israelites craving meat and wanting to eat to excess, despite the fact that God had given them sufficient manna. God was angry at their lust for meat. So He gave it to them and promised they would eat it to excess and gag and become sick of the very meat they had lusted after. Later, this actually happened - and God's anger "blazed against them."

Notice the key point in this story from Numbers. God was angry with the Israelites. And what had they done? Lusted after richer food than they were getting. They weren't grateful for what they had, and their desire for other food occupied an inappropriate role in their hearts. God cares very much about what we eat and what we desire to eat.

In Deuteronomy 12:20, it says we "may eat whatever the Lord gives us, except for the things He has expressly forbidden." So what has God forbidden us to eat in the new covenant? Anything to excess. We are not to eat anything to excess.

Proverbs 23:1-3 tells us, "If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat - and don't desire all the delicacies - deception may be involved." Good grief! Did you catch that? Do you think God really expects us to put a knife to our own throats? No, He doesn't. But He is telling us to be vigilant about gluttony. He is telling us that food can deceive us and enslave us. And He wants us to take drastic measures to prevent that kind of enslavement. Deception may be involved. Think about what that means.

There are other Proverbs that warn us about eating excessively. Proverbs 23:20-21 says that drunks and gluttons "are on their way to poverty." Proverbs 25:16 says that eating too many sweets will make you sick. Proverbs 25:28 says that "a person without self-control is as defenseless as a city without broken down walls."

Most theologians will speak of Old Testament food restrictions as law that we don't have to follow any more. Quite frankly though, that attitude throws the proverbial baby out with the bath water. There is sage wisdom in the Old Testament food restrictions. Said differently, while they aren't laws that we have to follow, they nevertheless contain a great deal of wisdom about how people should eat.

Most of the animals, for example, that the Israelites were not allowed to eat, were scavenger animals. This means they feast on rotted food and garbage. Generally speaking, they're not likely to be good for you and they are much more likely to present you with the risk of disease or illness from eating them. Examples include snakes, rodents, pigs, shell fish, etc.

The admonition in Proverbs 25:6 warns us not to eat too much honey because it will make you sick. Most of us might consider that and think of a stomach ache from eating too many sweets in one day. But the broader truth is that too many sweets, especially when coupled with obesity, results in a life-threatening, incurable illness called diabetes. It's more than just getting a stomach ache.

The admonition in Leviticus 7:22 to never eat fat sounds like an old covenant food law. But even without the law, how good is it for humans to eat fat? We know today, for example, that fat clogs your arteries and increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and even death.

So here's the thing. God cares very much what we eat. God cares very much how we eat. We may think it doesn't matter, or even rationalize that we are only hurting ourselves. But that isn't the case. When we eat to excess or eat crap, God is grieved. Remember His anger blazing against the Israelites over their gluttony? How do you think He feels about our gluttony?

Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus on things that "are excellent and worthy of praise." I've come to think of that as a good guideline for my eating habits. When I'm at a buffet, for example, I'll look across and think which things might be "excellent and worthy of praise" in God's eyes. I'll try to think about which things might invoke God's anger or grief.

And I'll consider the fact that even if I make good choices on that buffet, two or three platefuls of good choices can wreck it all. Things that start out as excellent and worthy of praise can lose that attribute when eaten to excess.

There are too many obese people out there today identifying themselves as born-again Christians, Christ-followers ... who are doing nothing about their obesity or the rampant sin in them that causes it. It's almost as if we've taken the sin of gluttony and set it off to the side as not really being a sin any more. Oh we know we're fat and we should do something about it, but the pie is so good. Do you think God really accepts lame excuses like that?

The Bible says that our sin grieves the Holy Spirit. I think God is quite grieved today over the condition of His holy people - those of us who are born-again Christ-followers - who continue to operate in unchecked gluttony. We aren't confessing it, we aren't repenting of it. And we're not being vigilant about rooting this destructive evil from our lives.

So as a church, what do you suppose God would have us do about the rampant sin of gluttony that even our own government now says threatens to destroy us?

Keeping the Sabbath

I've noticed that Christians, and even their churches, don't seem to talk much about the Sabbath. It was a day of rest, observed by the Lord Himself when He finished all creation. And it is a day of rest given to mankind by the Lord Himself to be observed weekly.

Different religions define it a bit differently. The Jews (and some Christians) observe it the seventh day of the week (Saturday) for rest and religious observance. Muslims observe it on Friday as a day of prayer and rest. Other Christians observe it on the first day of the week, Sunday, in honor of Christ's resurrection from the dead. The common theme of course is that it is a full day of the week, dedicated to rest from one's working life. Also common in most religions is the fact that it is a day of focus on God - through prayer, worship, etc.

Now something else that I also notice is that the Sabbath doesn't seem to obvious in our modern Christian culture. Many of us may not be scheduled to work at our profession or trade on a particular day of the week, but we may also not be spending that day in rest or focus on the Lord. For many of us, the day off work is a day to get chores and errands done, to spend on entertainment or both.

As I look at Scripture on this subject, I notice that God was very clear about some things regarding the Sabbath. Other aspects of it He seemed to be less emphatic about. Take the day of the week, for example. Whether the Sabbath is appropriately kept on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or any other particular day of the week doesn't seem to be as important to God as other aspects of the Sabbath (such as rest and focus on Him).

Look at what Jeremiah 17: 21-22 says about the Sabbath. "This is what the Lord says: 'Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day .... Do no ... do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded ...'" It continues in Jeremiah 17:27, "but if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load ... then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.'"

So what was God saying here? For starters, He was saying that keeping the Sabbath is a matter of obedience. It is God's will for my life. He defined it as a day of rest, focused on Him (holy) and made it a requirement for His people. Beyond that, He warned that if we do not keep it, there will be dire consequences. Put another way, God will have to punish those who disobey Him by not keeping the Sabbath as He has commanded. The consequences? Adversity, opposition, difficulties and other things that will "consume" Jerusalem (which now represents anywhere God's people live).

Simply put, folks, we are to keep the Sabbath as a holy day of rest. If we aren't willing to do that, then we should not expect to be prosperous (in whatever ways you want to define prosperous). This is not a very difficult message to understand. It's clear and concise.

So why do we see so many Christian cultures that exhibit very little evidence that they are following it? Is it because we don't understand? Is it because God is asking something that's unreasonable or impossible for us to accomplish? It it because we simply don't care?

It seems to me that somewhere along the line even the most righteous people made a conscious decision to allow exceptions. I imagine that some Puritan society found it reasonable and plausible to, for example, allow some work on the Sabbath. Perhaps it was in the field of medicine - where nurses would need to work in hospitals in order that the sick to be cared for.

I think they probably reasoned and logically concluded that the God's command to love one another is more important than His command for a Sabbath. And so the nurses worked on the Sabbath. Of course, the nurses had to get to work, so the taxi drivers worked on the Sabbath. Of course, the taxi drivers had to eat - so the restaurants were open on the Sabbath. The restaurant workers needed childcare - so the day care centers were open on the Sabbath. The day care centers needed diapers - so the department stores were open on the Sabbath.

Do you see where this is going? Mankind used reason and logic to talk ourselves out of a Sabbath day of holy rest. Looking at it a bit more harshly, we might even say that we rationalized and justified sinning against God. (To be sure, not keep any Sabbath is a sin against God.) Is this appropriate? I don't think so.

We're not here to have a theological debate about how the Sabbath is kept. I am not going to argue about where to draw the line. We don't need to fret over whether someone who works at home sins by checking their e-mail on Sunday. We don't need to stew over whether a stay-at-home Mom sins by doing a load of laundry - or a teacher reviews her lesson plan on Sunday evening before the school week starts on Monday.

But I believe it's time for Christians - and anyone else who thinks they are following the one true God - to have a serious discussion about the condition of their hearts as regards the Sabbath. Are we making the effort? When the nurse is scheduled to work on Sunday, does he or she set aside any other day of the week for holy rest from their profession and focus on God?

As I look at the character and nature of God, and consider His words, it is that which day we select or how we define the Sabbath is not nearly as important as our intent. Is our obedience to God's commands purposeful? Is it effective? Do we offer God a sincere effort at obedience?

I don't know if it's a sin to shop or eat out on Sunday. It isn't clear to me that mowing your yard or doing some laundry on Sunday is a sin. I'm not sure if there's room in a proper Sabbath for football or shopping at the local mall. But what I am sure of is that God requires an obedient heart. He expects me to live differently on this one day of the week. He expects that difference in my life on this one day of the week to be tilted towards Him.

So maybe the best question any of us could ask ourselves is what you and I can do to make our observance of the Sabbath day of holy rest more intentional, more sincere and more effective.

Adult Children

It has been said that our sin grieves the Holy Spirit. I take that to mean that God is saddened when He considers the fallen condition of His children. He is disheartened when He looks at the mistakes we make. Before God destroyed the world in the great flood, He said He was sorry He had made those children. They were so rebellious and sinful that God was sorry He'd had children!

Now it is interesting to observe the similarities between God's experience with His children - and our experience with our earthly children. Whether you gave birth to them or adopted them, your children have the potential to make you proud. They have the potential to live your values and honor you with their lives. Or not.

I've looked at some of the most notorious murderers in society (like Jeffrey Damler) - and wondered how on earth their parents can cope with such pain. To have a son or daughter grow up to be a heinous evil in society must be one of the most painful things life can offer anyone. I can't even begin to imagine it. But I think I can get a clue.

There seem to be at least two sets of children that grow up in American culture.

A guy I work with has one set. One of his daughters is a doctor, married to a doctor. His other daughter is a lawyer, married to a scientist. The doctor and her husband take mission trips to third-world countries and work like dogs to take care of the grandchild. This guy and his wife are very proud of their adult children. I would be too.

Another guy I work with has another set of children. One of his daughters is married to a guy who's a registered sex offender. She works menial labor jobs, part time with no benefits. She's often laid off or fired because she misses too much work. Typically she misses work to visit her husband in prison. His son is a drug addict. He steals cars, writes hot checks and uses his father's credit cards without permission. He too cannot seem to hold a job. At 30 years old, one wonders who will take care of him ... as he is yet to take care of himself. The parents of these adult children are very sad about their children. They experience great pain and frustration. I would too.

Our sin grieves the Holy Spirit. But in a similar fashion, our children's sin grieves us. I find myself wondering if this is how God feels about my sin. It would seem that He made sacrifices to save His children, to provide for them and to bless them. So too we make sacrifices to have our children, raise them well, provide for them and give them blessed lives.

And there it is - the sin and failures of our adult children grieve us. And this is just like how our own sin and failures grieve our Father God. What an irony. And yet, something tells me that God's wisdom is at work in creating this irony for us.