Life has governing principles which we may call life codes. Those who make the most of life are those who have mastered these codes. They come in form of dos and don’ts. In Proverbs 23 alone we have no less than ten different warnings beginning with “Do not”. We will examine these warnings in the next several days. Meanwhile, it is important to state upfront that whenever you come across a warning in the Bible, it is because a real danger exists. There would be no need to be told “do not” unless there is a possibility that we can. The first in the series of these warnings teaches self-restraint in our appetite, particularly when we sit at the table with a ruler by whatever definition.

What makes the king’s meat deceptive? Firstly, because everything is provided in abundance and freely too, the temptation to throw away caution is rife. There is no place where the greed of man is better revealed than in the context of the free supply of things. People will generally take more than their fair share if the goods are free of charge. Secondly, the table set may be an occasion for fact-finding. In a festive mood, people throw banters and divulge information that are unnecessary and may turn round to haunt them. Finally, if the king intended to check you out for possible assignment, the indiscipline shown at the table may disqualify you.

Even if the context is not in the presence of a ruler, having control over what and how much we eat is still important.

Too much food may end up being seeds of many evil diseases. An Indian proverb says, “An epicure digs his grave with his teeth”. When the Bible says, “He that keeps his mouth keeps his life”, it is not only in terms of what comes out of it, it also involves what goes into it.