Proverbs 13:25, A Neglected Principle

July 25, Proverbs 13:25

Dan. 1:12-16; John 6:30-36, 53-55 “The fare of the righteous may be coarse, but always satisfying.”

A Neglected Principle

“God’s blessing gives to a righteous man food and contentment, but the wicked man wants one or both of them” (Lawson). Truly, “the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour” (Pr. 12:26). God does promise temporal blessings as far as they are good for us. He will give us enough to satisfy our needs, not to gratify our wants (Pr.1 0:3). God, who thinks of sparrows, cares for souls.

1. Soul-Complacency: Does the soul of the righteous refer to his appetite (RSV)? This is clearly the suggestion of some translations. Kidner states that this proverb is “not on moderation but on retribution.” He titles it “Requital!” This better explains the implied contrast to the belly (appetite) of the wicked? The neglected principle here is that the satisfaction of body depends on the condition of the soul. “The soul, being a spirit, conveys more to the body than the body can to it” (Charnock). If his soul means his appetite, then it must include that hunger for more than bodily food. Full stomachs must include not only physical gratification, but also the spiritual, and hope for the future.

2. Soul-Competency: “Nature is content with a little and grace with less.” That is true, because, as observed already, satisfaction is a condition of the inner soul. The righteous have always enough, and they know when it is enough. There is a proverb among us that says: “Enough is as good as a feast.” The biblical principle, resounding throughout all these proverbs is, the truly godly soul is a happy soul and a healthy soul, whatever outward appearances may say to the contrary. Those who feed on the Bread of Life and feast on the Promises of God will never lack satisfaction of soul. The body has two eyes; the soul must have one only. A single eye to the glory of God is essential to a holy life. “Where can that soul stay, which stays not itself upon God?”

3. Soul-Calamity: But the belly of the wicked shall want. Here the belly of the wicked is contrasted to the soul. What is the value of a soul? Did not He who made it know it’s worth? He declared that the whole world could not make up to a man for the loss of his soul! No food can satisfy a body diseased, physically or spiritually. The flesh is master when the soul is slothful. Soul-sickness turns the appetite in an evil direction. Anxieties, lusts of the flesh, bitterness, recriminations, and such things, all reduce the body to a sin-sick state. Empty stomachs mean more than hunger, for they point to death, to defeats, to blighted hopes and fears. Here is the neglected biblical principle in its negative force. A bad soul desires bad and baleful food, and a sick soul inevitably leads to a sick body. An awful tyrant it is, for no matter how much it has, it still lacks the one thing needful, the peace of God! “O sleeping soul, wake up and claim thy proper sovereignty.”

Thought: “If the soul be lost, the man is lost” (John Flavel).

Prayer: Lord, keep my soul-condition in tune with Thee.