Seeing Yahweh through Bread

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‎ WTT Proverbs 20:17 עָרֵ֣ב לָ֭אִישׁ לֶ֣חֶם שָׁ֑קֶר וְ֜אַחַ֗ר יִמָּֽלֵא־פִ֥יהוּ חָצָֽץ׃

APB Proverbs 20:17 Sweet to a man is bread of a lie, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

LEB Proverbs 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet for the man, but afterward, his mouth will be filled with gravel.

Yahweh’s perspective: You acknowledge the thrill, the pleasure, the sense of accomplishment that accompanies “getting away with” a lie and benefiting from it. This is the front side of sin. But You want your children to see the back side, the after taste, the consequences. The sweetness is followed by gravel -- gravel in the mouth breaks the teeth (Lam. 3:16), jars the jaw, cannot be swallowed but must be expelled.

In Prov. 9:17 Folly says, “stolen waters are sweet, and bread eat in secret is pleasant.” The allure of the thrill, the secret pleasure are the bait on the barbs of the enemy. His joy is in broken teeth, unrelenting bitterness of soul that accompanies the aftertaste of sin.

Yahweh, what are You doing with this proverb? You are teaching me that bitter consequences succeed the initial pleasures of the forbidden. You seek to motivate your children to reject the sweetness that leads to gravel. It’s like sugar coated grit offered as a lollipop. Sand-filled donuts.

Father, this highlights again that you are no kill-joy, party-crasher, pleasure-stealer. Rather, You love your children and want to rescue them from the lasting harm which results from transient pleasure.

Thank you for warning me. This testifies to your care for my flourishing. I rejoice in your zeal for my good. Help me be zealous for the glory of your great name.


Comments

Unknown said…
Excellent! Sow a lie; reap a lie. But the harvested lie is bestowed in life, a life of disappointment and betrayal. A lie cannot bring a blessing.
1:59 PM
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