"GLUTTONY"

Good day to everyone and welcome to another word study from God's Word. Today we begin to look at the topic of GLUTTONY and how it affects our lives when we allow it to take place. From the dictionary it is defined in the following way;

"Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste." In some religious circles, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.

Early Church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony (Okholm 2000), arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. He went so far as to prepare a list of five ways to commit gluttony, including:
Praepropere - eating too soon
Laute - eating too expensively
Nimis - eating too much
Ardenter - eating too eagerly
Studiose - eating too daintily
Innocent XI has 'condemned the proposition which asserts, that it is not a sin to eat or to drink from the sole motive of satisfying the palate. However, it is not a fault to feel pleasure in eating: for it is, generally speaking, impossible to eat without experiencing the delight which food naturally produces.'


Gluttony is addressed by the Biblical teachings of moderation (Ecclesiastes 7:18) and self-control (Galatians 5:23; Titus 2:12). It is mentioned most of all in the book of Proverbs, e.g.,
“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” (Proverbs 23:20-21)
“He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” (Proverbs 28:7)
“When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” (Proverbs 23:2)
The view of gluttony as one of the Seven Deadly Sins is rooted in the physical destructiveness of excess consumption of food or drink. At the same time, gluttony can cause an individual to focus so intensely on physical desires that the life of the spirit is stunted or forgotten. As a case in point, Emperor Claudius of Rome was, according to Suetonius, a notorious glutton who would bathe in food and gulp down priceless pearls dissolved in vinegar.

If gluttony does nothing else, it takes away our ability and desire to be of service to our great God and to be of benefit to HIS Kingdom and His people. When we measure and compare Heaven with God to the pleasures of this world, we would have to agree there is really No Comparison. If gluttony is pulling you away from God, look for the help and support you need to be the person God desires. God bless until our next time.