Seven Deadly Sins Part 4: Gluttony
Introduction
When I was discharged from the Air Force, I weighed 202 lbs. During my time in the military, I considered myself a lean, mean fighting machine. Although I did no fighting for the whole time I was active duty, I was physically fit and ready. I jogged, played tennis, lifted weights, ate well and, in my mind, looked pretty good. When I was discharged, I got into an industry where I started traveling, eating out and exercising less. I would eat while in my hotel room because I was bored and there was nothing else to do while watching the TV. Also, some of the areas that I traveled to initially were not safe for me to be out after dark (really, this is not an excuse) so I stayed in my room and ate in front of the TV when I was not studying. Today, thanks to my job and bad habits, I weigh more than 200 lbs. and I gained all of this over the last 15 years. Now to some of you I may still look pretty good, but in reality I must accept the fact that I am not where I used to be. This is a very sensitive topic for some because it forces us to ask ourselves – “When is enough not too much?” So my examples today will be limited to someone that hopefully you will not recognize or myself. In my message on Greed I shared with you how I liked potatoes and sweets and how I could definitely be greedy when eating them. With that greed comes gluttony – for not only did I want more, I ate more than I needed.
On Monday afternoon the girls and I took Nikki out to dinner for her birthday. At the restaurant, we had appetizers, soup and salad before the main course. For my meal I ordered an all you can eat pasta with a side of meatballs. I thought this would be the best value for I was guaranteed to get full (nothing worse than leaving a restaurant hungry). After cutting back on how many meals I eat a day and exercising more over the last few weeks I could only eat one serving. I was full and comfortable, not stuffed. In the back of my mind I was thinking that I did not get my value because I should have at least had seconds. Never mind the fact that what I ordered was cheaper than anything else on the menu that I would have gotten instead. My point is that by definition of “all you can eat” means that you will eat more one serving. There are many people who can do a lot of damage at an all you can eat place. I remember the scene from the movie “Remember The Titans” where they had started winning and the restaurant said they ate free – until they ate too much. An all you can eat restaurant causes many people to enter into the sin of gluttony.
Gluttony is defined as “the habit or act of eating too much, an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.” The second part of this definition includes things other than food, as I will get to later in this message. The opposite of gluttony of temperance. Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. The chief error about gluttony is to think it only pertains to food. Some people cannot have enough toys, television, entertainment, sex or the company of other people. We call these things an “addiction” instead of gluttony. You may not have an issue with gluttony pertaining to food, but may have and issue with one of the others. As you listen to this message this morning, do not limit this sin to just food and have a false sense of security because you do not overeat. You must apply this foundational knowledge in any area of your life where you are practicing excess.
Solomon said in Proverbs 23:2 “Put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite.” The advice that Solomon gives is very clear, do not over eat. Use wisdom in eating and practice temperance – know when to stop. Again, this applies to every area of our lives. During the time of David, as well as today, it was very dangerous for those on the battlefields to eat large meals. Solomon said pertaining to gluttons that “drowsiness will clothe one with rags.” What is the first thing you want to do after eating a heavy meal, especially one with a lot of carbohydrates? The answer is sleep. Why? Because the energy that the body would normally use to keep you focused is now being spent digesting this large amount of food that has been eaten. Also your blood sugars fluctuates when you eat – giving you energy initially when it rises and bring you down when they decrease. For a soldier on the battlefield, eating heavy meals at certain times of the day would bring on a sense of tiredness and thus could impact their ability to focus and fight.
When you think about Gluttony, remember it is the excess of anything. There are three forms of gluttony that I want to address with you in this message:
• Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for.
• Wanting it exactly our way (delicacy).
• Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people’s time or presence).
I. More Pleasure That It Was Made For
The world is full of good things, from the beauty of the stars to the ever-changing and never-changing oceans to the pleasure of human company. We are free to enjoy these things without becoming focused on any one of them to the exclusion of all else. It is possible to become so caught up in a pleasure, whether food or fun, that we can no longer enjoy other things and would be willing to sacrifice other pleasures for the one. We enter into Gluttony when we demand more pleasure from something than it was made for. Think of that man who has purchased several cars of his dream, but never drives them. He keeps them in his garage and for several hours a day cleans and polishes them. He only drives them in the early morning hours when there is not much traffic. Some have that type of love for food, clothes, etc. Consider this example, normally we can only eat so much food, but some people in Ancient Rome wanted more pleasure, so they threw up after the meal and then ate more. This allowed them to enjoy the sensation of eating more at the cost of health (and dignity). They enjoyed the taste of the food so much (and the enjoyment that came with the eating) that they did not want it to end. Let look at another example. Remember the situation with the Israelites concerning the manna that God provided them as recorded in Exodus 16:16-20? Remember when they were in the wilderness and God fed them with the bread from heaven (manna) and gave them explicit directions as to how much to gather? Let’s read it:
Exodus 16:16-20 “This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer a piece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent…..(vs. 20) but they did not listen to Moses and some left part of it until the morning and it bred worms and became foul and Moses was angry with them.”
They had been give very detailed instructions as to how much they should gather of the manna for each individual of their household. They were only supposed to gather enough for that day – no more. Obviously some of the people did not trust that they would have more the next day so they kept some. That which they kept bred worms and stank up the camp, which made Moses very angry. Here the manna was provided as food for the entire day – but some gluttons (or a case could be made of greed or insecurity) kept some extra “just in case” to ensure they would have the benefit of enjoying it again. They enjoyed it so much that they defied the guidelines that God had given them.
II. Delicacy
In “The Screwtape Letters” C.S. Lewis describes “delicacy as a desire to have things exactly our way”. He gives the example of food having to be prepared just right, or in just the right amount. When the food was not just right, the “so called” Christian could easily be led into sin without even realizing it. But it isn’t limited to food. We might complain about unimportant defects in a product, the temperature in the room, or the color of a laundry basket. There is a certain amount of discomfort to be expected in life, but the Glutton will have none of it. Instead of becoming strong by suffering the minor inconveniences of life, the Glutton insists on being pampered. They will not be inconvenienced at any time in their life. No one dares to point out how petty or foolish they are. In fact, some celebrities are praised for their excessive perfectionism, as though it were a virtue. In the book of numbers we find another example of gluttony, but with a different twist. Turn to Numbers 11:18-24.
Numbers 11:18-20 “So say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, ‘Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well off in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the lord who is among you and have wept before Him saying ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?”
This is a classic example of Gluttony. When I was growing up, I hated Lima beams (some people called them butter beans). I loathed the look, taste and feel of them in my mouth. Whenever my mother made something we did not like, the response was always the same “You either eat what I have fixed or go to be hungry.” Those options were not the best for me. There were times I would ask her why couldn’t we have pinto beans or something else that I liked and that would make the situation worse. In my own house, there have been times when Nikki or I have cooked a meal for our kids only to be asked for something different. I am sure most of you parents have experienced this. It can be very irritating.
This is what the Children of Israel did to God. He had been giving them manna to eat – daily – and they grew tired of it. They wanted some meat. What they actually told God was that the food you provided for us from heaven (there was nothing like manna on the earth before this time or since) is not good enough – we want meat. God’s response was that He gave them meat – but with the meat came the plague for their ungratefulness. When you read the rest of the chapter you see when He sent the meat, as they were still eating it, He sent a plague among them.
It is okay to like things a certain way, but when we carry it to the extreme and there is no flexibility, we draw ever closer to the sin of Gluttony. When we enter the phase that it is my way or no way (even on our jobs) we have crossed over into Gluttony. Again, it is important that you understand that gluttony is not just about food. It is the desire for more than you actually need, excess. I cannot go into it today, but it can include power – as in our jobs.
III. Demanding Too Much From People
There can be a healthy and natural enjoyment of time spent with friends and acquaintances, but some people just can’t get enough. They make demands until the other person moves away or explodes in anger. The Glutton is wounded that someone would take offense at their “love” for them. At least some people can get away, but that is not always possible when dealing with family members. Far worse is when a parent demands too much from a child. It could come in the form of sports achievement or being in the top of their class at school. Even pets get excessive attention at times, but they don’t seem to mind as much. In some dating relationships, one person desires the other’s company constantly, to the point that the other can barely hold down a job or continue in school. The person becomes obsessed with their partner. This can happen even in marriage – only it is sometimes referred to as a “deep love” for the individual. Whatever the reasons, the object of affection is expected to provide the pleasure of their company (at least) more of the time than is reasonable. Even in marriage, it is possible for a couple to be so “romantic” that the children are neglected. One legitimate pleasure (sex) can become obsessive to the point that another pleasure (the company of one’s children) is lost.
Conclusion
Because Gluttony is generally a sin of the flesh, the flesh limits it. If we consume too much food or drink, our bodies will usually let us know, either by gaining weight or illness. If we are too fussy about things (delicacy), people will tell us to do it ourselves. And if we demand too much from people, they will fly from us and we will be alone more often. So, we usually get a view of the problem and a chance to change. It is said that St. Thomas More was an exceptionally fun person to be around, so much so that King Henry VIII of England kept calling for him, preventing Thomas from going home to his family. Thomas eventually began to curtail his merrymaking so that he was more dull company. This strategy worked, and he was able to live at home more often.
The cure for Gluttony lies in deliberately reducing our use of pleasurable things, not in eliminating them. When eating, quit before feeling stuffed. When snacking, don’t just keep stuffing, but quit after a while. With people, allow some quiet time together and also get some time alone. Of course, if time alone is very pleasurable, get out more often. And if the toast is a bit too brown, eat it anyway.
As you eat today or spend time with that someone or object that gives you your most pleasure, think about the glutton and ask yourself “Am I a Glutton with this?” May God bless and keep you.
(One of the primary resources for this message was the “White Stone Journal” website. I used and expanded on several quotes from their articles. To them I give my thanks.)
