Proverbs 13:25 Eat to your heart’s content

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.

Proverbs 13:25 NASB

Appearances are deceiving. Often one may look at men and women with no outward respect for God and see their prosperity. Where on another hand, those who pursue the kingdom, often at the expense of worldly success, seem to be in need. King David spoke of this in a song:

But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.

Psalms 73:2-4, 16-17 NASB

To have a need and then the satisfaction of it being met is a round trip built within man as part of the ecosystem of our lives. Like an appliance is unable to work unless plugged into a power source, or a cell phone must have a network of cell towers, men rely on a system of supply that also has a dependency. Although our body needs food, Moses tells Israel not to live on bread alone, but rather every word that proceeds from His mouth. True satisfaction does not just come from food, but the food source. It is similar to a man and woman who find completion together. Part A and B connect and become one — able to procreate. Man finds completion in God — and in an almost unreal proposition — God also finds completion in man. As independent as men like to be, dependence is in our very nature. Dependence on a One who is dependable.

The NAS translates the second part of the verse, “Satisfy his appetite.” Other translations say “eats to his heart’s content” (or something similar). The Hebrew means satiety, abundance, fulness of the soul or the inner being of man — the seat of the appetite or emotions or passions. Contrast that with word used for stomach; it means belly, womb, body — something physical. The righteous has a complex appetite that is fulfilled, but the wicked don’t even experience the satisfaction of basic physical needs of an empty tummy. If Solomon instead used the analogy of housing, he could have said: the righteous has a house, paid for, filled with furniture and a fully stocked kitchen, soft comfy beds, a reliable heating/cooling system, running water, power, internet, a pool out back, and even street appeal — while the wicked doesn’t even have a tarp under which to find shelter.

Righteous or wicked, God loves people. His intent for all of us is great abundance. The advantages of righteousness may not seem obvious at first, but as children of God, our Father tinkers with our hunger and thirst — and our desire. The things we love and long for are different than those of the wicked. And with this appetite, comes a satisfaction that is nurtured and grown by the Holy Spirit—like deep roots of a tree planted next to a stream—that despite ups and downs of rain coming and going, food plenty or scarce, our Father and his kingdom provide supply that never runs out. The challenge of the wicked comes with the absence of that conviction. There is a focus on the belly. The appetite for food and security that is short term. It’s misaligned. They may have a certain sense of success—on the outward, but when a child of God spends a few minutes with someone with no heavenly roots, the temporary, shallow substance is easy to identify. It’s like Jesus said, it’s a house built on sand. It may be a big house and very impressive, but the inability to weather the storms is obvious and speaks to its brevity.

Contrasts. I love the contrasts that Solomon proposes.

When I take the kernel of truth in this proverb—righteousness feeds—I can vouch for Solomon and say this is my experience. Even so, Jesus encouraged us to fight the desperate urge to worry about our food:

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:26 NKJV

Seeking after earthly fulfillment may produce an happy tummy for a moment, but in seeking after spiritual fulfillment, or righteousness, my Father provides a depth of provision that allows me to live a life fully at peace. It’s an intangible supply understood only in relationship and trust. Trust that he created me and this world for something bigger and better than wasting my life seeking my next meal.

It’s easy to find true satisfaction when I don’t need to worry about my future, or my next meal. But when there is unmet need or a resulting hopelessness, no matter what I have will never be enough. My appetite may seem to originate from my body, but in reality, it originates in my heart.