Gluttony

I want to share a vulnerable moment with you. It happened during the Christmas holidays. I was visiting home after a few years away, and I was excited to be with family and enjoy the Christmas traditions I had missed so much—especially the food. I got to the big Christmas meal, and our table was filled to overflowing with various delicious dishes. There were roasted meats, roasted parsnips (my favourite), pigs in blankets (check out Google if you’re not sure what these glorious piggies are), cauliflower cheese, sage and onion stuffing, and desserts. Oh, the desserts! The cheesecake, the meringues (my uncle makes the best!), the chocolate eclairs, the banoffee pie, the Celebrations chocolates, or (if you’re in South Africa) the Bakers biscuits, the trifle, the peppermint crisp tart, the malva pudding. I could go on! As my greedy eyes scanned the dining table, my mouth salivated, and I genuinely thought to myself, “Ok, so I’ll have this first, then that, and then maybe a second helping of that a bit later, and then I’ll come back for this.” And I did! I gorged until I felt sick. 

That’s it. That’s the vulnerable moment I wanted to share with you. 

Maybe you’re surprised. Maybe you’re asking, “Well, how is that vulnerable?” “That doesn’t sound too bad!” Or, “I did that just yesterday!” 

Overeating, or gluttony, might be something that most of us don’t think twice about. But the Bible actually implies that it's a sin. Have you ever thought that your overeating and gorging was an offense to God? I want us to take time now to consider this “respectable sin”, perhaps for the first time. 

What is the problem? 

Many of us might assume that overeating is a small thing, a grey area. But, in fact, the Bible is much more black and white about the issue. 

1. Gluttony leads to negative physical consequences 

Proverbs 23:19-21 says, 

Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course. Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe them in rags. 

It’s clear from these verses that gluttony is a gorging that leads to a ruined life. Overeating is a form of greed, a beastly desire, that doesn’t just make you fat and damage your bodily health but it also has the potential to impoverish your lifestyle and wellbeing. Because of this,

Proverbs 23:2 instructs, ‘...put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony…’ This is figurative, of course, an exaggeration, but you get the point: such is the danger of gluttony that we must exercise severe self-restraint. Proverbs 28:7 goes so far as to say that wisdom looks like keeping your distance from gluttonous behaviour: ‘A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.’ 

2. Gluttony leads us away from God 

In Deuteronomy 32, verses 15-16, Moses recites a song to the people of Israel: 

Then Jeshurun [Israel, the people of God] became fat and rebelled—you became fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation. They provoked his jealousy with different gods; they enraged him with detestable practices. 

Moses is remembering how the people of God have acted towards their Saviour. After God’s miraculous rescue from Egypt and his provision in the desert, the people still rejected God and turned away from Him to worthless idols. But the imagery that’s given is one of gorging, becoming fat. Did you see that? The Israelites fattened themselves with the good gifts of God–the provisions He gave them in the wilderness–and turned away from Him in their hearts. The Israelites became so consumed with the things their Saviour provided that they scorned God and forgot that He was the One who had given them life. Just like lust and greed, gluttony leads us away from God when we become too infatuated with the things of the world. Another example of this would be Esau, one of the sons of Issac. Esau was so ravenous and focused on his stomach that he was willing to sell his birthright to his younger brother, which meant giving up his rightful inheritance to receive the promise of God through Abraham (Genesis 25). In that moment, his god was his stomach. 

Why do we overeat? 

Therefore, if gluttony is such a sin, why do we do it? Let’s flesh this out a bit. 

We might overeat… 

● Because we’re excited (celebrations, like weddings, birthdays, etc.) 

● Because we fear missing out 

● Because we’re stressed, anxious or overwhelmed 

● Because we’re depressed or sad 

● Because we’re feeling selfish (we indulge in greediness) 

● Because of social pressures (e.g. “to be a man is to eat a lot”)

● Because we’re bored 

● Because we’re burnt out or tired 

But what actually underlines all these desires? The real problem lies in our hearts, not in our actions. In the moments when you feel anxious, tired, or depressed, are you seeking comfort and help in food rather than in the Lord? Or, is your love for food so much that you idolise it above honouring God with your body and choices? Or, are there times in your overeating that communicate a lack of trust in God to provide for you? You doubt he will continue to provide and control, so you gorge on the present provisions from your position of fear. Or, does your overeating simply demonstrate a lack of self-control? You just can’t say “no.” Rather than mastering food to serve you, the food masters you. Or, are you overeating to impress men? After all, the way to know that a man is happy is through his belly, right? Do you give in to these social pressures out of the “need” to be included, accepted, or seen in a particular way? 

There could be various reasons as to why we overeat, but maybe some more than others resonate with you as your particular weakness. What do we do? 

To eat like Christ 

Jesus ate. He cooked! (John 21:9-14) He frequently enjoyed fellowship around the table with friends and family. But I’m pretty certain He never overate. Jesus understood the right place of food in His life: as a good gift from His Heavenly Father. Indeed, God is the Father of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) and the One who “provides us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Therefore, in no way is God stingy or frowning upon us for our love of food or our joy over delicious flavours, aromas, and textures. He gave them to us as a gift! If food were just functional, like fuel in a machine, why would He have bothered to give us taste buds?! 

As Jesus followers, as those redeemed to enjoy creation in the right way, our desire should be to imitate Him. So, let us eat like Jesus. Let’s be mindful of the broken desires that wage war within us when it comes to eating and drinking. In the moments when you’re tempted to overeat, perhaps take a moment to check your heart to expose what’s really going on…is it greed, is it a desire for comfort, is it a lack of trust in the Lord? Take those to the God who loves you and ask him to help you enjoy the good gift of food and not abuse it, to honour him with your eating habits and not abandon him as the Israelites did. 

As Paul says, as those who no longer “walk according to the flesh [the sin nature] but according to the Spirit,” (Romans 8:4), “do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you

obey its desires,” (Romans 6:12) “but discipline [your] body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

In short, experiment with the aromatic spices, take pleasure in meal planning and thinking creatively about the variety of what you eat, get excited about the “7 colours”, relish those moments of rolling the pap in your fingers, salivate over that sizzling bacon on the stove, and, most importantly, do it all as unto the Lord.