Maintaining a Feasting Heart

PROVERBS 15:15-17 (ESV)

All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure and trouble with it.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

We usually think of feasting as an occasional thing.

‘Di naman tayo naglilitson araw-araw (maliban na lang kung ikaw ang may-ari ng Mila’s o Lydia’s , atbp.).

‘Di naman tayo kumakatay ng kambing (maliban na lamang kung may kambingan ka)

‘Di naman araw-araw ay gumagawa si nanay ng suman (maliban na lamang kung yan ang hanapbuhay niya).

Proverbs 15:15 says that feasting could be a continual thing, as long as you have a cheerful heart. The Macarthur Study Bible comments on this proverb: “The joyous inward condition of the wise man’s heart (14:21) is described as a perpetual feast. Real happiness is always determined by the state of the heart”.

What makes your heart cheerful? If we will not be careful, we may seek things that will only bring trouble to us (vv.15a). In order to maintain a feasting heart, we have to know two keys. One is a vertical key: our relationship with the Lord (vv.16); the other one is the horizontal key: our relationship with each other (vv.17)

The Vertical Key: Maintaining a feasting heart requires fearing the Lord

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure and trouble with it. (Prov.15:16)

The ideal is to have great possessions with Fear of God. But if we cannot have both at the same time, if we have to choose between great wealth and fearing God, we have to choose God. Great treasure without God will only bring trouble in your life, not feasting.

A feasting heart finds its delight in God. We must oppose anything that deprives us of joy. And what deprives us of joy? It is sin. When David sinned, he pleaded before God:

“Let me hear joy and gladness” (Ps.51:8)
“Restore in me the joy of your salvation” (Ps.51:12)

Do not buy the lie which says sin can make you happy. I won’t. It will deprive you of true happiness. If you want a continual feast in your heart, you have to fear God.

The Horizontal key: Maintaining a feasting heart requires that we love one another

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (vv.17)

Herbs are a poor man’s dinner.
Tulad rin naman natin na kung walang makain, naghihintay yung mga saluyot sa tabi-tabi.
On the contrary, a fattened ox is reserved for special occassions—like the one slaughtered when the prodigal son came back home.

Again, the ideal is to have the best food on our tables and share it with the ones we love who in turn love us. But if we cannot have both at the same time, if we have to choose between great meals and love, we have to choose love. Sid Buzzell comments “Love makes one's difficult circumstances endurable, whereas hatred undoes all the enjoyments that good food might otherwise bring” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

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You see, according to these set of proverbs, true happiness does not depend so much on material possessions or even our difficult circumstances. The presence of God in our midst, and the love we have for each other are the keys to a feasting heart. These are the things that we should seek.

Photo credit: http://www.bohol.ph/

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