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“The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.” (Pr 13:25 AV)

Note here there are two comparisons as pertains to the righteous and the wicked.  There is satisfaction compared to want and the soul compared to the belly.  This is significant.  The belly is the flesh.  The soul is the person within.  Therefore, what our wise sage is sharing with us is the righteous are moderate in their behavior and the wicked are excessive.  The righteous use only that which fulfills the need and desire.  There are limits to his needs and desires.  Otherwise, there would be no satisfaction.  Conversely, the wicked have nothing but want.  There isn’t enough to satisfy.  The righteous know how the tell the flesh ‘no’.  The wicked feed a ferocious appetite that can never be filled.

As I get older, I have noticed a trend.  It takes far less food to satisfy the appetite.  I have also noticed when it comes to unhealthy food, my taste for it is diminishing.  Yesterday was my birthday.  We have a tradition that a special meal for the birthday boy or girl is what the family enjoys.  Now that my wife and I are empty-nesters, it isn’t all that hard to whip us something.  When I was a kid, my birthday meal was tuna noodle casserole.  There is nothing wrong with tuna noodle casserole other than it is high in carbs.  Over the years my favorite meal has changed.  This year, I choose grilled shrimp and scallops with a medallion steak.  We had roasted potatoes and broccoli as our sides.  What is significant about this meal is up until about seven or eight years ago, I was not a seafood fan.  I figured I would rather avoid eating something that swam around in its own toilet.  Just think about it!  Anyway, with the experience of eating walleye and stuffed orange roughy, with an occasional blackened tilapia, my tastes began to change.  When we sat down to eat our birthday meal together, it was awesome.  Up until a year ago, I would never have considered eating scallops.  Yuk.  But marinade them in a tasty sauce and grill them lightly – YUM!  The thing is, we didn’t need to eat a whole lot to learn what satisfaction felt like.  A half a dozen shrimp, four scallops, and a six-ounce steak were all it took.  The taste was more than satisfied.  What made it even more special was the fact we made it at home with an indoor grill and everything came out to perfection.

The righteous have learned what is good to the satisfying of the soul and what is mere fleshly indulgences.  They have learned it doesn’t require a whole lot.  Not compared to what the world would have us believe.  There is a word of encouragement here.  The flesh and the world try to convince us we will never be content.  We will never be satisfied.  However, Solomon says the righteous well eat to the satisfying of the soul.  This suggests the soul can be satisfied.  All we need to do is check our priorities and realign our desires to match that which the LORD has for us.  Sitting at the lakefront near the lighthouse on a quiet and peaceful morning sure beats the longest day one can have at the amusement park.  A simple clean and fresh salad beats a plate full of fast food.  It’s a matter of disciple and gratitude.