Of Cream Puffs and Brownies

“The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.” (Pr 13:19 AV)

 

This proverb is a difficult one.  Particularly because the Hebrew is of little help here.  If we only use word definitions and ignore the genre, this proverb would seem contradictory.  The desire mentioned in the first half of the verse could imply an evil desire.  However, there is one little word that gives us a clue as to the meaning of Solomon’s advice here.  That one little word ‘but’ is the key to the entire message in Solomon’s sermon.  That one little word is telling us he is comparing two opposite things.  That is, he is comparing the righteous against the fool.  The desire accomplished in the heart of the righteous is sweet to the soul.  However, to depart from evil would be an abomination to the heart and mind of the fool.  So, the big question among many writers is what this desire is that is accomplished in the heart and life of the righteous.  The answer is in the proverb itself.  The desire which is accomplished is to depart from evil.  To the righteous, departing from evil is sweet to the soul.  To the fool, it is an abomination.

Yesterday, I had a major fail.  I have been trying to cut down on my carbs and sugar.  My regular coffee creamer has been replaced by heavy whipping cream with cinnamon and vanilla.  Eggs and meat for breakfast have replaced baked goods.  Skipping lunch and eating nuts in the interim has been my midday habit.  For dinner, it is more protein and fewer carbs.  But yesterday was not a good day.  It was all my wife’s fault. 😉  She went to our state fairgrounds which has a cream puff building.  She bought cream puffs, of which I am not a huge fan and peppermint brownies; of which I am a huge fan.  It started out in the morning.  I had run out of heavy whipping cream so I used creamer we had been using.  Talk about sweet!  I followed that up with a slice of brownie.  Then I couldn’t keep my hands off these cookies she baked.  My favorite.  Some call them wedding balls.  Real heavy on the confectionary sugar.  More brownie later in the day.  I justified it all by not wanting to waste all that food.  After all, my dear wife spent hard-earned money to buy it and labored profusely to bake my favorite cookie.  It would have been an abomination to allow all that sweet stuff to go to waste.  What a fool I had been.  By dinner time, I was on such a sugar high my head was pounding.  This morning, it is back to heavy whipping cream and a protein bar for breakfast. I have to admit, it makes one feel much better to say no than to deal with the consequences of saying yes.

This is the meaning of Solomon’s proverb.  If we would simply exercise a bit of self-denial, we would be much more at peace and experience a much deeper sense of satisfaction than if we would indulge our wants whenever possible.  Besides, someone without self-control is referred to as a fool!  They despise the thought of self-discipline.  Hey, I know!  All you have to do is try to put me on a highly regimented diet and I will despise it.  I cannot tell you how many times my dear wife has tried to put me on Weight Watchers.  I despise it every time.  Too much calculation and work.  Counting and figuring.  Yuk!  But that is how diets work.  More calories going out than coming in!  Not too hard.  That is until you need a master’s degree in advanced mathematics in order to succeed.  The first person that invents a simplified system of dieting with classes on how to cook healthy meals will pass all other diets and become an instant trillionaire!  We don’t need calculators.  We don’t need an encyclopedia of numbers and figures.  We simply need to learn how to cook and eat.  But, I digress.  The point is, the fool will hate that which is good for him.  Like spinach or lima beans.  The righteous will take greater satisfaction he has accomplished righteousness by saying no to evil and yes to righteousness.  So, do we want what is sweet to the body and rotten to the soul?  Or, do we want what is sweet to the soul and still good for the body?  This is not limited to what we eat.  This principle covers all choices of life.  If we learn self-control and discipline; or temperance and Paul used the term; then our souls will be much sweeter.