Things That Were Written Aforetime...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

The book of Proverbs tells us, “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet” (Prov 27:7). Here we see two different types of people: the fed and the famishing.

The fed man is that man who is nourished and fed on God's Word. God spoke by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55 verses 1-3 saying, “Ho, every one that thirsteth & come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live...”. Again he proclaims in Isaiah 65:13, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty...”. These prophesies are fulfilled in Christ. Notice the words of our Lord in Matt 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” That full man is the one who desires the sincere milk of the Word (1 Pet 2:2) and then integrates the meat into his spiritual diet as he grows (Heb 5:12-14). Jesus proclaimed, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

The famishing soul is that man who is feeding on the bitter things of religious error, traditions of men, and the cares and lusts of the world. He knows that he is hungry, he knows that he needs food, but he seeks it from the wrong source. He is like that prodigal son of Luke 15 who desired to eat the husks that the swine did eat. Many times, this type of person does not even realize or understand that he is malnourished and starving. As the verse in Prov 27:7 says, to him “every bitter thing is sweet.” Yet the Bible tells us in Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” In relaying the words of Christ to the church in Laodicea, the apostle John wrote, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked?” (Revelation 3:17).

These people were so blind and ignorant that they could not even see the obvious signs of their poor condition. Consider what your reaction would be if you were a relief worker sent to Rwanda with food. Upon your arrival with the food for the refugees, bloated from starvation, they refused the supplies saying, “We're all fat already, we don't need your food.” Such is the case with many who refuse to be nourished by the Word of God.

Medical science (and common sense) tells us that the human body cannot survive for very many days without food or water. The Bible tells us that the human soul cannot survive the judgment without spiritual food - the Word of God. May we all have the courage and honesty to do as the apostle Paul admonished in 2 Cor 3:5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”

ONLINE ACADEMY OF BIBLICAL STUDIES A work of the: Phillips St. Church of Christ 912 Phillips St. Dyersburg, Tn. 38024 (901) 285-5666 www.oabs.org Director: Tom Bright           HOLY BIBLE * Four-Year Program (part-time) * Tuition Free * Qualified Faculty * Live, interactive classes, on-line * Write, call, or                                             email for your application             "Preach the Word..."                   2 Timothy 4:2 Come and study the Bible from the comfort of your home!