March 23

Mar 23 - Today from Proverbs 23 we look at verses 6 & 7
"Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. 'Eat and drink,' he says to you, but his heart is not with you."

It is not prudent to share all information one possesses. Some information is very sensitive, and can be mishandled or even abused by people with selfish motives. Such people are constantly on the lookout for information that will serve their personal interests, and have numerous ways of obtaining this information. Wisdom protects sensitive information.
The principle of this proverb has to do with being aware of people having ulterior motives. In the case of the example before us - we know this is a stingy man. This means his values are perverted in that his own material possessions are more important to him than his concern for the well being of others. Knowing this should automatically arouse suspicions as to why he would invite you to a meal of ‘delicacies’, which in the days of the Bible meant very expensive types of food. Think of what kind of staples you would keep on hand without refrigeration or preservatives (except for salt). That would be grain, dried fruits, such as dates, figs and raisins, perhaps some jerked meat (dried and salted). The common beverage was curdled milk. But, if you were invited to eat delicacies, you would be treated to fresh fruits and vegetables, roasted meats, sugared and spiced treats with origins from exotic places in Africa or the orient, along with fine wines, juices, etc. These types of food were very expensive, and rare for the common people of those days.
Now what would this stingy man have in mind by inviting you to eat his delicacies? He wants something from you. You can be quite confident that his intention is for you to compromise yourself in order to enjoy his costly foods.
Today, with refrigeration, modern preservatives, and fresh produce available from all over the world right in our local supermarket - it would be rare to be enticed to compromise merely by a good meal. But the principle is sound. Do not compromise yourself for the offer of something you desire from someone with ulterior motives. If it quite obvious where their values lie, and those values are self-serving, beware. If you haven't been on their 'most favored list' before, but suddenly you are the object of their interest, be very cautious. If you are being offered something quite rare or valuable, you can be reasonably sure there will be a cost extracted somewhere. It's not a negative attitude - it's wisdom.