“When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies for they are deceptive food” (Proverbs 23:1-3).

Restraint and self-control are advised when eating with the rich and powerful. This part is clear.

But why? Here are a few suggested reasons. (1) Dignity may be in view. Another proverb reads, “Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies… ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” (Proverbs 23:6-7). (2) Desire may be in view. Acquiring an appetite for that which one cannot afford is not good. The next verse reads, “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!” (Proverbs 23:4). Another proverb reads, “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who lives wine and oil will not be rich.” (Proverbs 21:17). Trying to live and eat like a king may result in much stress and many problems. (3) Dependence may be in view. The ESV Study Bible suggests, “The warning here is that the rich host may be using the luxuries he can provide to entrap his less-wealthy guests so that they feel obliged to do his bidding. His hospitality is deceptive.” A well-known acronym in the intelligence community for why one becomes a traitor is M.I.C.E. M-stands for money. I-stands for ideology. C- stands for compromise (or coercion). E-stands for ego.

The love of money had caused many evil things to occur (1 Timothy 6:10). Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). Demas forsook Paul due to Demas’ love for this present world (2 Timothy 4:10). Some teach what they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain (Titus 1:11).

The faithful have clear priorities. Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-26). In the New Testament we are taught, “If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37).