Satisfaction (Proverbs 13:25)

Satisfaction can come in so many different forms. One thing I like to define satisfaction as is "just enough". For myself, I tend to eat till I am full. New Year's Eve, I went to Carrow's and had a burger and fries, then went to a party where I continued to eat. At the party I had pigs in a blanket, taquitos, chicken tortilla soup, hot wings, chips, almonds and a few Diet Cokes. I was stuffed, and uncomfortably so. Satisfaction is getting just enough; not too much nor too little.

"The [uncompromisingly] righteous eats to his own satisfaction, but the stomach of the wicked shall want." Proverbs 113:25, Amplified

There are two different ways that this verse can be viewed. In a physical stand point it seems that the righteous man does not go hungry whereas the wicked man starves. However, in the Gospel of Luke we find the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus ended up in Abraham's Bosom whereas the rich man ended up on the other side of the gulf in Hades. In this life, Lazarus went hungry, and the rich man ate till he was full. In life today, we can see that this verse is not necessarily true in the physical sense. There are righteous people in the world today who are going hungry, and there are evil men whose pockets are lined with wealth and their stomachs are never empty.

So what does this verse mean? As a child of God, we have the ability to be satisfied in every aspect of our lives. Do not think of the word "eat", rather replace it with the phrase "experiences life". The righteous experiences life to his own satisfaction. As food is placed on the table, we say a blessing over it and eat enjoying the experience with the family. The meal is an experience to be shared and enjoyed with others. As we travel on vacation, a prayer is said over the travels we make and enjoy the trip with whomever we are with. The righteous man includes the Lord in everything that he does, therefore the experiences of his life are satisfying.

The wicked man has no one to share those experiences with because he is a selfish man. There may be times when he includes others in his debauchery, but in the end it will be about himself. In selfishness, there will never be enough. The wicked and the sinner do not understand satisfaction.