"He made of pure gold the utensils which were on the table: its dishes, its cups, its bowls, and its pitchers for pouring" (Ex. 37:16).
In ancient times, there lived Acacius, bishop of Amida, who sold the treasures of the Church for the redemption of seven thousand Persian slaves who were dying because of famine. The bishop sold the sacred vessels to the Roman soldiers who owned the slaves. He excused himself before the Church by saying, “Our God, who does not eat or drink, has no need of patens and chalices.” And yet, this same God gave detailed instructions to Israel to construct a table in His tabernacle and to place bread continually upon that table. The bishop was correct in saying such a thing since God, through the ministration of Christ, fulfilled the ceremonial law. But in the Old Testament, these implements—the golden dishes, censers and spoons—all served an important purpose in the tabernacle.
God did not have these items placed upon the acacia table because He needed food, but He did it to teach His people temperance and humility. God put His table among them to remind them by that symbol that their meat and drink were to be taken as if they sat before God Himself. Even in their homes, they were to partake of their daily bread as if they were dining with the King of kings, sitting at His table, and eating of His food. By this table and by the showbread that was placed upon it, they were taught that food, by which man’s life is sustained, is sacred to God in the sense that He supplies it. The people, therefore, were to be content with simple fare, and they were not to abuse and profane that which God had given them.
Gluttony and drunkenness are abuses of the good gifts God gives us. He supplies us with bread and meat so that our bodies might be sustained and strengthened for His service. The Bible tells us that wine is a good thing, that it is given to us for enjoyment and for good health (Deut. 14:26). To abuse it is to dishonor God and to make a mockery of His goodness to us. We are to remember every time we sit down to eat that food is from the Lord, and that it should be taken in that light. Whether we eat or drink, we are to do everything for the glory of God. The Hebrews called the bread in the tabernacle “the bread of faces” because it was set before the presence of God. In like manner, we are to eat and drink before the presence of God with temperance, gratefulness, and recognition of our dependence upon the Lord.
Are you grateful for the basic necessities of life? Make time to thank God for the food He has supplied, and for the drink He gives to you for the sustaining of your body. If you tend to abuse food or drink, ask God for His forgiveness and for the grace to resist the temptation to commit gluttony.
