Pro 25:16 | KingComments | STEP | One must know, even in the enjoyment of what one likes, to remain in moderation ( ). Excess harms. Moderation (“[only] what you need”) is necessary in the pleasures that life offers. When there is moderation, something can truly be enjoyed. Jonathan found “honey” ( ). He enjoyed it. It enlightened his eyes and gave him new strength to continue his way. To us applies: “All things are lawful for me” ( ). Thereby we must remember that something else follows: “But I will not be mastered by anything”. Eating honey is a picture of enjoying the natural relationships in marriage and family. These are God-given and therefore good. These may be enjoyed by us, but if they take on too great a place and push our service to God into the background, we become spiritually ill. Even in visiting a neighbor or family member, one must know how to remain moderate ( ). Here again, excess damages. and are similar in their words and ideas. Both verses advise moderation, one in eating honey, the other in visiting someone. is about ‘too much honey’, is about ‘too much of you’. The instruction “let your foot rarely be in” is literally “make your foot something rare for”. It must be precious to the neighbor or family member that you come. Something that is rare is also precious. The motivation for the warning is that abuse of familiarity will make that someone gets bored and hatred will arise. A Dutch saying applies here: Visit and fish remain fresh for three days. If we want too much of something good, it can cause our relationship with God to be replaced by that good, causing the good to become something wrong. We may think we have a gift to serve someone and visit him often to exercise our gift. However, what we must realize is that he does not need our presence, but that of the Lord. We must give him as much help as he needs to end up with the Lord.

‏ Proverbs 25:16

Advice to Be Moderate

One must know, even in the enjoyment of what one likes, to remain in moderation (Pro 25:16). Excess harms. Moderation (“[only] what you need”) is necessary in the pleasures that life offers. When there is moderation, something can truly be enjoyed. Jonathan found “honey” (1Sam 14:25-30). He enjoyed it. It enlightened his eyes and gave him new strength to continue his way.

To us applies: “All things are lawful for me” (1Cor 6:12b). Thereby we must remember that something else follows: “But I will not be mastered by anything”. Eating honey is a picture of enjoying the natural relationships in marriage and family. These are God-given and therefore good. These may be enjoyed by us, but if they take on too great a place and push our service to God into the background, we become spiritually ill.

Even in visiting a neighbor or family member, one must know how to remain moderate (Pro 25:17). Here again, excess damages. Pro 25:16 and Pro 25:17 are similar in their words and ideas. Both verses advise moderation, one in eating honey, the other in visiting someone. Pro 25:16 is about ‘too much honey’, Pro 25:17 is about ‘too much of you’.

The instruction “let your foot rarely be in” is literally “make your foot something rare for”. It must be precious to the neighbor or family member that you come. Something that is rare is also precious. The motivation for the warning is that abuse of familiarity will make that someone gets bored and hatred will arise. A Dutch saying applies here: Visit and fish remain fresh for three days.

If we want too much of something good, it can cause our relationship with God to be replaced by that good, causing the good to become something wrong. We may think we have a gift to serve someone and visit him often to exercise our gift. However, what we must realize is that he does not need our presence, but that of the Lord. We must give him as much help as he needs to end up with the Lord.