Much of the Sacred Scriptures deal with food. Food has both a nurturing dimension and a testing dimension. When eaten accordingly, it nurtures; when eaten at the wrong time it is a sign of failure. Adam and Even fell as a consequence of eating at the wrong time. Eating uncontrollably leads to gluttony; so too, eating at the right time leads to nurture.
Food is given to us for our enjoyment and pleasure, but it is truly pleasurable when it is given by the Father at the right time.
Jesus understood this lesson in the wilderness. He could turn stones into bread and satisfy his hunger, but He acknowledge that faithfulness to the Father’s word (Deut.8) is far more beneficial than food. The principle then is that faithfulness precedes food.
At the Lord’s Table, Yahweh provides for us a meal. He tells us when to eat. The meal is given for us after we have been faithful in our call, our confession, and consecration. We only eat when God says so.
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