This expression has been, for as long as I can remember, one of my mom’s favorite and most quoted pieces of advice. Before enjoying one of her delicious Lord’s Day dinners or a special birthday or holiday banquet, we knew that as soon as prayer ended, her home-cooked feast would be prefaced with her homespun admonition.
She’s always taken her own advice. At 93 years of age, an every-other-day diuretic pill and an aspirin are the only medicine she takes. Though living in a nursing home, she’s still—for an elderly person—reasonably alert and healthy.
In reality, Mom’s advice is based on sound medical principles. The human body derives much greater benefit and enjoyment from slowly, carefully chewed food than from hurriedly gulped food.
Good Advice - but Are We Listening?
We’ve heard similar advice all our lives.
We know that eating slowly is physically healthy—it helps the body properly digest what is eaten.
We know that pausing between bites is emotionally healthy—it gives us time to enjoy what we eat. And pausing—letting food settle for a while—helps ensure against overeating.
But, we know more than we practice.
We eat more food while gaining less nutrition.
We take larger portions while allowing smaller amounts of time to enjoy the taste.
Society has a fast-food mentality. This unhealthy lifestyle is part of the cost of living in a fast-paced, high-tech world where time is measured in nanoseconds. Continually grasping for new experiences and greater satisfactions, people are forced to give up the one thing necessary to savor them—time.
The World’s Example
Western cultures have become gobblers—not only of food—but of life in general. People today have forgotten how (or are unwilling) to take time to “smell the roses.” Sadly, this chaotic rush of modern life has had its detrimental effect on the lives and habits of Christians.
Most of us must admit to being guilty of feeding on the Word of God in the same hurried way we tend to feed on our daily food—speeding at the same frantic pace at which we move through daily life.
Yet time to feed and meditate on the Word is vitally important in today’s moral darkness—both individually and collectively. But we must admit in sorrow that our failure to find such time is not so much the fault of the world around us, as it is the result of our own refusal to make time each day.
The world has coined a saying that appropriately characterizes our hurried spiritual eating habits: “We have met the enemy, and he is us!” Oh! that we might search our hearts in these things, and confessing our failure, learn to follow the ways of the perfect Man—our Lord Jesus Christ—as He faced this same dark and confusing world, and did so in perfection, ever glorifying His God and Father.
Our Lord’s Example
What a conversation those two on the way to Emmaus must have enjoyed with the Lord Jesus! That walk, according to some calculations, would have taken well over two hours—time enough for the Son of God to open to them “in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” What food He gave them!
And did our blessed Saviour minister in a way that those two discouraged souls had ample time to digest what He said? Yes indeed He did! Hear their testimony: “Was not our heart burning in us as He spoke to us on the way, and as He opened the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:3232And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32) JND).
Notice, too, an earlier time in our Lord’s pathway when, speaking in the synagogue in Nazareth, He read from Isaiah 61 and then ministered briefly to the people. Did His divine ministry allow them time to slowly and thoughtfully consider what was said? Again hear the answer of Scripture: “And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:2222And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? (Luke 4:22)).
The Lord Jesus never gave more to the hungry than they were capable of eating. Yet He always provided an abundance for any who could eat more. “Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks, distributed . . . in like manner of the small fishes as much as they would” (John 6:1111And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. (John 6:11) JND).
Taking Time for Tasting
As a boy, a plate of good, nutritious food, including vegetables, was often placed in front of me at meal times. Unfortunately, I didn’t always like the taste. But I was expected to eat that food, so I learned to swallow the food quickly with water—no chewing required, and thus no taste resulted. I didn’t realize that eating food that way made me the real loser.
In Psalm 119:103103How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103) we read, “How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” If we do not give ourselves adequate time to taste the sweetness of God’s Word—if we do not chew (that is, meditate on what is read) those precious, divine precepts—what spiritual losers we become!
The word selah is found seventy-six times in the KJV Bible—most often in Psalms. Though its meaning is obscure, most reliable Biblical scholars suggest its thought is to pause and consider what has been written. In view of the frenzied pace of life today, we need to form the habit of slow and thoughtful meditation and enjoyment of the Word—both in our private reading and collectively in the assembly.
Allowing Time for Enjoying
We lovingly beseech all who take part in public ministry among God’s beloved people: Allow enough time that those who are being fed ministry are able to enjoy the food. Another has said, “The more gifted a brother, the more his quiet waiting on the Lord edifies the saints to whom he ministers.” Let us all serve spiritual food—both to our families and the brethren—with great diligence and care.
Ed.