◄ Proverbs 13:25 ►
A righteous man eats to his heart's content, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.
Study Bible
A righteous man eats to his heart’s content
This phrase emphasizes the provision and satisfaction that comes from living a life aligned with God's will. In biblical context, righteousness is often associated with obedience to God's commandments and living a life of integrity. The imagery of eating to one's heart's content suggests not only physical nourishment but also spiritual fulfillment. Psalm 37:25 supports this idea, stating that the righteous are never forsaken or left begging for bread. The concept of contentment is also echoed in Philippians 4:11-13, where Paul speaks of being content in all circumstances through Christ. This phrase can be seen as a type of Christ, who is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), providing ultimate satisfaction and sustenance to those who follow Him.

but the stomach of the wicked is empty
This part of the verse contrasts the fate of the wicked with that of the righteous. The emptiness of the wicked's stomach symbolizes a lack of fulfillment and the consequences of living a life contrary to God's ways. In the cultural and historical context of ancient Israel, food scarcity was a real threat, and being well-fed was a sign of God's blessing. The emptiness here can also be understood metaphorically, indicating spiritual barrenness and dissatisfaction. This aligns with Proverbs 10:3, which states that the Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but He thwarts the craving of the wicked. The emptiness experienced by the wicked can be seen as a prophetic warning of the ultimate judgment and separation from God, as described in Matthew 25:41-46, where those who did not follow God's ways are cast into eternal punishment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Righteous Man
Represents those who live in accordance with God's will, seeking to follow His commandments and live a life of integrity and faithfulness.

2. Wicked
Refers to individuals who live contrary to God's laws, often characterized by selfishness, deceit, and moral corruption.

3. Heart’s Content
A metaphorical expression indicating satisfaction and fulfillment, not just in physical needs but also in spiritual and emotional well-being.

4. Stomach
Symbolizes physical needs and desires, but in this context, it also represents deeper spiritual hunger and emptiness.

5. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Proverbs, known for his wisdom and understanding, which he imparted through these teachings.
Teaching Points
God’s Provision for the Righteous
God promises to meet the needs of those who live righteously. This provision is not just physical but also spiritual, offering peace and contentment.

The Consequences of Wickedness
Living a life contrary to God’s ways leads to emptiness and unfulfilled desires. The wicked may pursue satisfaction, but they find themselves lacking true fulfillment.

Spiritual Fulfillment Over Physical Satisfaction
True contentment comes from a relationship with God. While physical needs are important, spiritual nourishment is essential for lasting satisfaction.

Pursuing Righteousness
Believers are encouraged to seek righteousness, trusting that God will provide for their needs. This pursuit aligns with God’s will and leads to a fulfilling life.

Contentment in God’s Provision
Learning to be content with what God provides is a mark of spiritual maturity. It reflects trust in God’s timing and sufficiency.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of righteousness in Proverbs 13:25 relate to the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount?

2. In what ways can believers today experience the "heart’s content" mentioned in this verse?

3. How can understanding the original Hebrew words for "righteous" and "wicked" deepen our comprehension of this proverb?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are seeking spiritual fulfillment rather than just physical satisfaction?

5. How does the promise of God’s provision in Proverbs 13:25 encourage you in your current life circumstances?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 37:25
This verse speaks to the provision and care God extends to the righteous, ensuring they are not forsaken or left in need.

Matthew 5:6
Jesus speaks of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness being filled, highlighting the spiritual satisfaction that comes from seeking God.

Philippians 4:19
Paul assures believers that God will meet all their needs according to His riches in glory, emphasizing divine provision.
Sermons
The Satisfaction of the Body Determined by the Condition of the SoulHomilistProverbs 13:25
The Blessings of Obedience and Their CounterpartE. Johnson Proverbs 13:18-25
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Appetite, Belly, Content, Desire, Eat, Eateth, Eating, Eats, Evil-doers, Full, Goes, Hearts, Hungry, Lacketh, Measure, Righteous, Satiety, Satisfy, Satisfying, Soul, Stomach, Suffers, Upright, Wicked
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 13:25

     4438   eating
     5185   stomach
     7150   righteous, the

Library
The Tillage of the Poor
'Much food is in the tillage of the poor.'--PROVERBS xiii. 23. Palestine was a land of small peasant proprietors, and the institution of the Jubilee was intended to prevent the acquisition of large estates by any Israelite. The consequence, as intended, was a level of modest prosperity. It was 'the tillage of the poor,' the careful, diligent husbandry of the man who had only a little patch of land to look after, that filled the storehouses of the Holy Land. Hence the proverb of our text arose. It …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Poor Rich and the Rich Poor
'There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.'--PROVERBS xiii. 7. Two singularly-contrasted characters are set in opposition here. One, that of a man who lives like a millionaire and is a pauper; another, that of a man who lives like a pauper and is rich. The latter character, that of a man who hides and hoards his wealth, was, perhaps, more common in the days when this collection of Proverbs was put together, because in all ill-governed …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Practical Methods of Studying the Old Testament
[Sidenote: The various methods of approach] The Old Testament may be studied as literature, as history, as the record of an important stage in the evolution of religion, as the revelation of God to the race, or as a practical aid to the individual in living the true life. Each angle of approach calls for different methods and yields its correspondingly rich results. Studied in accordance with the canons of modern literary investigation, a literature is disclosed of surpassing variety, beauty, and …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Song of the Redeemed
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou ... hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ... T he extent, variety, and order of the creation, proclaim the glory of God. He is likewise, ^* Maximus in Minimis . The smallest of the works, that we are capable of examining, such for instance as the eye or the wing of a little insect, the creature of a day, are stamped with an inimitable impression of His wisdom and power. Thus in His written Word, there …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven:
TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. 'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.'--Genesis 19:17. London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch Street, 1698. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced my …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"And this is his Commandment," &C.
1 John iii. 23.--"And this is his commandment," &c. There are different tempers of mind among men, some more smooth and pliable, others more refractory and froward. Some may be persuaded by love, who cannot be constrained by fear. With some a request will more prevail than a command. Others again are of a harsher disposition. Love and condescension doth rather embolden them, and therefore they must be restrained with the bridle of authority. It would seem that the Lord hath some regard to this in …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Second Sunday after Easter
Text: First Peter 2, 20-25. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth God's Favour and Countenance.
The sixth case, that we shall speak a little to, is a deadness, occasioned by the Lord's hiding of himself, who is their life, and "the fountain of life," Ps. xxxvi. 9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life," Ps. lxiii. 3, and "in whose favour is their life," Ps. xxx. 5. A case, which the frequent complaints of the saints manifest to be rife enough, concerning which we shall, 1. Shew some of the consequences of the Lord's hiding his face, whereby the soul's case will appear. 2. Shew the …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Opposition to Messiah Ruinous
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel T here is a species of the sublime in writing, which seems peculiar to the Scripture, and of which, properly, no subjects but those of divine revelation are capable, With us, things inconsiderable in themselves are elevated by splendid images, which give them an apparent importance beyond what they can justly claim. Thus the poet, when describing a battle among bees, by a judicious selection of epithets …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

"But if Ye have Bitter Envying and Strife in Your Hearts, Glory Not," &C.
James iii. 14.--"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not," &c. It is a common evil of those who hear the gospel, that they are not delivered up to the mould and frame of religion that is holden out in it, but rather bring religion into a mould of their own invention. It was the special commendation of the Romans, that they obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine into which they were delivered, (Rom. vi. 17) that they who were once servants, or slaves of sin, had now …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Having spoken of the general notion of blessedness, I come next to consider the subjects of this blessedness, and these our Saviour has deciphered to be the poor in spirit, the mourners, etc. But before I touch upon these, I shall attempt a little preface or paraphrase upon this sermon of the beatitudes. 1 Observe the divinity in this sermon, which goes beyond all philosophy. The philosophers use to say that one contrary expels another; but here one contrary begets another. Poverty is wont to expel …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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