In an affluent society where abundance surrounds us, gluttony emerges as a pervasive temptation, fueled by constant gastronomic enticements like restaurant dessert menus with alluring names such as Death by Chocolate and Praline Paradise. These temptations, alongside the barrage of food advertisements—averaging 10,000 a year for children, mostly for sweets and fast food—make overindulgence all too easy. At its core, gluttony stems from a lack of self-control, a weakness that is tested with every advertisement for food and drink, drawing us away by our own desires. This excessive desire, when acted upon, leads to sin and ultimately to spiritual death, as it exhausts our perseverance for good and drains our resistance to evil. A person given to appetite lacks the willpower to resist cravings, willing to do anything to satisfy them, whether at an all-you-can-eat cafeteria or in the face of any excess. Such lack of control mirrors the inability to resist liquor, revealing that we are not in command of ourselves but are instead controlled by our desires, contrary to what God desires for us. God views gluttony as a character trait of an evil person, warning us to avoid close associations with those who overeat or overdrink, as familiarity with such behavior can wear us down and entice us to indulge similarly. Beyond food, gluttony extends to an excessive desire for theological knowledge, where religious hobbyists devour information, becoming unbalanced and missing vital spiritual priorities. This over-consumption of ideas, often justified by easy access to information, leads to weariness and distraction from the weightier matters of God's way of life. Gluttony also manifests as idolatry when our appetites become our god, prioritizing physical desires over our Creator, thus breaking commandments by serving our lusts and failing to honor God's name. It can occur even on holy days like the Sabbath, when overeating under the guise of fellowship becomes seeking our own pleasure. A glutton's dissatisfaction with what they have, always craving more, further violates the principles of contentment. Spiritually, gluttony leads to worse problems, as seen in Israel's history where abundance caused rebellion and apostasy, a tendency mirrored in the church today with a hunger for new ideas that draw us away from sound doctrine. The constant influx of repackaged arguments by the great deceiver preys on the spiritually weak, fostering fanaticism and obsession, which are also forms of gluttony. God anticipated this struggle, not just in physical excess but as a deeper sin of lust, greed, and lack of self-control, urging us to walk properly as Christians, setting a good example of righteousness and using His blessings with balance and restraint to bring glory to Him.

Gluttony, as exemplified by prizefighter Mike Tyson's extravagant spending on a 56,000 square-foot estate in Farmington, Connecticut, reveals a profound waste of millions of dollars. Purchased for $3 million and upgraded with luxuries like a 3,500 square-foot nightclub and a 1,500 square-foot exercise facility, the property with 18 bedrooms and 24 full bathrooms was visited by Tyson only five times before he tired of it and listed it for $25 million, though realtors doubt it will sell for more than the initial cost. This squandering reflects a broader societal issue where self-responsibility is often denied, with many attributing gluttony to genetics or disease rather than personal choice, viewing it merely as socially unpleasant. Gluttony, defined as habitual greedy and voracious eating and drinking, extends beyond overeating to include excessive behaviors in drinking, smoking, gambling, sex, and accumulating material things. The key is excess—too much, too soon, too eagerly, too quickly. It is destructive, with proverbs warning that gluttony kills more than the sword and that there are more gluttons than alcoholics in the grave, a notion supported by rising sales of oversized coffins. Physically harmful, gluttony also produces negative examples for family and brethren, leading to poverty, poor health, and eventually death. The root of gluttony lies in uncontrolled desire, a driving force that, when unchecked, feeds excess. Avoiding gluttony demonstrates a life lived in wisdom, contrasting with the foolish who tend toward such excess. The problem is deeply rooted in human nature, with societal and cultural forces promoting overindulgence, yet it signifies a spiritual issue that manifests as gluttony when lust and greed are nurtured.