Proverbs 20:17 (ESV)
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
Is there a greater contrast than how Solomon uses bread and gravel to describe how a person can think something obtained illegal or unethically might be good in the beginning but will eventually turn to pain? The first line above seems to indicate either: A) We can obtain something under false pretenses; or, B) We can obtain something that once we have it will create a false sense of security or lead us astray. The line could mean both. It is possible to work for and obtain something that taste delicious and we fail to see that the way we obtained it was anti-truth and the thing obtained was anti-truth. For that moment, however, the thing is sweet to the soul. Revenge is often this tasty. When we win by cheating we can celebrate in a way that fails to remember we cheated to get it. We might kiss the trophy in the beginning, but fail to realize the lasting affect it will have on our reputation. The second line gives us that picture. Imagine shewing away at a soft piece of bread only to eventually bite down on a hard stone buried in the sandy and graining texture of gravel! This is what Solomon describes here:
Proverbs 9:17 (ESV)
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
He is speaking about having a relationship with an adulterous women. The sexual height feels so good only to find you have lost all as a result of the one night stand. Job tells the same thing in Job 20:12-18 about the wicked who see their wickedness as refreshing and exciting only to find that in the end it is bitter and sour in their stomachs. See also:
Proverbs 10:12 (ESV)
Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
We might rejoice in the thing or the moment but when we fail to take into account the long term results we fail to see the bread turn to gravel in our very mouths.
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