”Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, Than an house full of sacrifices with strife.“
Proverbs 17:1
Life is more enjoyable if you have nothing but stale bread to eat in a peaceful home than it is to have piles of meat to feast on in a house full of controversy and dispute.
In the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes good food is regarded as one of the finest pleasures life has to offer.
This passage uses the picture of an empty kitchen containing only small amounts of stale bread and contrast it against a feasting table piled high with fine cuts of steak. The Author makes the assertion they would rather live in the fist house and survive on stale bread if there is peace and harmony than to have a feast everyday but live with contentious people where there is bickering, arguing and fighting all the time.
I am remembering a job I worked on where the Boss would sometimes take us out to eat after a job was completed. He was famous for taking us out and spending lavish amounts of money on food. However, when the Boss’s got a new Girlfriend she started to come along and join the celebration. Anytime she showed up she brought chaos and fighting. One time she got arrested in the restaurant. After just a few of these outings the celebrations stopped because no one would show up to the party.