This Proverb says, “When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies for it is deceptive food.” In Biblical time a ruler was a person who ruled or governed the people of a specific region. A ruler could be a king or a person with authority to rule granted by a king.
The ruler had absolute control over the people. He could affect how and where they lived. He could cause the people to prosper. He could also place them in poverty. Worse, he could have them killed without any justifiable reason other than a whim to do so.
A ruler was not necessarily a leader. By contrast a leader is a person who stands by his people and bears difficulties with them. He is someone who actually guides and motivates followers in performing certain tasks.
This Proverb indicates that we should be careful regarding what favors we accept from a ruler. If we were to accept certain favors, the ruler’s power over us would increase. The ruler might then require us to perform acts that go against our core beliefs. We would then be trapped and fear for our very existence if we failed to obey. That would be a very bad situation for us. We should therefore avoid placing ourselves in such a position.
