The Binary Bind of Too Much or Too Little
Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash
A Binary World
We live in a binary world. Think of the countless decisions you make in a day. Most decisions are yes–no, either–or. Others weigh the pros and cons of a decision. It’s still binary. And there’s the classic—Are you a glass half-full or half-empty person?
Even in the IT world of computers, huge mainframes, desktops, laptops, and handhelds work off a sequence of zeros and ones. Binary coding. It’s not quite that simple—with different programming languages or code—but it boils down to manipulating a sequence of zeros and ones to execute some action.
Why is life in this world so binary? I track it back to the decision in the garden to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Even that decision was a choice between—continuing to trust God or believing a clever talking serpent’s lie.
Adam and Eve chose the second option. They chose the lie. Why does this matter? Each of us struggles to find the somewhat neutral ground of contentment between too much and too little. We’re caught in a binary bind.
Why is this so difficult? Because our self—our ego, our basic nature—is never satisfied. It can’t be because of this binary bind. This leaves us open to making poor decisions, pursuing empty promises, or just drifting along through life.
King Solomon struggled with this same binary bind. His personal history is full of times he chose too much of something, demonstrating too little restraint. The book of Ecclesiastes is his commentary on this very issue.
Scripture
Eating too much honey is not good,
and searching for honor is not honorable
Like a city broken into and left without a wall,
so is a person who lacks self-control. (Proverbs 25:27-28 GW)
(Context— (Proverbs 25:15-28 GW)
Simple Insights
Simple illustrations of comparison explain these two verses at the end of Proverbs 25. We know what it’s like to have too much of a good thing. It’s not good. In an earlier verse, we’re told eating too much honey makes a person nauseous (Prov 25:16).
You know the feeling of eating more than you should because it tastes so good—a 2nd or 3rd helping or a rich dessert after a big meal. This applies to more than eating. It’s great to get some sun but too much will make you sick or sunburned or both.
We all want and need honor and respect. The opposite would be shame or contempt. No one enjoys shame or contempt. When others honor and respect us, it’s a good thing. But when we pursue our own honor or glory, it’s despised by others and can bring embarrassment, shame, and disrespect to us.
The opposite of too much is too little of something. The last verse of Proverbs 25 deals with this life issue. We’re given a picture of someone who lacks self-control.
It’s not hard to imagine an ancient walled city with broken walls. You’ve either seen it in photos, movies, or digital games. If not, recall the story of ancient Jericho’s walls tumbling down after Israel’s army marched around it for seven days (Josh 6:20).
It would also be similar to the destruction a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake brings. Imagine being in a house where the walls and roof are blown away or broken down, leaving you vulnerable to the elements, wild animals, or scavengers and looters.
We’ve all seen what a lack of self-control brings in the lives of others and in our own lives. It isn’t good.
A lack of discipline leads to many problems—over-eating, overspending, little to no exercise, too little sleep, and so on. A lack of self-control leads to things like addictions, broken relationships, excessive worries, poor health, and on and on.
How can we escape the back-and-forth struggle between too much and too little? Contentment comes with trusting the Lord. Trusting Him instead of ourselves. We need help with who we are and how we’re internally wired. This is the intent of the wisdom of Proverbs (Prov 1:1-7).
In the New Testament book of Galatians, the apostle Paul speaks of this struggle (Gal 5:16-18). He says the evidence of relying on ourselves is obvious (Gal 5:19-20) but when we rely on the Lord—His Spirit in genuine believers—we gain self-control and a lot more (Gal 5:22-23).
The book of Proverbs is intended to help us gain wisdom and develop self-discipline. This isn’t about self-improvement or self-reliance. Self-discipline enables us to discern the balance between too much and too little by entrusting ourselves, our decisions, and our deepest needs to the Lord.
Reflection—
Contentment comes with trusting the Lord rather than ourselves. We don’t need to improve nor rely on ourselves, but entrust our decisions, deepest needs, and life to the Lord daily.
Prayer Focus—
When you find yourself caught in the tension between too much and too little, call out to God in prayer. Ask His help with decisions before you make them. He knows your deepest needs, so look to Him as your source of honor and respect—He knows you better than any person on earth.
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