On this 17th day of September I read this gem from Proverbs 17:1.
Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
In brief, it is better to have very little, just a few crumbs, if you also have “quietness” (ease, safety, happiness, peace), than it is to have a house full of material wealth and food that also has fighting, quarrels, anger, and self-promotion.
This verse isn’t saying it’s best to be poor. It is saying it’s best to live in a way that promotes peace. In fact, it is so good to live in such a way that abundant life is found not by having a big home or a lot of food; instead, abundant life is living at peace. So, one of the keys to living prosperously (another way of translating quietness) and abundantly is to promote peace.
Does the bible give us clues about how to promote peace? The life of Abraham illustrates one. Abraham, still Abram, goes up to Canaan with his nephew, Lot. God has blessed them both mightily for their faith and obedience. As a result it says in Genesis 13:6 that “the land was not able to support them dwelling together because their possessions were so great….” And strife resulted.
How did Abram resolve the strife? Consider Genesis 13:8-9:
So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Abraham did not consider his own desires, instead he trusted God to take care of him, and Abraham let Lot choose in accordance with his desires. Abraham didn’t consider himself first (think Jesus’ attitude as discussed in Philippians 2). Abraham was older and was the one who had brought Lot with him. Abraham clearly had every right to first pick. He laid down that right to promote peace.