The more difficult question is to define exactly what overeating is. Is feasting on some special occasion (i.e. Christmas, birthday, family gatherings, Thanksgiving, etc.) a sin? Or must overeating be habitual to be sinful? Is overeating measured by weight gain or the shape of our figure? Or is it only measured by some hidden motive of the heart? Guidance to answer these questions can best be found in the words that accompany the condemnations of overeating in the Bible.

Ez 16:49 "'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.'"

In order to understand how serious is the charge of being "overfed", consider the following. When we think about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, we usually think of them as being extremely sinful, but we normally identify this sin as sexual immorality.

• Gen 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.
• Gen 18:20-21 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
• Gen 19:4-5 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom -- both young and old -- surrounded the house. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
• 2 Pe 2:6-8 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that rightous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)
• Jud 1:7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

It is very significant that the passage in Ezekiel sums up their sin by describing them as arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned. Pride and complacency toward others often accompany overeating, and these are the root sins for many more overt sins such as sexual immorality. We can tell that we are overeating if we think that food can solve our problems and make us happy or if we become complacent and not focused outwardly on the needs of others.

The Hebrew for "overfed" is "sib'ah lechem", or "(abundant) fullness of food".

Here as in many verses, gluttony is spoken of in the same terms as drunkenness. The addiction to or overuse of food is just as bad as the addiction to or overuse of wine. The obvious indication described here of overeating is the onset of laziness and indifference which has a dulling effect on every area of our lives including our ability to earn our keep and provide for ourselves. The description of overeating as "gorging themselves on meat" shows that there is no sensitivity to their bodies' need for the food, but rather that it is senseless consumption for its own sake. We should ask ourselves, "Why am I eating?" and "What need does this meet?"

The Hebrew for "glutton" is "zalal", or "to be loose morally, worthless or prodigal; a glutton or riotous eater".
The Hebrew for "gorge themselves on meat" is "zalal basar".

Being a companion of gluttons (Hebrew: zalal) is described as the opposite of keeping God's law. We become like the people we are around. We should surround ourselves with people who are temperate in their consumption and moderate in their eating. We know we are gluttons if we feel more comfortable around gluttons than around temperate, self-controlled people.

Gluttony is used to describe those without a sound faith and is condemned along with lying and evil brutishness (insensitivity to sin, being without a conscience).

The Greek for "lazy gluttons" is "argos gaster", or "idle bellies". All other times in the New Testament that "gaster" is used, it is used to describe pregnancy. Here, the adjective and context are critical to the translation as "gluttons". Therefore, laziness is clearly seen as part of the sin of overeating. We should ask ourselves when we wonder if we are overeating, "Am I focused and doing the work of God, or am I avoiding important issues in my life?"

Being a glutton is comparable to drunkenness and was clearly intended as an insult to Jesus by his enemies.

The Greek for "glutton" is "anthropos phagos", or "man who eats". Eating is clearly not a sin, but to be charactereized by one's habit of eating is a sin just as much as drunkenness.

Idolatry (the worshiping of anything before God) is clearly a sin. This verse says that our stomachs can become our god. Eating can clearly be very sinful if we let our appetites rule us and if our minds are on earthly things as a result. We are much happier if God rules our lives and if our minds are set on eternal things as God commands.

Food is deceptive, and so are all kinds of materialism. Do not look to food to give you joy or satisfaction. Restraint is a word which should describe our relationship to all physical pleasures, including eating.

The Hebrew for "given to gluttony" is "ba'al nephesh", or "mastered by your appetites". The word "ba'al" means master or lord. The false gods of Canaan were known as Baals (i.e. Masters).

• Am I overfed? an abundant fullness of food?
• Do I gorge myself on food?
• Do I feel more comfortable being a companion of heavy people or thin people?
• Do I eat because of laziness, idleness, depression, discouragement, self-pity, or being overwhelmed?
• Do people know me as one who is often eating?
• Do thoughts of food rule my day? Do I turn to food to solve (or distract me from) my problems?
• Am I mastered by my appetites? Do I crave food and show little restraint when it comes to food?

• Arrogance? Lack of concern for the needs of others (spiritual and physical)?
• Laziness? Dullness? Carelessness?
• Do I embarrass or disgrace others who are close to me?
• Insensitivity to sin? Lying?
• Drunkenness? Other addictions or habitual sinful behaviors?
• Mind on earthly things?
• Greed? Envy? Jealousy? Materialism?