I Perish with Hunger - Luke 15:17

The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him”, and in chapter fifteen and verse seventeen of his book Luke wrote how Jesus declared how the younger son said, “I perish with hunger” where we read:

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

The verse reads, “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, ...” Luke began with the words, “and when” or “and at the time and moment” “he came to himself” which means “the younger son arose and became aware of his own self”, “he said” or “the younger son uttered, declared, proclaimed and questioned”, “how many hired servants” which means “what a great number and large group of people of servile condition, slaves and employees for hire” “of my father's” or “belonging to the younger son's male progenitor and immediate ancestor” “have bread enough and to spare” which means “possess sufficient food composed of flour mixed with water and baked and leftovers as well”. Luke shared how Jesus said the younger son finally began to reason with himself concerning the number of “servants” his “father” possessed and their “food” was more than sufficient as they had leftovers as well.

The verse continues, “... and I perish with hunger!” Luke added the words, “and I perish” or “and I, the younger son, am being destroyed, rendered useless and put to an end in ruin” “with hunger” which means “with scarcity of harvest and food”. Luke shared how Jesus said the younger son concluded that he was “starving to death” while his “father's servants” were well fed.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the younger son finally came to his senses as he began to realize his father's servants had it better than he. They were well fed, and they had more than enough to eat, and yet, the younger son himself was dying from starvation. In other words, this younger son hit bottom, and the only way to look was up. God will allow people to hit “bottom” sometimes before they reason how He provides sufficiently and more for His own, and when they submit themselves to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they shall discover He provides “abundant” life for them on earth and everlasting life for them in Heaven.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says the son will decide, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say … I have sinned”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".