Part 2 - Whose Bread Are You Chewing On?

In Part 1, we discussed those that chew on another's bread concerning their characteristics, places they chew and what they do not possess. This part of the series is concerning what the Bible has to say about the subject. The text that I got the title "Whose Bread Are You Chewing On?" is from 2 Thessalonians but there are numerous verses in this series that correlate with the behavior of being a busybody. This post is concentrating on 2 Thess. 3:

6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

In verse 6, there is a command for the Christian to withdraw themselves (avoid, don't associate with) those who are walking disorderly, who are not keeping their place, living orderly lives and following the Bible.  Then later in verse 11, he tells us what this disorderly is referring to - those that are not working at all but rather they are busybodies.  They are idle because they aren't working but yet they are busy with other's affairs.  Most people know what a busybody is but we are going to define it to give it a more clear view since it is something that we, women especially, can fall privy to.

The word busybodies in verse 11 refer to those that meddle and are a busybody.  Webster's defines busybody and meddling

busybody - an officious or inquisitive person
meddler - to interest oneself in what is not one's concern : interfere without right or propriety

Basically a busybody is someone who has no "need to know" but is always in the know because they engross themselves in everyone's business.  They ask a lot of intrusive, personal questions and pry into the affairs of others.

I've been guilty of this before and it does rub off, so you have to be careful with you hang around with.  I find that when I get around those who know all this information about others, especially those that facebook and are into everyone's business - I find myself asking questions and then I stop and realize that I'm becoming a busybody.  Not only are they so full of other's business, but they are trying to find out mine too and then they live off this stuff daily and their house, children and lack of fruit show this.  I don't want to be that way and since it was creeping over into my behavior, I had to start avoiding those that do this.  No wonder Paul gave this command because who you associate with DOES have an effect on you.

One instance I remember was when everyone kept telling me to sign up for Facebook.  I like to research things beforehand and upon coming across lasciviousness, cursing and the worldly atmosphere - I should have stopped but no.....I had to find out more and so I spent a few hours just really finding out what people are lol. It draws you in and then I couldn't sleep that night, not only because I found out some people are not really holiness, but also because I was FULL of other people's business and I felt sick.  I hated that feeling and I hated how gross it made me feel.  But the busybody lives off this stuff daily and must sear her own conscience because she no longer feels conviction anymore.

I've fallen to being a busybody more times than the Facebook incident, but God has shown me to EAT MY OWN BREAD!  I have enough bread of my own to deal with, I don't need to sit in the bakery of others and have my head full of what it shouldn't be full of.  If we are guilty of this, we need to fall on our faces before God and repent!

I really like Clarke's commentary on verse 12:

2 Th 3:12
With quietness they work - With silence; leaving their tale-bearing and officious intermeddling. Less noise and more work!

That - they work, and eat their own bread - Their own bread, because earned by their own honest industry. What a degrading thing to live on the bounty or mercy of another, while a man is able to acquire his own livelihood! He who can submit to this has lost the spirit of independence; and has in him a beggar’s heart, and is capable of nothing but base and beggarly actions. Witness the great mass of the people of England, who by their dependence on the poor rates are, from being laborious, independent, and respectable, become idle, profligate, and knavish; the propagators and perpetrators of crime; a discredit to the nation, and a curse to society. The apostle’s command is a cure for such; and the Church of God should discountenance such, and disown them.

Here is a great article about the 'disappearance' of the neighborhood busybody:
http://bygonebureau.com/2010/02/10/on-gossip/
and here is a quote:
"...social networking is roping our personal worlds — all of our acquaintances spread across our lifetime and the globe — into one blue-and-white small town. And peering through the blinds at our neighbors and crushes from middle school isn’t some old lady. It’s me, you, and everyone we’ve ever met.

Every day, we sign into various little neighborhoods and stare at each other. The traditional busybody was crucified for taking too keen an interest in the housekeeping of her neighbors, but we modern gossips set our sites on deeper dramas. Where the old broad might speculate maliciously about the troubled marriages in her neighborhood, we track their demise. We monitor the pre-break-up wall-flirting, moody statuses, fatal change to “It’s Complicated,” and even see pictures of the new squeeze before the break up is final. The busybody, our patron saint, was ostracized because she was just too interested. Well, we’re interested and we aren’t likely to stop being interested any time soon."

Ask yourself the question: "Whose Bread Am I Chewing On?"  If isn't it your own, its time to get to baking!