“Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.”
~ Proverbs 20:13 (NKJV)
Did you know that the toaster was invented years before the first bread slicing machine?
Humble Beginnings
- 1893: Alan MacMasters of Scotland was responsible for inventing the toaster.
- 1928: Otto Frederick Rohwedder, American inventor, was credited with the invention of a bread slicing machine.
Otto, who was first a jeweller’s apprentice before he went on to read for a degree in optics, was an inventor at heart and a man with a vision. He invested the capital from the sale of his three jewellery stores to create a prototype for a bread slicing machine. His blueprint and prototype were destroyed by fire in 1917. He, however, continued to improve upon his vision and by 1928 he had created a machine that would slice and wrap bread.
The popular idiom “the greatest thing since sliced bread” is a way to show appreciation for something or someone.
Bread: the Staff of Life
Bread is used in the book of Proverbs as a metaphor for one of the essentials of life – food. It’s a reward and blessing for the diligent (Proverbs 20:13; Proverbs 28:19). The virtuous woman industriously makes provisions for her family and does not eat the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27).
It’s also a test of character. The generous giver is rewarded for giving bread to the poor (Proverbs 22:9) and the righteous are instructed to give the gift of bread to their enemies (Proverbs 25:21). The person who shows favouritism will do wrong things for as little as a piece of bread (Proverbs 28:21).
There are also several sources of bread to avoid:
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The bread of wickedness (Proverbs 4:17)
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The bread of a whorish woman (Proverbs 6:26)
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The bread of a foolish woman (Proverbs 9:17)
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The bread of deceit (Proverbs 20:17)
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The bread of an evil eye (Proverbs 23:6)
Personal Application
Think of your own life. How well are you doing with time management? Are you being generous with the resources that you have? Do you treat your enemies well?
Let’s live today so that people around us will say we’re the best thing since sliced bread!
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