“Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.” — Isaiah 21:5
“If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.” — 1 Corinthians 15:32
There is a dangerous contradiction revealed in both passages: feasting without watchfulness. In Isaiah, the people are preparing a table — eating and drinking — while God commands them to watch in the watchtower. Yet history shows they neglected the warning. While they feasted, judgment approached.
Paul echoes that same careless spirit in 1 Corinthians 15:32. If there were no resurrection, then life would be reduced to this: “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.” That is the mindset of a man who has lost eternity from his view. When eternity disappears, watchfulness disappears — and indulgence takes its place.
When a man lives only for the present, he stops watching for what is coming.
Illustration #1 — Belshazzar’s Feast (Daniel 5)
Belshazzar prepared a great feast, drinking wine and praising false gods, while the enemy was already surrounding Babylon. In the midst of his indulgence, the hand of God wrote on the wall — “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” That very night, his kingdom fell. He had a table… but no watchtower. He had pleasure… but no preparation.
Illustration #2 — The Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37–39)
Jesus said, “they were eating and drinking… until the day that Noe entered into the ark.” Life seemed normal — meals, routines, celebrations — but they were blind to coming judgment. The flood came suddenly, and they were unprepared. They lived for the moment… and lost eternity.
God does not forbid the table — but He commands the watchtower. We may enjoy God’s blessings, but we must never neglect spiritual vigilance.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8
A careless life says, “eat and drink.”
A consecrated life says, “watch and be ready.”
Stay awake. Stay armed. Stay watching.