table would first be dedicated to some heathen god in sacrifice, so to share in such a feast would mean a sharing in honoring the god in whose name the animal was sacrificed” (Strauss). This problem was still present in the New Testament for the saints and Paul wisely spoke out against eating meat offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8). The king’s drink was a problem, too. There is plenty of warning in Scripture about consuming the wrong kind of drink (Proverbs 20:1; 23:29–33; 31:4, 5; Isaiah 5:11, 12).