Never Satisfied
“Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man”
Proverbs 27:20
One of the worst possible punishments would be a decree to eat without ever becoming full. Can you imagine constantly eating without ever putting a dent in the feeling of hunger? One could successfully argue that the best part of fulfilling any necessity or pleasure is the satisfaction found at the end. People tirelessly work, make sacrifices, and do what no one else understands for the pleasure of satisfaction. But what of a desire that is never satisfied.
Soloman, the wise king of Israel, pointed out that such a thing can and does exist. In Proverbs 27:20 he exposed the folly of covetousness. The clearest comparison to a mans coveting heart is death and the grave. Death never has its fill, and the grave never turns away anyone. Death never calls out, “I’m full today, come back tomorrow.” And God tells us that coveting eyes, eyes that are always searching for that one satisfying thing, will likewise never be full. We see it everyday with money, prestige, sex, and a thousand other things. Greedy men always need one more thing, prideful men can always use another complement, and the sexual immoral always want one more look. The last case is perhaps the clearest. A man who thinks perversely about sex never comes to an end. He will never have sex with one more woman and think, “I’ll never need another.” He will never look at a final pornographic image and think, “I’ve seen enough.” The reason for the failure to satisfy is simple–the soul of man has a picky appetite.
In Psalm 63 David writes, “my soul thirsts for you…my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.” The yearning of the soul is in fact a yearning for God; and that desire is so strong, so unique, that nothing else will do. So the next time you find yourself longing to be satisfied, pause and ask what you are truly longing for. Other things will certainly distract you, make it seem as if you are satisfied; but your experience has shown you that they in fact leave you empty. God’s answer, “taste and see that the Lord is good,” see that the Lord is satisfying.
Jonathan, I think we as men always need that reminder! Some other verses that have been an ecouragment to me, “A wise man keeps wisdom in view, but a fools eyes wander to the ends of the earth” (Prov 17:24). Also, “Greed, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5) applying, among other things, to those with greedy, covetous eyes (Ex 20).