HUNGRY AND THIRSTY HEARTS (6)

“Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live” – Deuteronomy 8: 3b

Blessed Hearts are HUNGRY and THIRSTY HEARTS – hungry and thirsty for God’s Word: “Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live” (Dt.8:3b). God intended Israel’s experiences in the wilderness to instruct them that all of life – physical and spiritual – depends on His providence. Although human nature compels us to focus almost totally on the physical, there is a spiritual dimension to life that requires sustenance just as surely as the physical. Deuteronomy 8:3 was Jesus’ response when He was tempted in the wilderness by Satan to turn a rock into bread (Mt.4:4; Lk. 4:4).

The New Living Translation reads: “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.” Essentially, God wants us to long for His Word above our natural food. Every other time Christ was tempted, He responded with Scripture. No doubt, while He fasted for forty days and nights, He was eating and drinking God’s Word! Unlike Esau, He received a vitality that sustained Him without physical food. Trusting and submitting to God, Jesus denied Himself bread, didn’t succumb to Satan’s temptation, retained His righteousness, and lived. In contrast, Israel demanded bread in the wilderness, ate, but finally died there.

Desire is an inward longing for something we do not have but feel we need. Hunger and thirst are God-given desires or appetites to make us aware of our need. Just as the hunger of our body drives us to eat physical food, the hunger of our spirit propels us to feed on spiritual food. The Word of God is the best spiritual nourishment for our soul-spirit. We are naturally aware of our physical needs, but we would never be aware of spiritual needs unless God, by His Spirit, rouses us. Hunger for God's Word and His attributes is a God-given appetite to make us aware of our spiritual needs, which in itself is a proof that God is working with us.

The awareness is followed by the desire to have what we need. It is the most natural thing for born-again Believers to desire God’s Word. Before salvation, we were apathetic towards Scripture. We didn’t typically desire to read, study, listen to, or obey the Word. But on being born again, the Word becomes our food. Like Job, we cry out, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Like David, we declare, “O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psa. 119:97).

Undernourishment and starvation of the spirit are less obvious on the outside than physical hunger because the spirit starves much more slowly and it’s hidden within. Spiritual malnutrition may go unrecognized for long periods as long as physical life continues. Yet just as surely as one's body gives signs that it needs nourishment, so does the spirit, in more subtle ways. When the body demands food, one may feel emptiness in the stomach, weakness in the muscles, or sleepiness. If it goes on long enough, a faintness and headache may arise. But when the spirit is malnourished either from deprivation or a harmful diet, the gradual reaction is different.

Spiritual weakness often manifests as sin: anger, bitterness, discouragement, depression, despondency, irritability, hatred, self-pity, exasperation, melancholy, gloominess, resentment, hopelessness, despair, paranoia, envy, jealousy, conflict, divorce, drunkenness or other addictions. Amos prophesied about a season of spiritual famine: “I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amo.8:11). This described people groping desperately for direction but unable to find it. We all hope to never have to experience physical hunger that would make us fear for survival. But do we hunger as avidly for God’s Word? Are we delighting in and meditating on it all day long? Or has it become a chore and a burden?