“Moreover, you played the harlot with the Assyrians because you were not satisfied; you even played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. You also multiplied your harlotry with the land of merchants, Chaldea, yet even with this you were not satisfied.” Ezekiel 16:28-29, NASB
Not satisfied— that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? I mean, sometimes I’m not satisfied with my clothes or my appearance. My house. My lawn. My car. Ugh, how incredibly superficial. But, I’m just being honest.
I realize deeper dissatisfactions lurk as well, like occasionally not being satisfied with my ministry reach or results. I’ve even entertained spells of not being satisfied with my beloved husband–wishing he met my needs perfectly. Really, that’s not fair, yet my flesh isn’t interested in fairness or righteousness. It’s bent on satisfying myself.
Sad to say, the Israelites were laden with dissatisfaction … and it led them into terrible sin. God, in His incomprehensible mercy and grace, gave them life and nurtured them. Pouring out unbelievable blessings on them, He showered them with everlasting love. They needed nothing.
Still, they weren’t satisfied.
Israel decided it wanted what other nations possessed. Turning away from God, the people of God pursued fleshly desires. They turned their noses up at Him–arrogantly determining the “grass was greener on the other side.”
Don’t we sometimes do the same? And when we’re not satisfied, we open ourselves up to committing egregious sins.
If we allow our dissatisfactions to prevail, we take the bait. We latch onto Satan’s temptation–whatever it might be–and decide to try it. Remember Eve in the Garden of Eden? Her appearance was perfect. Her circumstances were perfect. Her husband was perfect. Yet she wasn’t satisfied. So she fell for the evil one’s lure, his lie: being like God. We’re all living the results of her disastrous decision, which surely would have been our choice as well.
Dissatisfaction has existed since time began. Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we’re immune to it. I challenge each of us to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and identify where we’re not satisfied. By His power, these areas need to be removed now so they don’t lead to devastating sins tomorrow. Let’s consider:
- How am I not satisfied with the way God made me?
- How am I dissatisfied with the relationships God has blessed me with?
- How do I lack satisfaction with God and His provisions–material and spiritual?
Surely these aspects only address a fraction of what resides in our hearts. But evaluating them will enable us to see some root problems before they grow into sinful actions. As we acknowledge them before the Lord, He’ll show us how to overcome.
Dear one, we can search for satisfaction like a bride eagerly looks for the ultimate dress. We can pursue all this world offers as intently as lions hunt prey. But unless we seek the living God, we’ll come up empty–Every. Time.
The Israelites benefitted from God’s tender love and enormous generosity. They weren’t satisfied.
Eve enjoyed the very presence of God in the garden. She wasn’t satisfied.
In God alone–through Christ alone–we’re perfectly satisfied.
