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Today we are continuing on with our series on the Sermon on the Mount – if you missed them, you might want to go back and catch up with Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, and blessed are the meek

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Our next “beatitude” is from Matthew 5:6,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

What do we typically hunger and thirst for?

When I was pregnant, I didn’t have terribly strong cravings – none of those middle of the night ice cream runs.  One thing that I definitely wanted both pregnancies, though, was meat! NP still laughs about one occasion when we were driving to my parents’ house and had gone through the Wendy’s drive-thru for frostys. When he pulled up to order, I suddenly decided that I wanted a bacon cheeseburger instead of a frosty. “For dessert?” he asked incredulously (I have quite a sweet tooth). A bacon cheeseburger was absolutely what I wanted for dessert!

I was thinking about people who were known for their cravings in the Bible – two popped into my mind, neither of whom I would want to be equated with.

Esau’s physical cravings led him to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew. Hebrews 12:16 warns,

“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.”

Why is sexual immorality tied to Esau selling his inheritance? Sexual immorality, like Esau’s poor decision, is a sin we fall into when we follow our physical cravings.

The other individual who came to my mind was Samson. Samson, to me, is the ultimate example of almost limitless potential thrown away because he could not control his flesh. He craved what had been prohibited. He did what he wanted and it destroyed him, and a lot of people with him.

Our physical cravings will always mislead us. Our flesh screams to us, “this is the only thing that will satisfy!” And yet, it’s a lie. A lie we buy into over and over and over again. It fails to satisfy us, so we go back for more and more and more – more sexual promiscuity, more food, more thrills.

I’ve been personally convicted lately about the lack of discipline in my eating habits. As I discussed in the post Soul Hunger, I think part of the reason that fasting is so prominent in the Bible and in the lives of people who are wholly devoted to God is that it pulls us away from being at the whims of our physical cravings.

When I’m stressed, discouraged, lonely, bored, frustrated, etc – I have a tendency to eat. As I stated in Soul Hunger:

How often do I come to a place of realizing that I am empty and incapable, and instead of realizing that the hunger in my soul is for God, I stuff a cracker in my mouth? When I am emptied of myself, do I long for His the comfort of His presence, or for an oreo as my comfort food?

Obviously physically our bodies need food and water to survive. But are we eating to satisfy legitimate physical hunger, or are we masking the symptoms of spiritual longings for His presence? Only God can satisfy our soul “as with the richest of foods.”

Notice what Jesus says: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

The Psalms are full of references to spiritual cravings for and true satisfaction in God.

•As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. (Psalm 17:15)

•As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)

•God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. (Psalm 63:1-5)

When we long to behold God’s face in righteousness – when we long to see Him for all that He is and submit our lives to Him in obedience – that is the source of true satisfaction. The satisfaction of soul that all of us long for.

What are you craving? What do you yearn for above all else? There’s only one thing that will satisfy you.

If you find yourself wrestling with food addiction, sexual purity issues, or substance abuse, I have heard excellent things about the free online Bible studies at SettingCaptivesFree.com.