“The leech has two daughters.
‘Give! Give!’ they cry.
“There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
the grave, the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
I guess that all of us has known someone who never seems to be satisfied. We can't do enough for them; they can't get enough. There is always something else that they are so sure will satisfy them . . . They see what other people have, and they want to have it, too. It doesn't matter in the least that those people have worked, saved, and sacrificed to get those things --- the unsatisfied person wants them now!
Dissatisfied people always have a negative outlook: they are always looking for what is wrong in their life, or what they want and don't have, etc. They seem to thrive (sometimes even enjoy) having a problem that they can talk about. They are happiest being a victim. And if you advise them how their problem can be solved? Oh, boy, are they aggravated with you!
We see this a lot in kids, but adults are not immune. With some people, the more you do for them, the more they take you for granted, and want even more!
Our verses today and tomorrow list four things that are never, ever satisfied. Let's get down to our study!
First, the grave . . . this is speaking about death. Despite the title of the (very) old movie, death never really takes a holiday. No one has found a way yet, to escape. It is in all of our futures, unless Christ's return happens before we pass. We see in Ecclesiastes 3:3 that there is a "time to be born and a time to die."
I recall years ago traveling to Charleston, SC, and walking through the quiet graveyard beside St. Michael's Church there. There were all sizes and shapes of graves and stones between the cobbled paths -- some were so tiny, and decorated with cherubs, for babes and children who had died so long ago. Others were large; some even looked like buildings, for adults that were prominent in the community when they died.
Death doesn't care our age, or our importance. It's never satisfied, crying out "more, more."
This verse could be talking about spiritual death, too. Of individuals, or even churches. There is a lot to think about in these verses . . . more tomorrow.
There is certainly a lot here, as you say. As christians we can be secure in our salvation, and physical death is but the gateway to eternal life, but am interested in some insights on spiritual death! As usual you have made me ponder! lol
ReplyDeleteI too am curious about what you may share about spiritual death.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were growing up, my son was never satisfied. He always wanted what his friends had and we never had any of it because I was a stay at home Mom and money was too tight. I always tried to find a reason why I didn't want those things and give that reason to him to make him think about what you have to sacrifice for "things".
As an adult, he still tends to have that mentality from time to time, but he's better than he was and his wife has helped him pull in the reins on it.