Human Eyes Are Never Satisfied

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by: Denise Robinson

04/22/2021

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The more I read of Proverbs, the more I am convinced that human beings have changed little in thousands of years. We are never satisfied with what we have, especially when we focus on what we don't have. When we are praised, it's easy to let our egos run away with us. We forget too easily that stored up wealth will not last forever. Sound familiar?


Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, so a person is tested by being praised. Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out. Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations.  When the grass is gone, and new growth appears, and the herbage of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field; there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household.... (Prov. 27:20-27)


Sheol and Abaddon are words describing places of death. There is always room for more people to die, so pursuit of more and more "stuff" is, in the end, pointless. Yet our eyes see and our heart wants, and we do it anyway. How we respond to praise reveals our character; hopefully, we respond wisely and not as a fool. And, then, the last verses have to do with sustainable living. Stored up wealth will not last but, more than that, there is a limit to what the earth can produce (even as it's resources are renewed). 

Meditation: Solomon reigned as king, and wrote these words, between 970 and 931 BC, making these words 3,000 years old. We like to think that we have progressed since then and when it comes to technology and our standard of living, we certainly have. But what about the human heart? Is this just the way we are? As Christians, we believe we called to live differently - and we are commanded to use Christ as our example for living. What would Jesus say about these words from Solomon?
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The more I read of Proverbs, the more I am convinced that human beings have changed little in thousands of years. We are never satisfied with what we have, especially when we focus on what we don't have. When we are praised, it's easy to let our egos run away with us. We forget too easily that stored up wealth will not last forever. Sound familiar?


Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, so a person is tested by being praised. Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not be driven out. Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations.  When the grass is gone, and new growth appears, and the herbage of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field; there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household.... (Prov. 27:20-27)


Sheol and Abaddon are words describing places of death. There is always room for more people to die, so pursuit of more and more "stuff" is, in the end, pointless. Yet our eyes see and our heart wants, and we do it anyway. How we respond to praise reveals our character; hopefully, we respond wisely and not as a fool. And, then, the last verses have to do with sustainable living. Stored up wealth will not last but, more than that, there is a limit to what the earth can produce (even as it's resources are renewed). 

Meditation: Solomon reigned as king, and wrote these words, between 970 and 931 BC, making these words 3,000 years old. We like to think that we have progressed since then and when it comes to technology and our standard of living, we certainly have. But what about the human heart? Is this just the way we are? As Christians, we believe we called to live differently - and we are commanded to use Christ as our example for living. What would Jesus say about these words from Solomon?
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