Crave || I Want to Understand || Part 2

Welcome back to the “I Want to Understand” Bible Study. This 4-part series digs into the concept of lust as taught in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:27-30).” In Part 1, we looked at the etymology of lust and reached this definition:

Lust is a focused passion that properly builds on what a person truly wants.

After arriving at this definition, we delved into Romans 7:7-13 to examine the detrimental effects of covetousness and jealousy. We explored multiple translations to grasp the essence of the Scripture, which revealed that Paul was quoting the 10^th commandment from Exodus 20. From this, we learned that true contentment can only be found through God, not through what our neighbors possess. I urged you to engage in introspection with two questions:

• Why do I feel bad that they have stuff I want?
• What is the response to your jealousy?

Part 2 will take us to Paul’s reflection on what Israel learned from their idolatrous nature. We’ll go back to the book of Numbers to see what they did and what we can learn from it.

1 Corinthians 10:6-8

AMP	6 Now these things [the warnings and admonitions] took place as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did. 7 Do not be worshipers of handmade gods, as some of them were; just as it is written [in Scripture], “The people sat down to eat and drink [after sacrificing the golden calf at Horeb], and stood up to play [induldging in immoral activities].” 8 We must not indulge in [nor tolerate] sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell [dead] in a single day!
NLT	6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”  8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
MSG	6-8 The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did – “First the people partied, then they threw a dance.” We must not be sexually promiscuous – they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day!

What looks the same to you in these translations?

• The Israelites’ experience serves as a cautionary tale for us, illustrating the dire consequences of succumbing to our desires.
• We shouldn’t worship idols, that is, celebrate them with a feast after idol sacrifices and indulge in immoral activities.
• Don’t do this, or we face the consequence of physical death.

What are “these things” that Paul refers to? Paul is talking about the group of Israelites who wandered through the wilderness. He talks about how they followed the cloud that came from heaven and walked through the sea on dry ground. He shares that they were baptized as followers of Moses. They ate the same food and drank the same water. Even though they did all this, God wasn’t pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered out in the wilderness. Their actions, driven by their cravings and desires, serve as a cautionary tale for us, showing the destructive power of unchecked lust.

Paul talks about God’s displeasure with the Israelites. The Israelites craved evil and worshiped idols. They were doing the things that went against God, and the story that Paul’s talking about acts as a warning for how we should act. Our cravings often come from a place of need. If you’re hungry, you crave sustenance. If you’re cold, you crave warmth. Often, our cravings go out of hand. If we’re lonely, we crave company through porn, sex, one-night stands, etc. If we’re poor, we crave wealth through gambling, stealing, manipulation, etc. The Israelites satiated their cravings through overindulgence, debauchery, idol worshipping, and more things. God provides all we need. When we crave something, we must ensure it honors God and is provided by God.

Numbers 11:4

AMP	4 The rabble among them [who followed Israel from Egypt] had greedy desires [for familiar and delicious food], and the Israelites wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish we ate freely and without cost in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing at all [in the way of food] to be seen but this manna.
NLT	4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain, “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onion, and garlic we wanted. 6 But not our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”
MSG	4-6 The misfits among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt – and got it free! – to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.”

A couple of exciting things in the focus verse:

• Both believers and non-believers were in the Exodus with the Israelites.
• They started to crave the life they had in Egypt, which caused the Israelites to complain alongside them.
• The Israelites craved what they craved because of its familiarity.

Dissatisfaction occurs when our attention shifts from what we have to what we don’t. The Israelites didn’t recognize what God was doing for them—God set them free, made them a nation, and gave them a new place to live—because they were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. They could only think of the delicious food they left behind. They didn’t think of the whipping and slavery that went with it.

Before judging the Israelites for their actions, we need to consider what occupies our attention most. We shouldn’t allow the unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God’s gifts of life, food, health, work, family, and friends. How often do we get so caught up in what we’re not doing, what we don’t have, and what we don’t get that we forget everything God has done for us. God is our ultimate provider, and we should be thankful for that. What others may be suited for them instead of us, even though we crave it. We crave what others have because we think it would fulfill our desires. It might, but only for the short term. God wants us to have those desires filled in ways that honor and glorify him.

Numbers 11:34

AMP	34 So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah (the graves of greediness), because there they buried the people who had been greedy [for more than the manna that God provided them].
NLT	34 So that place was called “Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “grave of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.
MSG	34 They ended up calling the place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves-of-the-Craving). There they buried the people who craved meat.

Craving/Lusting is more than inappropriate sexual desires (go figure! /sarcasm). It’s an unnatural or greedy desire for anything. In the context of the Numbers passage, God punished them for craving good food. Their desire wasn’t wrong. It is not wrong to crave good food. The sinfulness came in the form of allowing that desire to become greedy. They thought it was their right to have fine food and could think of nothing else. They could get food, but it was a luxury to have fine food. When you allow the luxuries you crave to become what you believe to be your necessities, you are partaking in lustful thinking.

When you become preoccupied with something to the point that you are obsessed with it, and it consumes your thoughts, you have moved from desire to lust. To me, this sounds like it describes an addiction. What we crave can become who we are, and we will do anything (rational or irrational) to satisfy that craving. When we use worldly sources to satisfy our craving to an intense degree, we are in a lustful mindset.

What do you crave? How do you satisfy that craving? These are the questions I encourage you to reflect on until we reach Part 3. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.