COMMENTARY

Daryl Wood

(Daryl is a fivefold teacher on the Kingdomquest apostolic team.)

BLESSED ARE THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled (Matt 5:6 NKJV)."

True hunger and thirst in America is a rarity. The sensation that we associate with hunger after going several hours without food cannot be compared to the real thing. The same can be said of thirst. The flesh’s yearning for a cold soft drink is hardly on par with a serious need for water. What we call hunger and thirst is usually a whimsical craving instead of a legitimate need.

Because few of us have been pushed to the brink of desperation through a lack of these physical essentials, we tend to take them for granted. At first blush, this might seem to be a good thing. Yet in the complacency brought about by the easy satisfaction of our needs, we miss a blessing.

" ‘Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see (Rev. 3:17, 18 NKJV).’"

The parallels between the material and the spiritual conditions of man are very clear. Like so many in our nation at present, the Laodiceans had the sense that they had no needs. Oblivious to their substantial lack, they were self-satisfied. They had no motivation to seek God and what He had for them; they were too well content in their self-existent bubble. Unless and until there is a stirring to reach outside this bubble, man will remain there. Most of the time, a perceived need or lack becomes the initiator for one to seek outside help. When the realization of a need is great enough, a man will cry out but not until then.

Those who deeply appreciate their own poverty of spirit seek God with reckless abandonment. They draw near to Him with fervency, and, consequently, He draws near to them. Their response, prompted by the recognition of their need, can become their first step toward entering life in and with God. It was following 70 years of captivity in Babylon and longing for release that Israel was promised a fresh visitation from God. It was at this time that they would seek Him in earnest:

"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive (Jer. 29:12-14 NKJV).

The fulfillment of this word came about through the ministries of Ezra, Nehemiah, and others who were involved in the return of the exiles from captivity, and the subsequent restoration. It is an excellent picture of the spiritual deliverance that the Lord works on behalf of all those who hunger and thirst after Him.

However, hungering and thirsting after righteousness and truth should not stop when one finds God. Instead, it will naturally become a way of life for those that stay on the pathway to spiritual health. David declared the following:

"O GOD, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Ps. 63:1 NKJV)."

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Ps. 42:1 NKJV)."

Unfortunately, in the case of many, their hunger and thirst for God end after they receive generous blessings from hHs hand (or, in some cases, lose the same). Like nine out of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed, they are content to take their mercy-gifts and run, exhibiting little or no real gratitude or commitment to Him (see Luke 17: 11-19). This behavior is commonplace. It is why Satan fully expected the same from Job when everything that gave him happiness in this life was taken from him. Prior to Job’s testing, Satan challenged God over this, declaring, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face! (Job 1:9b-11 NKJV)."

Yet, Job did not curse God, even in the midst of severe hardships. In fact, the heart of Job was so precious to God that He held him up before Satan as a trophy prior to his trial. The fire that Job subsequently endured only served to prove that his real treasure was the Lord Himself, rather than God’s blessings. Truly, a man or woman who consistently seeks God’s face instead of His hand is fairly rare. Yet what, except for this kind of heart, really evidences hungering and thirsting after righteousness?

It is possible to live an illusion. One can suppose himself to love God, and actually love only the benefits that He provides. It is left to fiery trials to effectively test the genuineness of one’s faith. If one pursues God for what he hopes to gain from Him, will it lead to that one being filled or satisfied? It certainly may lead to a feeling of satisfaction, particularly if that one a) obtains the temporal blessings for which he longs, or b) believes that such a pursuit in some way commends him to God’s favor. Still, the "filling" or "satisfaction" noted in the text is one that comes from being delighted with Him, as opposed to merely being pleased by the good things that He gives.

Nothing is more telling about a man than his passion. Discover what drives and consumes a man, and you discover the man. David was known as a man after God’s own heart, because he valued nothing as much as to be near to the Lord and to please Him. This is not to say that there were not seasons, even years, in his life when his passion for God waned. Fortunately though, he had enough sense during these times to cry out to God to restore him and refresh him again in His presence. Upon detecting a dryness or emptiness in his spirit, one can either suppress the truth in denial or wrestle with God until the flame within him is rekindled. To wrestle with, or press into God is to hunger and thirst after Him. The Lord invites, even challenges, all who experience a lack in their spirits to respond in this way:

" ‘Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David (Is. 55:1-3 NKJV).’ "

Again, if one is not currently experiencing the fullness of the Lord’s presence, the time for languishing in defeat and discouragement is long past. The doorway to God’s mercy and grace stands wide open, and He beckons to whosoever is willing to come and enter:

"And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17 NKJV)."

For one who hears the call, the only remaining question is this: Am I hungry and thirsty?