When Desire Overwhelms

Have you ever wanted something so badly? You know… you just had to have “that”! Whether you thought having that thing or person would give you identity, or fill a deep hole that you sensed inside of you, or give you meaning or purpose, we all have experienced this. The Biblical account reveals men and women who were flawed and then holds them up as examples of humanity in need of redemption. Jacob is a great example…

Jacob was tending sheep when he saw the daughter of Laban, Rebecca, who also tended sheep. It took one look and Jacob was hooked (but don’t see the kiss as something like a Hollywood kiss… it probably was a culturally acceptable kiss on the cheek… but still that was a bit “scandalous”). Why did Jacob weep? It’s hard to say based on the wide divergence of opinions from Rabbis. But we are sure of what happens next.

Now the drama unfolds even more. Jacob takes on seven years of laboring for Rachel’s father to earn her hand in marriage. The problem is that Laban has two daughters, Rachel (the younger) and Leah (the older). The contrast between the two sisters is an awkward translation. It’s actually misleading to understand it as, Rachel was beautiful in form (exactly what it says) but Leah had bad eyes (as if she had bad eyesight). That comparison breaks down. Actually, it should be closer to Rachel was stunning in looks, and Leah was ugly because her eyes were either bulging or misshapen.

We are told that Jacob loved Rachel. And then the turn in the narrative… When the seven years are up, Laban actually pawns his daughter Leah off to Jacob in marriage. How did that happen? The bride remained veiled until the wedding night and probably Jacob had too much to drink. All that to say, he didn’t realize it was Leah until the next day. I love what Derek Kidner says in his commentary on Genesis, “At night it was Rachel, but in the morning, behold, it’s Leah”

Isn’t that the case with the things and people we use to fill us or to give us meaning? What happens when natural and good desires become “over-desires”? At night it’s Rachel, but in the morning, behold (also read, “surprise”), it’s Leah. One day those things or people seem to fill your deepest desires. Yet the next day it loses that ability. John Coe, who is a professor at Talbot and a friend, said there is a reason why temporal things won’t fill us. It’s because we have an eternal hole inside of us. Only an eternal person, Jesus, can fill the eternal hole and leave us completely satisfied.

Question for Reflection today: How do I know when you’ve crossed the line from desiring good and right things to an over-desire for them?

Prayer: Lord, honestly, if everything were stripped away from my life, if all competing desires were removed, what would I find? What one desire would rule my life? Teach me what it means today to desire You and You alone.