What Does Ptverbs Say For Today? Part 18

 

What Does Proverbs Say For Today? Part 18

 

Desire

 

¹ Desire = v.t. to long for; to ask for. Syn. Wish, want.

Desirous = adj. full of or governed by desire; covetous; full of longing.

 

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. The fear of the wicked will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted. The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit. The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil. A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise (sound wisdom) judgment. What is desired in a man is kindness (lit. lovingkindness), and a poor man is better than a liar. The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it. The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not (lit. Will you cause your eyes to fly upon it and it is not?)? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Do not eat the bread of a miser (lit. one who has an evil eye), nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you. Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of troublemaking.” (Proverbs 3:13-15; 8:11; 10:24; 11:23; 12:12; 13:4, 12, 19; 18:1; 19:22; 21:10, 20, 25; 23:1-7; 24:1-2)

 

Desire is neither good nor bad, it’s what and how we desire that is good or bad. We can desire evil, lustful things or we can desire virtuous and healthful things. We can desire out of envy and greed, or we can desire out of compassion and faith. Pure desire results in GOD’s blessings, “For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your GOD three times in the year.” “LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear.” “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” Exodus 34:24, Psalm 10:17, 1 John 5:15. We are commanded to control our desires, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” “Where do wars (battles) and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war (battle). Yet (NU, M omit yet) you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Deuteronomy 5:21, James 4:1-3.

More verses on desire, Deuteronomy 7:25; Psalm 10:3, 21:2, 38:9, 68:16, 78:29, 112:10, 132:13-14; Ecclesiastes 6:2; Isaiah 1:29, 26:8-9, 53:2; Jeremiah 17:26; Amos 5:18; Micah 7:1; Matthew 16:1, 20:20; Mark 10:35, 11:24, 15:6, 8; Luke 22:31, 23:8, 25; John 16:19; Acts 8:31; 2 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:13; Colossians 1:9; 1 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 6:11; 1 Peter 1:12; Revelations 9:6.