The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family

So, You Want What You Want

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-03

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver warns that demanding our own desires over God's will leads to spiritual leanness and destruction. Using Israel's lust for meat in the wilderness and Samson's demand for a Philistine wife, he illustrates how God may grant requests in anger, resulting in judgment. The sermon calls believers to submit their lusts to God's Word, seek heavenly affections, and recognize that prosperity without God's blessing starves the soul.

[John Weaver] The title of the message today, listen carefully, is, So You Want What You Want. So You Want What You Want. Psalm 106 verse 14, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert, and He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls. Each one of us have heard a child say, I want it and I want it right now. Anyone who's ever been around a spoiled child has heard those words.

[John Weaver] But unhappily, it's not only children, but sometimes it's adults who have never grown up and have never faced reality that use those same exact words. In fact, the truth is no one really wishes to be around people that are like that. As you read through the Bible, you'll find that the Israelites as a whole were just like spoiled, pampered children who never grew up. Such children always exasperate their parents.

[John Weaver] I was in a store in Douglas, Georgia, and here was a woman with a young child in her buggy, I think the child was probably four, five, six, something like that. And the child was just pitching an absolute fit, screaming, hollering, crying. And I watched the woman as she pushed the buggy over to her husband and she said, please do something with this child. I can't do a thing with him. He's crying and he's upset and he's mad because I won't buy him a toy when he already has one exactly like it at home. I just bit my tongue and I said under my breath, give him to me, honey. I know exactly what to do. You know.

[John Weaver] But I didn't want to stay in that area. I just kind of quickly walked on away. Didn't want to be around him. Likewise, the Israelites exasperated and infuriated the Lord God of heaven and earth. The Bible says in Numbers chapter 14 verse 22, God said concerning the Israelites, He says, because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted Me now these ten times and have not hearkened unto My voice. And if you would take the time to look up the word provoke, provoked, and provocation in relationship to the Israelites in God, you'll be amazed at how many times God says, that they provoked Him. They provoked Him innumerable times, and they did so to their own detriment and to their own destruction. Remember now, the title of this message is, So You Want What You Want.

[John Weaver] I've known a number of Christians, a number of people, professing Christians, who have coveted and lusted in such a manner that it did not really matter to them what God said, what His Word said, They wanted what they wanted. They refused to be regulated or controlled or limited by the Word of God. I have heard grown men, in fact, I have counseled them. I've rebuked some of them. But I've heard grown men say, well, I know you're right and I know the Bible is right, but I'm going to have to handle this in my own way. Or I'm going to do what I'm going to do. In other words, all they want is their own lust, their own covetousness, and their own way. It doesn't matter what God says.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Psalm 106 and look in your Bibles to the book of Judges, chapter 14. Let me give you such an illustration. Look in Judges, chapter 14, and let's begin there with verse 1. Judges 14, verse 1. Everyone in this room has heard of Samson. Look at it in Judges, chapter 14, beginning there with verse 1. Here is a very clear illustration of someone wanting what they want. It doesn't matter what God says, but look in Judges 14 verse 1. And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note something. This is Judges chapter 14. If I were to take the time to read Exodus 34 verses 15 through 17, If I were to take the time to read Deuteronomy 7 verses 1 through 6, in both of those passages, God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites. And the Philistines lived in Canaan, and He specifically named them. Those were the seven nations that God destroyed. God says you're to make no covenant with them, and God specifically said you're not to give your daughters to them in marriage, nor to take their daughters from your sons, for they will turn your hearts away from serving me.

[John Weaver] And here is what Samson's father and mother said when he told them, get her for me. They said, look Samson, is there never a woman among your own brethren? Look at your tribe. And if your tribe is too small, if you can't find a woman that would please you in your tribe, look at all the other tribes of Israel. Surely, you could get a good Israelitish girl from one of those tribes. You're not even limited to this particular tribe. What does Samson say? Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.

[John Weaver] Now let me give you a very literal translation. Here's what it says. Get her for me, For it seemeth good in my eyes." In other words, Samson's attitude was this, I don't care what God says. I don't care what you say. I want her and I want her now. You get her for me. For she pleaseth me well, it is good in my own eyes. Not only was Samson violating the law of God, in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy chapter 7, he was also violating the fifth commandment when God said, Honor thy father and thy mother. and he was refusing to honor the counsel of his father and mother. What did Samson want?

[John Weaver] He wanted what he wanted. You know, the Apostle Paul had to write concerning Demas in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 10, and he said this, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica. Demas hath forsaken me. Why did he leave Paul? having loved this present world and has departed into Thessalonica. Now Demas worked with the Apostle Paul. Demas had part of Paul's ministry until the love of the world filled his heart.

[John Weaver] And what he did was simply this. He lusted, he coveted, and he desired the present world and therefore he deserted the Apostle Paul and he deserted the ministry. I could name today countless numbers of preachers, deacons, elders, and average Christians who've just simply followed suit. They've forsaken God because of lust for money, pride, sex, and a multitude of other lusts. They just simply wanted what they wanted. They refused to be controlled by the Word of God. They refused to be limited by God. They wanted what they wanted.

[John Weaver] The Bible says this in 1 John 2 verses 15 through 17. Listen carefully. God said, Love not the world. And He's talking about the world system now. Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Now He's describing the world system and He says this, For all that is in the world, The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said. Love not the world, neither things are in the world. Then he tells you what he's talking about. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. He said all these things pass away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. I want you to stop and think about this. Demas forsook God. He forsook Paul. He forsook the ministry for the present world that he lived in. That present world that Demas lived in has been gone for hundreds of years. And the temporary lust and pleasures that Demas had have also been gone, but his sin and his betrayal remain. demonstrated permanent joy and happiness for temporary pleasure that passed away. All I can say is what fools we are to betray God and His Word for temporary pleasures.

[John Weaver] Now there's a proverb that applies to what we're talking about. The Bible says in Proverbs 23 in verse 2, And put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite. Did you hear what I just read? "...and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given an appetite." In other words, God is saying, basically, it's better to cut your own throat than to allow yourself to sin against God.

[John Weaver] Now, He's not telling you to commit suicide. A proverb, of course, is something that stresses a principle. But let me tell you that our Lord Himself enunciated the same principle In Matthew 5 verses 29 through 30, listen to what he said. Our Lord said, If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that if one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. What is our Lord saying? Our Lord is saying we ought not to allow any member of our body, whether it's the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life, lead us away from God and betray Him and His Word for temporary pleasures. In other words, our Lord is saying this.

[John Weaver] Here's the truth. We need to be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control our lust and control our desires and control our covetousness. So whatever then would take us away from God or take us away from His Word must be quickly, eagerly, and readily disposed of or dispatched.

[John Weaver] Now before I get to explaining our text today, I think it's important that we remember one critical truth, and that is this, that our sins, our lusts, and our desires always affect other people. Do not come up with the stupid argument, well, it's my body and I'll do with it as I please, or it's my life and I'll live it as I please. No, your sin always affects someone else. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 7, for none of us live it to himself and no man died to himself. Whatever you do will always ultimately affect your family, your neighbors, your friends, your church, and even your nation.

[John Weaver] I want you to look very quickly, hold Psalm 106, but look if you would to Matthew chapter 14. Let me give you an illustration. Matthew 14. I know that you've heard of King Herod. Here's a quick question. Do you think that someone's sins can affect someone totally outside of themselves and outside of their family?

[John Weaver] Now, of course, the answer is yes. Who would have ever thought that the sin and the lust of King Herod would affect John the Baptist? But look at it. Matthew 14 verse 1. At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. And therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John and had bound him and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, that is John the Baptist, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Now let me tell you, this dancing before Herod and pleasing him was not some little ballet. It was not some little tap dance. It was a sensual dance. Watch.

[John Weaver] Verse 7, Wherefore he, Herod, promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And here's an interesting thing. And she, being before instructed of her mother, she knew the effect that her dance would have on her stepfather. So she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head and a charger. And the king was very sorry nevertheless for his oath's sake.

[John Weaver] And them which said it, meet with him. He commanded it to be given her. Then he sent him to head of John in the prison. And the head was brought in a charger and given to the damsel. And she brought it to her mother. and his disciples came and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus. Here was a man who was consumed with his own lust and his own lust affected John the Baptist because he lost his life over the lust that Herod had because Herod could not control himself. Just stop and think. How many children have reaped the whirlwind simply because they were in the homes of parents who would not and could not control their own lusts. Think of the husbands. Think of the wives, whose lives have been destroyed because of the sins of their mates, because their mates would not and could not control their own lusts. We rarely consider how our sins affect others.

[John Weaver] But you mark this down. Here's a truth from Scripture. No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. Whatever you do always affects other people. I always say this, how much easier it is and how much better it is to simply obey the Word of God. I don't know if you've ever meditated upon this thought or not, but you should. Have you ever considered how much heartache and trouble and turmoil we could save ourselves if we would just obey? It's that simple. If we would just obey, God has promised blessings to those who obey, to obey Him.

[John Weaver] And listen to what He said in Proverbs 10 in verse 22. I love this. He says, The blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. The blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrows with it. I'd much rather have the blessing of the Lord without sorrows, Then I had my own lust, and my own covetousness, and my own will, and my own way, with nothing but heartache, sorrow, trouble, and death.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back at Psalm 106 and verse 15. Giving you that introduction, I want you to understand what the psalmist is talking about. In verse 15, that is the main verse today, and he gave them their request. but sent leanness into their soul. In order to understand Psalm 106 verse 15, you need to go back and see the provocation that Israel gave to God. So I want you to hold Psalm 106 but turn back to Psalm 78 and also then to Numbers chapter 11. Numbers chapter 11, is the historical setting, but Psalm 78 repeats it as well. So let's look in Psalm 78 and let's begin reading at verse 15. Psalm 78, verse 15.

[John Weaver] He claimed the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers. And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking, there's that word, by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, and that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for the people?

[John Weaver] Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth. So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel. because they believed not God and trusted not in His salvation. Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven, man did eat angels' food, He sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by His power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.

[John Weaver] And He let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel. For all this they sinned still and believed not His wondrous works.

[John Weaver] Therefore their days did He consume in vanity and their years in trouble. When He slew them, then they sought Him, And they returned and inquired early after God, and they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer was. Nevertheless, they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant."

[John Weaver] Stop there and turn, if you would, to Numbers chapter 11. Watch this very quickly. Numbers chapter 11, verse 1. Verse 4 is where we want to start. Numbers 11, verse 4. And the mixed multitude was among them that fell a lusting and the children of Israel also wept and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt, free to the cucumbers and the melons and the leaks and the onions and the garlic.

[John Weaver] But our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes. And the manna was as a coriander seed and the color thereof is the color of bedulam. And the people went about and gathered it and ground it in mills and beat it in mortar and baked it in pans and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp of the night, the manna fell upon it. Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent.

[John Weaver] And the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said to the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight? that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me. Have I conceived all these people? Have I begotten them, that thou shouldest send to me, carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father, beareth the sucking child into the land which thou swearest from their fathers? When should I give flesh to all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people on, because it is too heavy for me.

[John Weaver] Skip down, if you would, please, verse 18. And say unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five, nor neither ten, nor twenty days, but even a whole month, until it come out your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you. because that you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? Now watch. And Moses said, The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen.

[John Weaver] Now that's just the soldiers. With the women and children, probably two million. And thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

[John Weaver] Now look what Moses asks. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them, or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them? And the Lord said unto Moses of the Lord's hand, wax and short, thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass into thee or not.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back whole, whole numbers 11, but go back to Psalm 78. Psalm 78, go back there. If you would please. And look, if you would please, beginning there, verse 18. Watch this. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.

[John Weaver] Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people? Here is an expression of unbelief. Can God? Look at everything that God had done for them, and now they're doubting God. Skip down to verse 22. Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation, Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven." Now look, man did eat angels' food.

[John Weaver] He sent them meat to the full. God had provided an absolutely perfect food for the people. He provided manna. Yet they are now despising God's provision. They wanted meat. God's provision was insufficient for their lusts.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you something. I want you to turn back please to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12.

[John Weaver] Now remember these people are crying to God. We won't meet. We're sick and tired of this manna. We don't want the manna. We won't meet. Okay. Look in Exodus chapter 12 verse 38. The people of Israel or leaving the land of Egypt. And look what the Bible says. Exodus 12 verse 38, And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocks, and herds, and very much cattle. Now wait a minute. Why are they crying to God For meat, when they have flocks, sheep, goats, herds, cattle, and very much cattle, all different kinds. Now it may be true that not every individual had a lot of sheep and goats and cows, but there's plenty of meat there. And if not every individual had that, could they not share?

[John Weaver] I mean, let's be honest. I mean, the Bible says they've got plenty.

[John Weaver] Now when you get to Numbers chapter 11, Moses then on the other hand asked this in verse 22, Shall the flocks and herds be slain for them to suffice them? Or shall all the fish be gathered from the sea to suffice them?

[John Weaver] Now, it's not just a vast multitude of people that are there. Yes, probably two million. But I think what Moses is being exasperating about here is the greatness of their lusts and the greatness of their demands. And Moses, as we read in Numbers chapter 11, became so exasperated. He said, Lord, why did you Sin me. I didn't conceive all these people. Why did you place this burden upon me? These folks are just crazy. They're not controllable.

[John Weaver] They want what they want and they want it right now. Now, I want you to look in Numbers 11 at verse 6. Look what they say. But now our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes. And then he talks about the manna. It was like a coriander seed. Talks about the color, how they baked it, had it taste like fresh oil, how that it fell upon the dude during the night while they were sleeping.

[John Weaver] They did not have to work for it. I mean, it was just there. It was delicious. It was full of... Bear Gryllis says on The Survivalist, he was full of vitamins, vitamins and all kinds of nourishment. They didn't really need anything else. But here's what they said, we're sick and tired of it. Let me read to you what two commentators have said concerning the manna. Matthew Henry says this, it was good for food and pleasant to the eye.

[John Weaver] Every grain was like an orient pearl. It was wholesome food and nourishing. It was not to be called dry bread, for it tasted like fresh oil. It was agreeable to every man's palate and tasted as he would have it. And though it was still the same, yet by the different ways of dressing it, it yielded them a grateful variety. It cost them no money nor care, for it fell in the night while they slept, and the labor of gathering it was not worth speaking of. They lived upon free quarter, and yet could talk of Egypt's cheapness and the fish they ate there freely.

[John Weaver] Nay, which was much more valuable than all this, the manna came from the immediate power and bounty of God, not from common providence, but from special favor. It was, as God's compassion knew every morning, always fresh, Not as their food, who live on shipboard. While they lived on manna, they seemed to be exempted from the curse which sin had brought upon man, that in the sweat of his face he should eat bread. And yet they speak of manna with such scorn, as if it were not good enough to be meat for swine.

[John Weaver] Our soul is dried away. They speak as if God dealt hardly with them, and allowing them no better food." In other words, they are despising what God has provided. Now watch. And now they're comparing it with what they had in Egypt. In Numbers chapter 11, what did they say? Let me read you verse 5. We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.

[John Weaver] Isn't it amazing how people forget? Yes, they had cucumbers. Yes, they had leeks and garlic. Yes, they had fish, but they also had slavery, and toil, and heartache, and death. And now God has delivered them from all of that, and He's supplying their need with manna. Isn't it amazing how some people prefer slavery just to have their lusts filled? John Gill said this concerning the manna. They complain now that they are starving, that their soul is dried away. They complain that they are almost wasted away with famine and hunger, whilst they are abundantly supplied with manna. In the same way as they had just been loudly declaring that they had lived in Egypt for very little money, as if they were affected by a great dearth of provisions, when by the pure liberality of God a kind of food was provided for them, more easy to prepare than any other, and

[John Weaver] so actually prepared without trouble or cost. But such is the malignity and ingratitude of men, that they count all of God's bounty for nothing, while they are brooding over their own importunate lust." I want you to remember something. I want you to remember verse 6. When they said, but now our soul is dried away, And there is nothing else before our eyes besides this manna. They were not only lusting, they were despising God. That's why in Psalm 78 they ask, can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

[John Weaver] He smote the rock, He gave us water, can He also give us meat? Now I don't care whether you read Numbers 11 or if you'll go back to Psalm 78, the interesting thing is this. God was very provoked at their whining and complaining and at their lusts and of their sins. And I want you to notice what the Bible says in Psalm 78 beginning there at verse 21.

[John Weaver] Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth. So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they believed not in God and trusted not in His salvation." Okay, now here's the scenario. God's providing everything they need. No work, no money, just pick it up, prepare it, need it. Fresh every day. And they say, Our soul is dried away. We're so tired of this manna. What we need is some delicacy. What we need is something that will satisfy our lust. What we need is something special. I want you to listen to something. They were crying against God's provision and crying for meat in their passion. Here's the truth. I want you to understand that whatever is asked for in the passion of lusts is often given in wrath and anger.

[John Weaver] Let me spell that out another way. God may give you what you want to satisfy your lusts. But when you get it, you'll wish to God you never had it. Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love. If I had a three-year-old child, and he wanted to play with a rattlesnake, what would I say to my child? No. Am I denying him that because I hate him? No. I'm denying him that because I love him. I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want him to die. God can answer our prayers in love and deny them, or He can answer them in anger and give us exactly what we want. And then we wish we never had it.

[John Weaver] Now let me point something out. I know the Bible says that God will supply not only our needs but our desires. But just because a man gives a man his desire does not mean that that man has special favor with God. It depends on what that desire is and whether it is holy or unholy. God gave these people their desires. In fact, look in your Bibles to Psalm 78 beginning there with verse 26. Watch carefully.

[John Weaver] Here's what I'm talking about. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven and by its power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust and feathered fowls like the sand of the sea. and he let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire. He gave them what they wanted.

[John Weaver] They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel. God gave them exactly what they wanted. And He gave it to them in anger. The Bible tells us, in Numbers 11 in verse 34, that when God killed them, they called the place Kibroth-Hedevah, that is, the graves of lust. Because there they buried those people that sinned against God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 106 and let's consider verse 15, in light of this historical illustration. Psalm 106 and verse 15. Verse 15 is talking about what happened in Numbers 11, what happened in Psalm 78. So the Bible says this, He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. I find it interesting that they complained in Numbers 11, that our soul is wasting away because there's nothing before our eyes except this manna.

[John Weaver] So part of God's judgment was not just killing some of the people But since they said that they had leanness of soul, God said, I will give you true leanness of soul. I'll give you what you want, but I will send leanness into your soul.

[John Weaver] Now the word leanness is translated from a verb, which means to make thin, to cause the waste away, and to destroy. The idea is that of scraping, hence it means to scrape away or scrape so as there's nothing left or become lean or to waste away. The same word is translated in Isaiah 10 and verse 16 as leanness and it is also translated in Micah 6 and verse 10 as scant. So God then gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their soul.

[John Weaver] I want you to consider that this is probably where most Christians are in our land today. I'm going to make the application and you'll see what I'm talking about. We have practically whatever we want. But there is leanness in our souls. God sent quail. I don't mind telling you quail is good food. I love quail. Don't care anything about eating doves, but I love quail. But here's the point. That which was good to them, was bad for them when it came without the blessings of God. That which was good to them was bad for them when it came without the blessing of God.

[John Weaver] Let me put it like this. Our meat can become our poison when it comes without the blessing of God. Whatever our meat does for our taste buds and the strengthening of our body, if it comes without the blessing of God, it is poor nutrition and makes the soul lean. Your lusts, your covetousness, your desires that are contrary to God and contrary to His Word, He may give them to you, but He'll send leanness into your soul. We in this country have so undervalued the grace and gifts of God.

[John Weaver] We have despised His wonderful, marvelous providence. We've disbelieved His truth. We have so neglected His Word, and that in His righteous judgment, He has sent leanness into our souls. I have heard this. I don't know if it's true. A couple of you doctors might can tell me. I don't know. But I have heard that when a man is starving to death, there comes a point in his starvation that he no longer even desires food. Doesn't want it.

[John Weaver] Would you look around in our churches? How many Christians do you know that really, genuinely, truly want the pure, unadulterated Word of God? Most want entertainment. They want to be titillated. They want to be pampered. They don't want the Word of God. They don't want truth. Like a starving man, they disdain everything that is set before them. Nothing pleases them. Do you remember what the Bible says in Amos 8 and verse 11? What did God say? God said there's going to come a time when He's going to send a famine. Not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God. Where is that again? Amos 8 and verse 11. Amos 8, 11. There will be a famine, not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God.

[John Weaver] And we've come to the place in our land where we have fat bodies but lean souls. We have what we want. But isn't it strange we really don't want the things of God? We've nourished and fed our bodies and we've allowed our souls to starve. We've traded that which is eternal for that which is temporal. We have lost our taste for heavenly things. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages.

[John Weaver] is the book of Colossians chapter 3. Then I want you to turn over to 3 John. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 first. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians 3. Look at verse 1. Here is where our affection should be. Colossians 3 verse 1. God says this, If you then be risen with Christ, That is, if you are genuinely saved, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. Our affection should be on Christ, and on His Word, and on His truth, and on His glory, and not necessarily on things that are on this earth. Look, if you would please, to third John. And I want you to notice what John says. Third John. And verse one, he's writing to Gaius. In fact, let's read verses one and two. Look what John, the apostle says to Gaius. the elder unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth."

[John Weaver] Now watch carefully, verse 2 is very important. He tells Gaius, Behold, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. Now what is John praying for Gaius? He is praying and wishing that Gaius would have a good and healthy and fine body equal to the good and fine healthy soul that he has. If our bodies were in the same shape as our souls, most of us would have been dead for a long time now. The truth of the matter is this, if most Christians prospered physically as they did spiritually, they'd be in bad shape. Bad shape. What did God do? God gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their souls.

[John Weaver] You can have what you want. You want it bad enough? Sometimes God lets you have it. I don't care if it's sin, I don't care if it's fleshly, I don't care if it's pride, I don't care if it's arrogance, I don't care if it's rebellion, you want it, God lets you have it. And when you get it, you'll woo to God that you never had it. It's far better to want what God wants than to want what you want.

[John Weaver] Now let me make just a couple of applications. And for this first one, I do want you to turn to the book of John. John chapter 6. Because you remember in Psalm 78, in Psalm 106, in Numbers chapter 11, we were reading about the manna. The manna that God gave. You remember how the children of Israel despised that manna. They said, we don't want it. It's awful. There's nothing more besides this manna before our eyes.

[John Weaver] We're starving to death on it. We can't handle this. I want you to look what our Lord said in John 6, beginning there with verse 48. Our Lord said, John 6, verse 48, I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Now I want you to note this. The anti-type to the manna in the Old Testament is none other than Jesus Christ. So when they were despising the manna in the Old Testament, they were despising Jesus Christ. Now look, when they were longing back for Egypt and their leeks and garlic and onion and cucumbers and melons and fish, what they were longing for was the type of the world.

[John Weaver] In other words, they were actually trading Christ for the world. They were trading the provision of God, which was the manna, which was the type of Christ. They were trading Him for all of the slavery and rottenness of Egypt. And you know, we've done that today. The average church, they want their programs, they want their entertainment, they want their comfort They want anything and everything under the sun except God and His Word. What we have done is we have replaced Jesus Christ and we have replaced His Word with a religious world. We are very religious but we are lost. We are a world that knows nothing of the grace and mercy and justice of a holy God. We have sired a generation of people that cannot and will not receive the pure unadulterated Word of God. Their palates will not take the word of God. They relish the delicacies of this world rather than the word of God.

[John Weaver] The second application is this. If God does give us success, even worldly success, then we must be extra careful with our souls and their desires. I want to read to you two paragraphs from Matthew Henry. I want you to notice what he said. If we pray for temporal prosperity, and all of us like to eat, we like to have money, we like to have blessings. Listen to what he says. If we pray for temporal prosperity, we should also pray that we may at the same time have a grace commensurate with it that it may be a blessing and not a curse. If we are visited with prosperity when it has not been a direct object of our prayers, if we inherit riches, or if our plans are successful beyond our expectations, or in the language of the world, if fortune smiles upon us, there should be special prayer on our part that it may not be a curse rather than a blessing, that it may be so received and used as not to alienate our minds from God.

[John Weaver] Few are the Christian people who can bear continued success in life. Few are those who are not injured by it. Rare is it that growth in grace keeps pace with uninterrupted worldly prosperity. Rare is it that the blessings of the earth are so received and employed that they are seen to be a means of grace and not a hindrance to growth in prosperity. growth in piety. If we must know scantiness, may God grant it not be the scantiness of the soul. Yet this is the common attendant upon worldly prosperity. When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.

[John Weaver] To gain silver and lose gold is a poor increase. But to win for the body and lose for the soul is far worse. How earnestly might Israel have unprayed her prayers had she known what would come with their answer? The prayers of lust will have to be wept over. Where to look upon is the greatest judgment to have leanness sin in our souls while we're fed with manna. We look upon it as an affliction to have an overly lean body, but it's a far sadder condition to have a lean soul. Wow.

[John Weaver] You know, the old Puritans had a saying, and it was this, God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity. God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity. Why? They end up trusting in their wealth instead of God who gave it. The Puritans also had another saying, and it was this, when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man. Very few men can handle prosperity. That's why he's saying if God blesses you, you better pray that your soul will not become lean and that you will use it in a way which will honor Him.

[John Weaver] One last passage, I want you to turn to the book of James chapter 1. Because I've been talking about lusts and I want you to see what the Bible says. I want you to understand that our lusts, our covetousness will destroy us. It is impossible to sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. Look in James 1 in verse 13. God says, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Our lust leads to our sin, which leads to our death. It's impossible to hold on to your lusts and have life. You know, our Lord said this in Matthew 4 and verse 4. When Satan tempted him to turn those rocks into bread, our Lord said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

[John Weaver] Our lives are to be controlled, regulated, limited to the Word of God. and brought in conformity to the Word of God. Truly, you do not want what you want. You should want what God wants. And He wants your faith and your trust. And that faith and trust will be evidenced by your obedience. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask that You would help us, that You would teach us, and Lord, that You would show us that we must submit to Thee and bring our lives in conformity to Your Word. If we want to save ourselves from heartaches and trouble and turmoil and death, it's imperative that we obey Thee and honor Thee in every area and every sphere of our life, whether it's family, whether it's our marital relationship, whether it's our church relationship, our civil relationship, we're to do that which is pleasing and honoring to Thee. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

So, You Want What You Want

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	o5tB05-Mv_c
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 19
Source Timed Segments	75

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Danger of Wanting What You Want

Weaver introduces the topic with Psalm 106:14-15, comparing the Israelites to spoiled children who exasperate God by demanding their own way.

The title of the message today, listen carefully, is, "So You Want What You Want." So You Want What You Want. Psalm 106 verse 14,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:14-15

"But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert, and He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls."

Each one of us have heard a child say, "I want it and I want it right now." Anyone who's ever been around a spoiled child has heard those words. But unhappily, it's not only children, but sometimes it's adults who have never grown up and have never faced reality that use those same exact words. In fact, the truth is no one really wishes to be around people that are like that. As you read through the Bible, you'll find that the Israelites as a whole were just like spoiled, pampered children who never grew up. Such children always exasperate their parents.

I was in a store in Douglas, Georgia, and here was a woman with a young child in her buggy, I think the child was probably four, five, six, something like that. And the child was just pitching an absolute fit, screaming, hollering, crying. And I watched the woman as she pushed the buggy over to her husband and she said, "Please do something with this child. I can't do a thing with him. He's crying and he's upset and he's mad because I won't buy him a toy when he already has one exactly like it at home." I just bit my tongue and I said under my breath, "Give him to me, honey. I know exactly what to do." You know.

But I didn't want to stay in that area. I just kind of quickly walked on away. Didn't want to be around him. Likewise, the Israelites exasperated and infuriated the Lord God of heaven and earth. The Bible says in Numbers chapter 14 verse 22, God said concerning the Israelites, He says,

Scripture Reading — Numbers 14:22

"Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted Me now these ten times and have not hearkened unto My voice."

And if you would take the time to look up the word provoke, provoked, and provocation in relationship to the Israelites in God, you'll be amazed at how many times God says, that they provoked Him. They provoked Him innumerable times, and they did so to their own detriment and to their own destruction. Remember now, the title of this message is, "So You Want What You Want."

Samson: A Clear Illustration of Lust

Samson's demand for a Philistine wife despite God's law and his parents' counsel exemplifies the attitude of wanting what pleases one's own eyes.

I want you to hold Psalm 106 and look in your Bibles to the book of Judges, chapter 14. Let me give you such an illustration. Look in Judges, chapter 14, and let's begin there with verse 1. Judges 14, verse 1. Everyone in this room has heard of Samson. Look at it in Judges, chapter 14, beginning there with verse 1. Here is a very clear illustration of someone wanting what they want. It doesn't matter what God says, but look in Judges 14 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, 'I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me to wife.' Then his father and his mother said unto him, 'Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?' And Samson said unto his father, 'Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.'"

Now I want you to note something. This is Judges chapter 14. If I were to take the time to read Exodus 34 verses 15 through 17, If I were to take the time to read Deuteronomy 7 verses 1 through 6, in both of those passages, God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites. And the Philistines lived in Canaan, and He specifically named them. Those were the seven nations that God destroyed. God says you're to make no covenant with them, and God specifically said you're not to give your daughters to them in marriage, nor to take their daughters from your sons, for they will turn your hearts away from serving me. And here is what Samson's father and mother said when he told them, "Get her for me." They said,

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"Look Samson, is there never a woman among your own brethren? Look at your tribe. And if your tribe is too small, if you can't find a woman that would please you in your tribe, look at all the other tribes of Israel. Surely, you could get a good Israelitish girl from one of those tribes. You're not even limited to this particular tribe."

What does Samson say?

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well."

Now let me give you a very literal translation. Here's what it says. "Get her for me, For it seemeth good in my eyes." In other words, Samson's attitude was this, "I don't care what God says. I don't care what you say. I want her and I want her now. You get her for me. For she pleaseth me well, it is good in my own eyes." Not only was Samson violating the law of God, in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy chapter 7, he was also violating the fifth commandment when God said, "Honor thy father and thy mother." and he was refusing to honor the counsel of his father and mother. What did Samson want?

He wanted what he wanted. You know, the Apostle Paul had to write concerning Demas in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 10, and he said this,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 4:10

"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica."

Demas hath forsaken me. Why did he leave Paul? having loved this present world and has departed into Thessalonica. Now Demas worked with the Apostle Paul. Demas had part of Paul's ministry until the love of the world filled his heart.

The Consequences of Loving the World

Demas forsook Paul for the present world, trading eternal reward for temporary pleasure. 1 John 2:15-17 warns against the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.

And what he did was simply this. He lusted, he coveted, and he desired the present world and therefore he deserted the Apostle Paul and he deserted the ministry. I could name today countless numbers of preachers, deacons, elders, and average Christians who've just simply followed suit. They've forsaken God because of lust for money, pride, sex, and a multitude of other lusts. They just simply wanted what they wanted. They refused to be controlled by the Word of God. They refused to be limited by God. They wanted what they wanted.

The Bible says this in 1 John 2 verses 15 through 17. Listen carefully. God said, "Love not the world." And He's talking about the world system now.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:15-17

"Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now He's describing the world system and He says this, "For all that is in the world, The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth

forever."

Now look what he said. "Love not the world, neither things are in the world." Then he tells you what he's talking about. "The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life." He said all these things pass away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. I want you to stop and think about this. Demas forsook God. He forsook Paul. He forsook the ministry for the present world that he lived in. That present world that Demas lived in has been gone for hundreds of years. And the temporary lust and pleasures that Demas had have also been gone, but his sin and his betrayal remain. demonstrated permanent joy and happiness for temporary pleasure that passed away. All I can say is what fools we are to betray God and His Word for temporary pleasures.

The Principle of Radical Self-Denial

Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 teach that it is better to cut off whatever leads to sin than to be cast into hell. We must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control lust.

Now there's a proverb that applies to what we're talking about. The Bible says in Proverbs 23 in verse 2, "And put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite." Did you hear what I just read? "...and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given an appetite." In other words, God is saying, basically, it's better to cut your own throat than to allow yourself to sin against God. Now, He's not telling you to commit suicide. A proverb, of course, is something that stresses a principle. But let me tell you that our Lord Himself enunciated the same principle In Matthew 5 verses 29 through 30, listen to what he said. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:29-30

"If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that if one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

What is our Lord saying? Our Lord is saying we ought not to allow any member of our body, whether it's the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life, lead us away from God and betray Him and His Word for temporary pleasures. In other words, our Lord is saying this.

Here's the truth. We need to be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control our lust and control our desires and control our covetousness. So whatever then would take us away from God or take us away from His Word must be quickly, eagerly, and readily disposed of or dispatched.

Our Sins Always Affect Others

Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's death, illustrating that no one lives or dies to himself. Our sins impact family, church, and nation.

Scripture Reading — Romans 14:7

Now before I get to explaining our text today, I think it's important that we remember one critical truth, and that is this, that our sins, our lusts, and our desires always affect other people. Do not come up with the stupid argument, "Well, it's my body and I'll do with it as I please," or "It's my life and I'll live it as I please." No, your sin always affects someone else. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 7, for none of us live it to himself and no man died to himself. Whatever you do will always ultimately affect your family, your neighbors, your friends, your church, and even your nation. I want you to look very quickly, hold Psalm 106, but look if you would to Matthew chapter 14. Let me give you an illustration. Matthew 14. I know that you've heard of King Herod. Here's a quick question. Do you think that someone's sins can affect someone totally outside of themselves and outside of their family?

Now, of course, the answer is yes. Who would have ever thought that the sin and the lust of King Herod would affect John the Baptist? But look at it. Matthew 14 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 14:1-12

"At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, 'This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. And therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.' For Herod had laid hold on John and had bound him and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, 'It is not lawful for thee to have her.' And when he would have put him to death, that is John the Baptist, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod."

Now let me tell you, this dancing before Herod and pleasing him was not some little ballet. It was not some little tap dance. It was a sensual dance. Watch.

Verse 7, "Wherefore he, Herod, promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask." And here's an interesting thing. "And she, being before instructed of her mother," she knew the effect that her dance would have on her stepfather. So she, being before instructed of her mother, said, "Give me here John Baptist's head and a charger." And the king was very sorry nevertheless for his oath's sake. And them which said it, meet with him. He commanded it to be given her. Then he sent him to head of John in the prison. And the head was brought in a charger and given to the damsel. And she brought it to her mother. and his disciples came and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus. Here was a man who was consumed with his own lust and his own lust affected John the Baptist because he lost his life over the lust that Herod had because Herod could not control himself. Just stop and think. How many children have reaped the whirlwind simply because they were in the homes of parents who would not and could not control their own lusts. Think of the husbands. Think of the wives, whose lives have been destroyed because of the sins of their mates, because their mates would not and could not control their own lusts. We rarely consider how our sins affect others.

But you mark this down. Here's a truth from Scripture. No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. Whatever you do always affects other people. I always say this, how much easier it is and how much better it is to simply obey the Word of God. I don't know if you've ever meditated upon this thought or not, but you should. Have you ever considered how much heartache and trouble and turmoil we could save ourselves if we would just obey? It's that simple. If we would just obey, God has promised blessings to those who obey, to obey Him.

Israel's Lust for Meat: Historical Background

In Numbers 11 and Psalm 78, Israel despised God's provision of manna and demanded meat. Their unbelief provoked God to anger.

Now, I want you to look back at Psalm 106 and verse 15. Giving you that introduction, I want you to understand what the psalmist is talking about. In verse 15, that is the main verse today, "and he gave them their request. but sent leanness into their soul." In order to understand Psalm 106 verse 15, you need to go back and see the provocation that Israel gave to God. So I want you to hold Psalm 106 but turn back to Psalm 78 and also then to Numbers chapter 11. Numbers chapter 11, is the historical setting, but Psalm 78 repeats it as well. So let's look in Psalm 78 and let's begin reading at verse 15. Psalm 78, verse 15.

"He claimed the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers. And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking, there's that word, by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, and that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for the people?'"

"Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth. So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel. because they believed not God and trusted not in His salvation. Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven, man did eat angels' food, He sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by His power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea." "And He let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel. For all this they sinned still and believed not His wondrous works."

"Therefore their days did He consume in vanity and their years in trouble. When He slew them, then they sought Him, And they returned and inquired early after God, and they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer was. Nevertheless, they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant." Stop there and turn, if you would, to Numbers chapter 11. Watch this very quickly. Numbers chapter 11, verse 1. Verse 4 is where we want to start. Numbers 11, verse 4. "And the mixed multitude was among them that fell a lusting and the children of Israel also wept and said, 'Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt, free to the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.'"

"But our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes. And the manna was as a coriander seed and the color thereof is the color of bdellium. And the people went about and gathered it and ground it in mills and beat it in mortar and baked it in pans and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp of the night, the manna fell upon it. Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent."

"And the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said to the Lord, 'Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight? that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me. Have I conceived all these people? Have I begotten them, that thou shouldest send to me, carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father, beareth the sucking child into the land which thou swearest from their fathers? When should I give flesh to all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people on, because it is too heavy for me.'"

Skip down, if you would, please, verse 18. "And say unto the people, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five, nor neither ten, nor twenty days, but even a whole month, until it come out your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you. because that you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?'" Now watch. "And Moses said, 'The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen.'"

Now that's just the soldiers. With the women and children, probably two million. "And thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month." Now look what Moses asks. "Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them, or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them?" And the Lord said unto Moses, "Is the Lord's hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not."

Scripture Reading — Numbers 11:4-6, 18-23, 31-34

Now, I want you to go back whole, whole numbers 11, but go back to Psalm 78. Psalm 78, go back there. If you would please. And look, if you would please, beginning there, verse 18. Watch this. "And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.'"

"Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?" Here is an expression of unbelief. Can God? Look at everything that God had done for them, and now they're doubting God. Skip down to verse 22. "Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation, Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven." Now look, "man did eat angels' food." "He sent them meat to the full." God had provided an absolutely perfect food for the people. He provided manna. Yet they are now despising God's provision. They wanted meat. God's provision was insufficient for their lusts.

Now let me show you something. I want you to turn back please to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12. Now remember these people are crying to God. We won't meet. We're sick and tired of this manna. We don't want the manna. We won't meet. Okay. Look in Exodus chapter 12 verse 38. The people of Israel or leaving the land of Egypt. And look what the Bible says. Exodus 12 verse 38,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:38

"And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocks, and herds, and very much cattle."

Now wait a minute. Why are they crying to God For meat, when they have flocks, sheep, goats, herds, cattle, and very much cattle, all different kinds. Now it may be true that not every individual had a lot of sheep and goats and cows, but there's plenty of meat there. And if not every individual had that, could they not share?

God's Response: Giving Requests in Anger

God sent quail in abundance, but while the meat was still in their mouths, He struck them down. He gave them their desire but sent leanness into their soul.

Let me spell that out another way. God may give you what you want to satisfy your lusts. But when you get it, you'll wish to God you never had it. Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love. If I had a three-year-old child, and he wanted to play with a rattlesnake, what would I say to my child? No. Am I denying him that because I hate him? No. I'm denying him that because I love him. I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want him to die. God can answer our prayers in love and deny them, or He can answer them in anger and give us exactly what we want. And then we wish we never had it.

Now let me point something out. I know the Bible says that God will supply not only our needs but our desires. But just because a man gives a man his desire does not mean that that man has special favor with God. It depends on what that desire is and whether it is holy or unholy. God gave these people their desires. In fact, look in your Bibles to Psalm 78 beginning there with verse 26. Watch carefully.

Here's what I'm talking about. "He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven and by its power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust and feathered fowls like the sand of the sea. and he let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire." He gave them what they wanted. "They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel." God gave them exactly what they wanted. And He gave it to them in anger. The Bible tells us, in Numbers 11 in verse 34, that when God killed them, they called the place Kibroth-hattaavah, that is, the graves of lust. Because there they buried those people that sinned against God.

Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 106 and let's consider verse 15, in light of this historical illustration. Psalm 106 and verse 15. Verse 15 is talking about what happened in Numbers 11, what happened in Psalm 78. So the Bible says this, "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul." I find it interesting that they complained in Numbers 11, that our soul is wasting away because there's nothing before our eyes except this manna.

The Meaning of Leanness of Soul

The Hebrew word for leanness means to scrape away, waste away, or destroy. God's judgment was to give them what they wanted while causing their souls to starve.

So part of God's judgment was not just killing some of the people But since they said that they had leanness of soul, God said, "I will give you true leanness of soul. I'll give you what you want, but I will send leanness into your soul." Now the word leanness is translated from a verb, which means to make thin, to cause the waste away, and to destroy. The idea is that of scraping, hence it means to scrape away or scrape so as there's nothing left or become lean or to waste away. The same word is translated in Isaiah 10 and verse 16 as leanness and it is also translated in Micah 6 and verse 10 as scant. So God then gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their soul. I want you to consider that this is probably where most Christians are in our land today. I'm going to make the application and you'll see what I'm talking about. We have practically whatever we want. But there is leanness in our souls. God sent quail. I don't mind telling you quail is good food. I love quail. Don't care anything about eating doves, but I love quail. But here's the point. That which was good to them, was bad for them when it came without the blessings of God. That which was good to them was bad for them when it came without the blessing of God.

Application: The State of the Modern Church

Many Christians have fat bodies but lean souls, despising God's Word and preferring entertainment. They have traded Christ for the world, just as Israel despised the manna.

Let me put it like this. Our meat can become our poison when it comes without the blessing of God. Whatever our meat does for our taste buds and the strengthening of our body, if it comes without the blessing of God, it is poor nutrition and makes the soul lean. Your lusts, your covetousness, your desires that are contrary to God and contrary to His Word, He may give them to you, but He'll send leanness into your soul. We in this country have so undervalued the grace and gifts of God. We have despised His wonderful, marvelous providence. We've disbelieved His truth. We have so neglected His Word, and that in His righteous judgment, He has sent leanness into our souls. I have heard this. I don't know if it's true. A couple of you doctors might can tell me. I don't know. But I have heard that when a man is starving to death, there comes a point in his starvation that he no longer even desires food. Doesn't want it.

Would you look around in our churches? How many Christians do you know that really, genuinely, truly want the pure, unadulterated Word of God? Most want entertainment. They want to be titillated. They want to be pampered. They don't want the Word of God. They don't want truth. Like a starving man, they disdain everything that is set before them. Nothing pleases them. Do you remember what the Bible says in Amos 8 and verse 11? What did God say? God said there's going to come a time when He's going to send a famine. Not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God. Where is that again? Amos 8 and verse 11. Amos 8, 11. There will be a famine, not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God.

And we've come to the place in our land where we have fat bodies but lean souls. We have what we want. But isn't it strange we really don't want the things of God? We've nourished and fed our bodies and we've allowed our souls to starve. We've traded that which is eternal for that which is temporal. We have lost our taste for heavenly things. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages.

is the book of Colossians chapter 3. Then I want you to turn over to 3 John. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 first. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians 3. Look at verse 1. Here is where our affection should be. Colossians 3 verse 1. God says this,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If you then be risen with Christ,"

That is, if you are genuinely saved,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth."

Our affection should be on Christ, and on His Word, and on His truth, and on His glory, and not necessarily on things that are on this earth. Look, if you would please, to third John. And I want you to notice what John says. Third John. And verse one, he's writing to Gaius. In fact, let's read verses one and two. Look what John, the apostle says to Gaius. "the elder unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth."

Now watch carefully, verse 2 is very important. He tells Gaius, "Behold, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Now what is John praying for Gaius? He is praying and wishing that Gaius would have a good and healthy and fine body equal to the good and fine healthy soul that he has. If our bodies were in the same shape as our souls, most of us would have been dead for a long time now. The truth of the matter is this, if most Christians prospered physically as they did spiritually, they'd be in bad shape. Bad shape. What did God do? God gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their souls.

You can have what you want. You want it bad enough? Sometimes God lets you have it. I don't care if it's sin, I don't care if it's fleshly, I don't care if it's pride, I don't care if it's arrogance, I don't care if it's rebellion, you want it, God lets you have it. And when you get it, you'll woe to God that you never had it. It's far better to want what God wants than to want what you want.

Now let me make just a couple of applications. And for this first one, I do want you to turn to the book of John. John chapter 6. Because you remember in Psalm 78, in Psalm 106, in Numbers chapter 11, we were reading about the manna. The manna that God gave. You remember how the children of Israel despised that manna. They said, "we don't want it. It's awful. There's nothing more besides this manna before our eyes."

"We're starving to death on it. We can't handle this." I want you to look what our Lord said in John 6, beginning there with verse 48. Our Lord said, John 6, verse 48, "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Now I want you to note this. The anti-type to the manna in the Old Testament is none other than Jesus Christ. So when they were despising the manna in the Old Testament, they were despising Jesus Christ. Now look, when they were longing back for Egypt and their leeks and garlic and onion and cucumbers and melons and fish, what they were longing for was the type of the world.

In other words, they were actually trading Christ for the world. They were trading the provision of God, which was the manna, which was the type of Christ. They were trading Him for all of the slavery and rottenness of Egypt. And you know, we've done that today. The average church, they want their programs, they want their entertainment, they want their comfort They want anything and everything under the sun except God and His Word. What we have done is we have replaced Jesus Christ and we have replaced His Word with a religious world. We are very religious but we are lost. We are a world that knows nothing of the grace and mercy and justice of a holy God. We have sired a generation of people that cannot and will not receive the pure unadulterated Word of God. Their palates will not take the word of God. They relish the delicacies of this world rather than the word of God.

Warnings About Prosperity and Lust

Prosperity often leads to spiritual leanness. We must pray that blessings do not become a curse. Lust conceives sin, and sin brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

The second application is this. If God does give us success, even worldly success, then we must be extra careful with our souls and their desires. I want to read to you two paragraphs from Matthew Henry. I want you to notice what he said. "If we pray for temporal prosperity," and all of us like to eat, we like to have money, we like to have blessings. Listen to what he says. "If we pray for temporal prosperity, we should also pray that we may at the same time have a grace commensurate with it that it may be a blessing and not a curse. If we are visited with prosperity when it has not been a direct object of our prayers, if we inherit riches, or if our plans are successful beyond our expectations, or in the language of the world, if fortune smiles upon us, there should be special prayer on our part that it may not be a curse rather than a blessing, that it may be so received and used as not to alienate our minds from God."

"Few are the Christian people who can bear continued success in life. Few are those who are not injured by it. Rare is it that growth in grace keeps pace with uninterrupted worldly prosperity. Rare is it that the blessings of the earth are so received and employed that they are seen to be a means of grace and not a hindrance to growth in prosperity. growth in piety. If we must know scantiness, may God grant it not be the scantiness of the soul. Yet this is the common attendant upon worldly prosperity. When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner."

"To gain silver and lose gold is a poor increase. But to win for the body and lose for the soul is far worse. How earnestly might Israel have unprayed her prayers had she known what would come with their answer? The prayers of lust will have to be wept over. Where to look upon is the greatest judgment to have leanness in our souls while we're fed with manna. We look upon it as an affliction to have an overly lean body, but it's a far sadder condition to have a lean soul." Wow. You know, the old Puritans had a saying, and it was this, "God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity." God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity. Why? They end up trusting in their wealth instead of God who gave it. The Puritans also had another saying, and it was this, "when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man." Very few men can handle prosperity. That's why he's saying if God blesses you, you better pray that your soul will not become lean and that you will use it in a way which will honor Him.

One last passage, I want you to turn to the book of James chapter 1. Because I've been talking about lusts and I want you to see what the Bible says. I want you to understand that our lusts, our covetousness will destroy us. It is impossible to sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. Look in James 1 in verse 13. God says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Our lust leads to our sin, which leads to our death. It's impossible to hold on to your lusts and have life. You know, our Lord said this in Matthew 4 and verse 4. When Satan tempted him to turn those rocks into bread, our Lord said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Conclusion: Want What God Wants

Our lives must be controlled by God's Word. It is better to want what God wants than to demand our own desires. True faith is evidenced by obedience.

Our lives are to be controlled, regulated, limited to the Word of God. and brought in conformity to the Word of God. Truly, you do not want what you want. You should want what God wants. And He wants your faith and your trust. And that faith and trust will be evidenced by your obedience. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask that You would help us, that You would teach us, and Lord, that You would show us that we must submit to Thee and bring our lives in conformity to Your Word. If we want to save ourselves from heartaches and trouble and turmoil and death, it's imperative that we obey Thee and honor Thee in every area and every sphere of our life, whether it's family, whether it's our marital relationship, whether it's our church relationship, our civil relationship, we're to do that which is pleasing and honoring to Thee. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Uncontrolled Lust

Summary: Lusting after what we want, contrary to God's will, leads to spiritual destruction and leanness of soul.

Evidence: Psalm 106:14-15 is the key text: 'He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.' Samson's demand for a Philistine wife illustrates the attitude of wanting what pleases one's own eyes.

God May Grant Requests in Anger

Summary: When people persist in sinful desires, God may give them what they want as an act of judgment, resulting in regret and death.

Evidence: In Numbers 11, God sent quail but struck down the people while the meat was still in their mouths. Weaver states: 'Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love.'

Despising God's Provision

Summary: Israel's complaint about manna was a rejection of God's gracious provision, which typified Christ. Modern Christians similarly despise God's Word for worldly entertainment.

Evidence: Numbers 11:6: 'Our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.' John 6 identifies Jesus as the true bread from heaven.

The Impact of Sin on Others

Summary: Personal sins always affect others; no one lives or dies to himself. Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's execution.

Evidence: Matthew 14:1-12 shows Herod's lust causing John's death. Weaver says: 'Your sin always affects someone else.'

The Necessity of Radical Self-Denial

Summary: Believers must be willing to cut off anything that leads to sin, as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:29-30.

Evidence: Proverbs 23:2: 'Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.' Jesus said to pluck out an offending eye.

Prosperity as a Potential Curse

Summary: Worldly success often leads to spiritual leanness; few can handle prosperity without their souls suffering.

Evidence: Matthew Henry is quoted: 'Few are the Christian people who can bear continued success in life... When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.'

The Deceitfulness of Sin's Progression

Summary: Lust conceives and brings forth sin, and sin when finished brings death. There is no escaping God's righteous judgment.

Evidence: James 1:13-15 outlines the progression from lust to sin to death.

Key Arguments

Lust leads to leanness of soul

Summary: When God grants sinful desires, He often sends spiritual leanness as judgment, leaving the soul starved even while the body is fed.

Evidence: Psalm 106:15: 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.' The Hebrew word implies scraping away or wasting away.

Israel's demand for meat was unbelief and ingratitude

Summary: Despite God's miraculous provision of manna, Israel lusted for meat, questioning God's ability and despising His gift.

Evidence: Psalm 78:18-22: 'They tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts... because they believed not in God.'

Samson's choice illustrates self-will over God's law

Summary: Samson's demand for a Philistine wife directly violated God's command against intermarriage and dishonored his parents.

Evidence: Judges 14:3: 'Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.' This means 'it is good in my own eyes,' contrary to Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7.

Trading eternal for temporal is foolish

Summary: Demas forsook Paul for the present world, which has long passed away, but his sin remains. Temporary pleasure is not worth eternal loss.

Evidence: 2 Timothy 4:10: 'Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.' 1 John 2:17: 'The world passeth away, and the lust thereof.'

Sin always affects others

Summary: No one sins in isolation; Herod's lust cost John the Baptist his life, and family members often suffer from one person's uncontrolled desires.

Evidence: Matthew 14:1-12; Romans 14:7: 'For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.'

Modern Christians have lean souls despite material abundance

Summary: Many churches prefer entertainment over God's Word, resulting in fat bodies but starved souls, mirroring Israel's disdain for manna.

Evidence: Amos 8:11 predicts a famine of hearing God's Word. Colossians 3:1-2 commands setting affection on things above.

Prosperity often curses the soul

Summary: Wealth and success frequently lead to spiritual decline; believers must pray that blessings do not become a curse.

Evidence: Matthew Henry: 'When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.'

Scripture References

Psalm 106:14-15

Context: Key text: Israel lusted in the wilderness, and God gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul.

Numbers 14:22

Context: God says the Israelites tempted Him ten times and did not hearken to His voice.

Judges 14:1-3

Context: Samson demands a Philistine wife because she pleases him well, violating God's law.

Exodus 34:15-17

Context: God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites, including the Philistines.

Deuteronomy 7:1-6

Context: God commanded Israel not to make covenants or intermarry with the nations of Canaan.

2 Timothy 4:10

Context: Demas forsook Paul, having loved this present world.

1 John 2:15-17

Context: Love not the world; the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life are not of the Father.

Proverbs 23:2

Context: Put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite.

Matthew 5:29-30

Context: If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out; better to lose one member than whole body cast into hell.

Romans 14:7

Context: None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

Matthew 14:1-12

Context: Herod's lust and birthday oath led to John the Baptist's beheading.

Proverbs 10:22

Context: The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.

Psalm 78:15-32

Context: Israel sinned by asking meat for their lusts; God gave them their desire but slew them while meat was in their mouths.

Numbers 11:4-6, 18-23, 31-34

Context: The mixed multitude lusted for meat; God sent quail but struck them with a plague; the place was called Kibroth-hattaavah.

Exodus 12:38

Context: A mixed multitude and very much cattle went up with Israel from Egypt, showing they already had meat.

Isaiah 10:16

Context: The same Hebrew word for leanness is used here.

Micah 6:10

Context: The same Hebrew word is translated 'scant' here.

Amos 8:11

Context: God will send a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Colossians 3:1-2

Context: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 John 1:2

Context: John wishes that Gaius may prosper and be in health even as his soul prospers.

Historical References

Israelites in the wilderness

Context: The Israelites repeatedly provoked God by lusting for meat and despising manna, leading to judgment at Kibroth-hattaavah.

Samson and the Philistine woman

Context: Samson demanded a Philistine wife from Timnath, violating God's law and dishonoring his parents.

Demas forsaking Paul

Context: Demas, a co-worker of Paul, deserted him because he loved the present world.

Herod Antipas and John the Baptist

Context: Herod's lust for Herodias and his oath at his birthday feast led to John the Baptist's execution.

Matthew Henry's commentary on manna

Context: Henry described manna as wholesome, pleasant, and provided without labor, yet Israel despised it.

John Gill's commentary on Numbers 11

Context: Gill noted Israel's ingratitude in complaining about manna while God provided it freely.

Puritan sayings on prosperity

Context: The Puritans said God often curses His enemies with prosperity, and when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

Important Quotes

He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls.

Significance: This is the central verse of the sermon, summarizing the warning that God may grant sinful desires but with spiritual impoverishment.

Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.

Significance: Samson's demand illustrates the attitude of wanting what one wants regardless of God's law, a key example of lust-driven choice.

Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.

Significance: Shows the danger of trading eternal calling for temporary worldly pleasures.

Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

Significance: A radical proverb emphasizing the necessity of extreme measures to control lust.

Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love.

Significance: A key principle: God's granting of a request does not always indicate His favor; it may be judgment.

Our meat can become our poison when it comes without the blessing of God.

Significance: Warns that even good things become harmful when received apart from God's blessing and used for lust.

When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.

Significance: A quote from Matthew Henry highlighting the inverse relationship between material prosperity and spiritual health.

Discussion Questions

In what ways do we, like the Israelites, despise God's provision and crave what He has not given?

Context: The sermon compares Israel's complaint about manna to modern discontent with God's Word and blessings.

How can we discern whether a desire is a legitimate need or a sinful lust?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between holy desires and lusts that lead to leanness of soul.

What does it mean for God to answer a prayer in anger? Can you think of biblical or personal examples?

Context: The concept that God may grant requests as judgment is central to the message.

How does the account of Samson challenge our tendency to justify choices based on what 'seems good in our own eyes'?

Context: Samson's demand for a Philistine wife directly violated clear commands, yet he insisted because she pleased him.

In what ways do our personal sins affect others, and how should that reality change our behavior?

Context: Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's death; Weaver stresses that no one sins in isolation.

Why is prosperity often a greater spiritual danger than adversity?

Context: Matthew Henry and the Puritans warned that wealth frequently leads to a lean soul.

What practical steps can we take to 'put a knife to our throat' regarding persistent temptations?

Context: Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 call for radical action against sin.

How can we cultivate a genuine appetite for God's Word in a culture that prefers spiritual entertainment?

Context: Weaver laments that many Christians have lost their taste for pure doctrine and truth.

Applications

Examine your desires in light of God's Word

Summary: Evaluate whether your wants align with Scripture or stem from lust; be willing to submit all desires to God's revealed will.

Evidence: Samson's choice was based on what pleased his eyes, not God's law. We must ask if our desires honor God.

Beware of despising God's provision

Summary: Do not complain about what God has given or long for the 'leeks and garlic' of the world; gratitude guards against lust.

Evidence: Israel's complaint about manna was a rejection of God's grace; we must cherish His Word and daily blessings.

Practice radical self-denial

Summary: Take decisive action to remove temptations and control lust, even if it means cutting off something dear.

Evidence: Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 command extreme measures to avoid sin.

Consider the impact of your sin on others

Summary: Remember that your choices affect family, church, and community; do not rationalize sin as purely personal.

Evidence: Herod's lust cost John the Baptist his life; Romans 14:7 teaches we do not live to ourselves.

Pray for grace to handle prosperity

Summary: If God blesses you materially, pray earnestly that it will not lead to spiritual leanness but be used for His glory.

Evidence: Matthew Henry's warning that few can bear continued success without injury to the soul.

Set your affection on things above

Summary: Deliberately focus your heart on Christ and eternal realities rather than earthly pleasures and entertainment.

Evidence: Colossians 3:1-2 commands seeking things above; John 6 shows Jesus as the true bread.

Obey God to avoid heartache

Summary: Choose obedience to God's Word as the path to blessing without sorrow, rather than demanding your own way.

Evidence: Proverbs 10:22 says the blessing of the Lord adds no sorrow; Israel's lust brought death.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:27:23Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T07:15:18Z

Clean Transcript

So, You Want What You Want

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

The title of the message today, listen carefully, is, "So You Want What You Want." So You Want What You Want. Psalm 106 verse 14, "But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert, and He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls." Each one of us have heard a child say, "I want it and I want it right now." Anyone who's ever been around a spoiled child has heard those words.
#1 | 0:16 to 1:00 | cleaned
But unhappily, it's not only children, but sometimes it's adults who have never grown up and have never faced reality that use those same exact words. In fact, the truth is no one really wishes to be around people that are like that. As you read through the Bible, you'll find that the Israelites as a whole were just like spoiled, pampered children who never grew up. Such children always exasperate their parents.
#2 | 1:01 to 1:34 | cleaned
I was in a store in Douglas, Georgia, and here was a woman with a young child in her buggy, I think the child was probably four, five, six, something like that. And the child was just pitching an absolute fit, screaming, hollering, crying. And I watched the woman as she pushed the buggy over to her husband and she said, "Please do something with this child. I can't do a thing with him. He's crying and he's upset and he's mad because I won't buy him a toy when he already has one exactly like it at home." I just bit my tongue and I said under my breath, "Give him to me, honey. I know exactly what to do." You know.
#3 | 1:35 to 2:24 | cleaned
But I didn't want to stay in that area. I just kind of quickly walked on away. Didn't want to be around him. Likewise, the Israelites exasperated and infuriated the Lord God of heaven and earth. The Bible says in Numbers chapter 14 verse 22, God said concerning the Israelites, He says, "Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted Me now these ten times and have not hearkened unto My voice." And if you would take the time to look up the word provoke, provoked, and provocation in relationship to the Israelites in God, you'll be amazed at how many times God says, that they provoked Him. They provoked Him innumerable times, and they did so to their own detriment and to their own destruction. Remember now, the title of this message is, "So You Want What You Want."
#4 | 2:25 to 3:26 | cleaned
I've known a number of Christians, a number of people, professing Christians, who have coveted and lusted in such a manner that it did not really matter to them what God said, what His Word said, They wanted what they wanted. They refused to be regulated or controlled or limited by the Word of God. I have heard grown men, in fact, I have counseled them. I've rebuked some of them. But I've heard grown men say, "Well, I know you're right and I know the Bible is right, but I'm going to have to handle this in my own way." Or "I'm going to do what I'm going to do." In other words, all they want is their own lust, their own covetousness, and their own way. It doesn't matter what God says.
#5 | 3:26 to 4:17 | cleaned
I want you to hold Psalm 106 and look in your Bibles to the book of Judges, chapter 14. Let me give you such an illustration. Look in Judges, chapter 14, and let's begin there with verse 1. Judges 14, verse 1. Everyone in this room has heard of Samson. Look at it in Judges, chapter 14, beginning there with verse 1. Here is a very clear illustration of someone wanting what they want. It doesn't matter what God says, but look in Judges 14 verse 1. "And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, 'I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me to wife.' Then his father and his mother said unto him, 'Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?' And Samson said unto his father, 'Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.'"
#6 | 4:18 to 5:22 | cleaned
Now I want you to note something. This is Judges chapter 14. If I were to take the time to read Exodus 34 verses 15 through 17, If I were to take the time to read Deuteronomy 7 verses 1 through 6, in both of those passages, God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites. And the Philistines lived in Canaan, and He specifically named them. Those were the seven nations that God destroyed. God says you're to make no covenant with them, and God specifically said you're not to give your daughters to them in marriage, nor to take their daughters from your sons, for they will turn your hearts away from serving me.
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And here is what Samson's father and mother said when he told them, "Get her for me." They said, "Look Samson, is there never a woman among your own brethren? Look at your tribe. And if your tribe is too small, if you can't find a woman that would please you in your tribe, look at all the other tribes of Israel. Surely, you could get a good Israelitish girl from one of those tribes. You're not even limited to this particular tribe." What does Samson say? "Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well."
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Now let me give you a very literal translation. Here's what it says. "Get her for me, For it seemeth good in my eyes." In other words, Samson's attitude was this, "I don't care what God says. I don't care what you say. I want her and I want her now. You get her for me. For she pleaseth me well, it is good in my own eyes." Not only was Samson violating the law of God, in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy chapter 7, he was also violating the fifth commandment when God said, "Honor thy father and thy mother." and he was refusing to honor the counsel of his father and mother. What did Samson want?
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He wanted what he wanted. You know, the Apostle Paul had to write concerning Demas in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 10, and he said this, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica." Demas hath forsaken me. Why did he leave Paul? having loved this present world and has departed into Thessalonica. Now Demas worked with the Apostle Paul. Demas had part of Paul's ministry until the love of the world filled his heart.
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And what he did was simply this. He lusted, he coveted, and he desired the present world and therefore he deserted the Apostle Paul and he deserted the ministry. I could name today countless numbers of preachers, deacons, elders, and average Christians who've just simply followed suit. They've forsaken God because of lust for money, pride, sex, and a multitude of other lusts. They just simply wanted what they wanted. They refused to be controlled by the Word of God. They refused to be limited by God. They wanted what they wanted.
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The Bible says this in 1 John 2 verses 15 through 17. Listen carefully. God said, "Love not the world." And He's talking about the world system now. "Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now He's describing the world system and He says this, "For all that is in the world, The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
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Now look what he said. "Love not the world, neither things are in the world." Then he tells you what he's talking about. "The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life." He said all these things pass away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. I want you to stop and think about this. Demas forsook God. He forsook Paul. He forsook the ministry for the present world that he lived in. That present world that Demas lived in has been gone for hundreds of years. And the temporary lust and pleasures that Demas had have also been gone, but his sin and his betrayal remain. demonstrated permanent joy and happiness for temporary pleasure that passed away. All I can say is what fools we are to betray God and His Word for temporary pleasures.
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Now there's a proverb that applies to what we're talking about. The Bible says in Proverbs 23 in verse 2, "And put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite." Did you hear what I just read? "...and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given an appetite." In other words, God is saying, basically, it's better to cut your own throat than to allow yourself to sin against God.
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Now, He's not telling you to commit suicide. A proverb, of course, is something that stresses a principle. But let me tell you that our Lord Himself enunciated the same principle In Matthew 5 verses 29 through 30, listen to what he said. Our Lord said, "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that if one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." What is our Lord saying? Our Lord is saying we ought not to allow any member of our body, whether it's the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life, lead us away from God and betray Him and His Word for temporary pleasures. In other words, our Lord is saying this.
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Here's the truth. We need to be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control our lust and control our desires and control our covetousness. So whatever then would take us away from God or take us away from His Word must be quickly, eagerly, and readily disposed of or dispatched.
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Now before I get to explaining our text today, I think it's important that we remember one critical truth, and that is this, that our sins, our lusts, and our desires always affect other people. Do not come up with the stupid argument, "Well, it's my body and I'll do with it as I please," or "It's my life and I'll live it as I please." No, your sin always affects someone else. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 7, for none of us live it to himself and no man died to himself. Whatever you do will always ultimately affect your family, your neighbors, your friends, your church, and even your nation.
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I want you to look very quickly, hold Psalm 106, but look if you would to Matthew chapter 14. Let me give you an illustration. Matthew 14. I know that you've heard of King Herod. Here's a quick question. Do you think that someone's sins can affect someone totally outside of themselves and outside of their family?
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Now, of course, the answer is yes. Who would have ever thought that the sin and the lust of King Herod would affect John the Baptist? But look at it. Matthew 14 verse 1. "At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, 'This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. And therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.' For Herod had laid hold on John and had bound him and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, 'It is not lawful for thee to have her.' And when he would have put him to death, that is John the Baptist, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod." Now let me tell you, this dancing before Herod and pleasing him was not some little ballet. It was not some little tap dance. It was a sensual dance. Watch.
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Verse 7, "Wherefore he, Herod, promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask." And here's an interesting thing. "And she, being before instructed of her mother," she knew the effect that her dance would have on her stepfather. So she, being before instructed of her mother, said, "Give me here John Baptist's head and a charger." And the king was very sorry nevertheless for his oath's sake.
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And them which said it, meet with him. He commanded it to be given her. Then he sent him to head of John in the prison. And the head was brought in a charger and given to the damsel. And she brought it to her mother. and his disciples came and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus. Here was a man who was consumed with his own lust and his own lust affected John the Baptist because he lost his life over the lust that Herod had because Herod could not control himself. Just stop and think. How many children have reaped the whirlwind simply because they were in the homes of parents who would not and could not control their own lusts. Think of the husbands. Think of the wives, whose lives have been destroyed because of the sins of their mates, because their mates would not and could not control their own lusts. We rarely consider how our sins affect others.
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But you mark this down. Here's a truth from Scripture. No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. Whatever you do always affects other people. I always say this, how much easier it is and how much better it is to simply obey the Word of God. I don't know if you've ever meditated upon this thought or not, but you should. Have you ever considered how much heartache and trouble and turmoil we could save ourselves if we would just obey? It's that simple. If we would just obey, God has promised blessings to those who obey, to obey Him.
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And listen to what He said in Proverbs 10 in verse 22. I love this. He says, "The blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." The blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrows with it. I'd much rather have the blessing of the Lord without sorrows, Then I had my own lust, and my own covetousness, and my own will, and my own way, with nothing but heartache, sorrow, trouble, and death.
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Now, I want you to look back at Psalm 106 and verse 15. Giving you that introduction, I want you to understand what the psalmist is talking about. In verse 15, that is the main verse today, "and he gave them their request. but sent leanness into their soul." In order to understand Psalm 106 verse 15, you need to go back and see the provocation that Israel gave to God. So I want you to hold Psalm 106 but turn back to Psalm 78 and also then to Numbers chapter 11. Numbers chapter 11, is the historical setting, but Psalm 78 repeats it as well. So let's look in Psalm 78 and let's begin reading at verse 15. Psalm 78, verse 15.
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"He claimed the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers. And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking, there's that word, by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, and that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for the people?'"
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"Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth. So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel. because they believed not God and trusted not in His salvation. Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven, man did eat angels' food, He sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by His power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea."
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"And He let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel. For all this they sinned still and believed not His wondrous works."
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"Therefore their days did He consume in vanity and their years in trouble. When He slew them, then they sought Him, And they returned and inquired early after God, and they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer was. Nevertheless, they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant."
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Stop there and turn, if you would, to Numbers chapter 11. Watch this very quickly. Numbers chapter 11, verse 1. Verse 4 is where we want to start. Numbers 11, verse 4. "And the mixed multitude was among them that fell a lusting and the children of Israel also wept and said, 'Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt, free to the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.'"
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"But our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes. And the manna was as a coriander seed and the color thereof is the color of bdellium. And the people went about and gathered it and ground it in mills and beat it in mortar and baked it in pans and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp of the night, the manna fell upon it. Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent."
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"And the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said to the Lord, 'Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight? that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me. Have I conceived all these people? Have I begotten them, that thou shouldest send to me, carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father, beareth the sucking child into the land which thou swearest from their fathers? When should I give flesh to all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people on, because it is too heavy for me.'"
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Skip down, if you would, please, verse 18. "And say unto the people, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five, nor neither ten, nor twenty days, but even a whole month, until it come out your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you. because that you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?'" Now watch. "And Moses said, 'The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen.'"
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Now that's just the soldiers. With the women and children, probably two million. "And thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month."
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Now look what Moses asks. "Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them, or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them?" And the Lord said unto Moses, "Is the Lord's hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not."
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Now, I want you to go back whole, whole numbers 11, but go back to Psalm 78. Psalm 78, go back there. If you would please. And look, if you would please, beginning there, verse 18. Watch this. "And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.'"
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"Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?" Here is an expression of unbelief. Can God? Look at everything that God had done for them, and now they're doubting God. Skip down to verse 22. "Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation, Though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven." Now look, "man did eat angels' food."
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"He sent them meat to the full." God had provided an absolutely perfect food for the people. He provided manna. Yet they are now despising God's provision. They wanted meat. God's provision was insufficient for their lusts.
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Now let me show you something. I want you to turn back please to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12.
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Now remember these people are crying to God. We won't meet. We're sick and tired of this manna. We don't want the manna. We won't meet. Okay. Look in Exodus chapter 12 verse 38. The people of Israel or leaving the land of Egypt. And look what the Bible says. Exodus 12 verse 38, "And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocks, and herds, and very much cattle." Now wait a minute. Why are they crying to God For meat, when they have flocks, sheep, goats, herds, cattle, and very much cattle, all different kinds. Now it may be true that not every individual had a lot of sheep and goats and cows, but there's plenty of meat there. And if not every individual had that, could they not share?
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I mean, let's be honest. I mean, the Bible says they've got plenty.
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Now when you get to Numbers chapter 11, Moses then on the other hand asked this in verse 22, "Shall the flocks and herds be slain for them to suffice them? Or shall all the fish be gathered from the sea to suffice them?"
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Now, it's not just a vast multitude of people that are there. Yes, probably two million. But I think what Moses is being exasperating about here is the greatness of their lusts and the greatness of their demands. And Moses, as we read in Numbers chapter 11, became so exasperated. He said, "Lord, why did you Sin me. I didn't conceive all these people. Why did you place this burden upon me? These folks are just crazy. They're not controllable."
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They want what they want and they want it right now. Now, I want you to look in Numbers 11 at verse 6. Look what they say. "But now our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes." And then he talks about the manna. It was like a coriander seed. Talks about the color, how they baked it, had it taste like fresh oil, how that it fell upon the dew during the night while they were sleeping.
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They did not have to work for it. I mean, it was just there. It was delicious. It was full of... Bear Grylls says on The Survivalist, he was full of vitamins, vitamins and all kinds of nourishment. They didn't really need anything else. But here's what they said, we're sick and tired of it. Let me read to you what two commentators have said concerning the manna. Matthew Henry says this, "it was good for food and pleasant to the eye."
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"Every grain was like an orient pearl. It was wholesome food and nourishing. It was not to be called dry bread, for it tasted like fresh oil. It was agreeable to every man's palate and tasted as he would have it. And though it was still the same, yet by the different ways of dressing it, it yielded them a grateful variety. It cost them no money nor care, for it fell in the night while they slept, and the labor of gathering it was not worth speaking of. They lived upon free quarter, and yet could talk of Egypt's cheapness and the fish they ate there freely."
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"Nay, which was much more valuable than all this, the manna came from the immediate power and bounty of God, not from common providence, but from special favor. It was, as God's compassion knew every morning, always fresh, Not as their food, who live on shipboard. While they lived on manna, they seemed to be exempted from the curse which sin had brought upon man, that in the sweat of his face he should eat bread. And yet they speak of manna with such scorn, as if it were not good enough to be meat for swine."
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"Our soul is dried away." They speak as if God dealt hardly with them, and allowing them no better food." In other words, they are despising what God has provided. Now watch. And now they're comparing it with what they had in Egypt. In Numbers chapter 11, what did they say? Let me read you verse 5. "We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic."
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Isn't it amazing how people forget? Yes, they had cucumbers. Yes, they had leeks and garlic. Yes, they had fish, but they also had slavery, and toil, and heartache, and death. And now God has delivered them from all of that, and He's supplying their need with manna. Isn't it amazing how some people prefer slavery just to have their lusts filled? John Gill said this concerning the manna. "They complain now that they are starving, that their soul is dried away. They complain that they are almost wasted away with famine and hunger, whilst they are abundantly supplied with manna. In the same way as they had just been loudly declaring that they had lived in Egypt for very little money, as if they were affected by a great dearth of provisions, when by the pure liberality of God a kind of food was provided for them, more easy to prepare than any other, and
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so actually prepared without trouble or cost. But such is the malignity and ingratitude of men, that they count all of God's bounty for nothing, while they are brooding over their own importunate lust." I want you to remember something. I want you to remember verse 6. When they said, "but now our soul is dried away, And there is nothing else before our eyes besides this manna." They were not only lusting, they were despising God. That's why in Psalm 78 they ask, "can God furnish a table in the wilderness?"
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"He smote the rock, He gave us water, can He also give us meat?" Now I don't care whether you read Numbers 11 or if you'll go back to Psalm 78, the interesting thing is this. God was very provoked at their whining and complaining and at their lusts and of their sins. And I want you to notice what the Bible says in Psalm 78 beginning there at verse 21.
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"Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth. So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they believed not in God and trusted not in His salvation." Okay, now here's the scenario. God's providing everything they need. No work, no money, just pick it up, prepare it, need it. Fresh every day. And they say, "Our soul is dried away. We're so tired of this manna. What we need is some delicacy. What we need is something that will satisfy our lust. What we need is something special." I want you to listen to something. They were crying against God's provision and crying for meat in their passion. Here's the truth. I want you to understand that whatever is asked for in the passion of lusts is often given in wrath and anger.
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Let me spell that out another way. God may give you what you want to satisfy your lusts. But when you get it, you'll wish to God you never had it. Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love. If I had a three-year-old child, and he wanted to play with a rattlesnake, what would I say to my child? No. Am I denying him that because I hate him? No. I'm denying him that because I love him. I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want him to die. God can answer our prayers in love and deny them, or He can answer them in anger and give us exactly what we want. And then we wish we never had it.
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Now let me point something out. I know the Bible says that God will supply not only our needs but our desires. But just because a man gives a man his desire does not mean that that man has special favor with God. It depends on what that desire is and whether it is holy or unholy. God gave these people their desires. In fact, look in your Bibles to Psalm 78 beginning there with verse 26. Watch carefully.
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Here's what I'm talking about. "He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven and by its power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust and feathered fowls like the sand of the sea. and he let it fall in the midst of their camp round about their habitations. So they did eat, and they were filled, for He gave them their own desire." He gave them what they wanted.
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"They were not estranged from their lusts, but while the meat was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smoked down the chosen men of Israel." God gave them exactly what they wanted. And He gave it to them in anger. The Bible tells us, in Numbers 11 in verse 34, that when God killed them, they called the place Kibroth-hattaavah, that is, the graves of lust. Because there they buried those people that sinned against God.
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Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 106 and let's consider verse 15, in light of this historical illustration. Psalm 106 and verse 15. Verse 15 is talking about what happened in Numbers 11, what happened in Psalm 78. So the Bible says this, "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul." I find it interesting that they complained in Numbers 11, that our soul is wasting away because there's nothing before our eyes except this manna.
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So part of God's judgment was not just killing some of the people But since they said that they had leanness of soul, God said, "I will give you true leanness of soul. I'll give you what you want, but I will send leanness into your soul."
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Now the word leanness is translated from a verb, which means to make thin, to cause the waste away, and to destroy. The idea is that of scraping, hence it means to scrape away or scrape so as there's nothing left or become lean or to waste away. The same word is translated in Isaiah 10 and verse 16 as leanness and it is also translated in Micah 6 and verse 10 as scant. So God then gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their soul.
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I want you to consider that this is probably where most Christians are in our land today. I'm going to make the application and you'll see what I'm talking about. We have practically whatever we want. But there is leanness in our souls. God sent quail. I don't mind telling you quail is good food. I love quail. Don't care anything about eating doves, but I love quail. But here's the point. That which was good to them, was bad for them when it came without the blessings of God. That which was good to them was bad for them when it came without the blessing of God.
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Let me put it like this. Our meat can become our poison when it comes without the blessing of God. Whatever our meat does for our taste buds and the strengthening of our body, if it comes without the blessing of God, it is poor nutrition and makes the soul lean. Your lusts, your covetousness, your desires that are contrary to God and contrary to His Word, He may give them to you, but He'll send leanness into your soul. We in this country have so undervalued the grace and gifts of God.
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We have despised His wonderful, marvelous providence. We've disbelieved His truth. We have so neglected His Word, and that in His righteous judgment, He has sent leanness into our souls. I have heard this. I don't know if it's true. A couple of you doctors might can tell me. I don't know. But I have heard that when a man is starving to death, there comes a point in his starvation that he no longer even desires food. Doesn't want it.
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Would you look around in our churches? How many Christians do you know that really, genuinely, truly want the pure, unadulterated Word of God? Most want entertainment. They want to be titillated. They want to be pampered. They don't want the Word of God. They don't want truth. Like a starving man, they disdain everything that is set before them. Nothing pleases them. Do you remember what the Bible says in Amos 8 and verse 11? What did God say? God said there's going to come a time when He's going to send a famine. Not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God. Where is that again? Amos 8 and verse 11. Amos 8, 11. There will be a famine, not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the Word of God.
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And we've come to the place in our land where we have fat bodies but lean souls. We have what we want. But isn't it strange we really don't want the things of God? We've nourished and fed our bodies and we've allowed our souls to starve. We've traded that which is eternal for that which is temporal. We have lost our taste for heavenly things. I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages.
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is the book of Colossians chapter 3. Then I want you to turn over to 3 John. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 first. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians 3. Look at verse 1. Here is where our affection should be. Colossians 3 verse 1. God says this, "If you then be risen with Christ," That is, if you are genuinely saved, "if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth." Our affection should be on Christ, and on His Word, and on His truth, and on His glory, and not necessarily on things that are on this earth. Look, if you would please, to third John. And I want you to notice what John says. Third John. And verse one, he's writing to Gaius. In fact, let's read verses one and two. Look what John, the apostle says to Gaius. "the elder unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth."
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Now watch carefully, verse 2 is very important. He tells Gaius, "Behold, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Now what is John praying for Gaius? He is praying and wishing that Gaius would have a good and healthy and fine body equal to the good and fine healthy soul that he has. If our bodies were in the same shape as our souls, most of us would have been dead for a long time now. The truth of the matter is this, if most Christians prospered physically as they did spiritually, they'd be in bad shape. Bad shape. What did God do? God gave them their requests, but he sent leanness into their souls.
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You can have what you want. You want it bad enough? Sometimes God lets you have it. I don't care if it's sin, I don't care if it's fleshly, I don't care if it's pride, I don't care if it's arrogance, I don't care if it's rebellion, you want it, God lets you have it. And when you get it, you'll woe to God that you never had it. It's far better to want what God wants than to want what you want.
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Now let me make just a couple of applications. And for this first one, I do want you to turn to the book of John. John chapter 6. Because you remember in Psalm 78, in Psalm 106, in Numbers chapter 11, we were reading about the manna. The manna that God gave. You remember how the children of Israel despised that manna. They said, "we don't want it. It's awful. There's nothing more besides this manna before our eyes."
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"We're starving to death on it. We can't handle this." I want you to look what our Lord said in John 6, beginning there with verse 48. Our Lord said, John 6, verse 48, "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Now I want you to note this. The anti-type to the manna in the Old Testament is none other than Jesus Christ. So when they were despising the manna in the Old Testament, they were despising Jesus Christ. Now look, when they were longing back for Egypt and their leeks and garlic and onion and cucumbers and melons and fish, what they were longing for was the type of the world.
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In other words, they were actually trading Christ for the world. They were trading the provision of God, which was the manna, which was the type of Christ. They were trading Him for all of the slavery and rottenness of Egypt. And you know, we've done that today. The average church, they want their programs, they want their entertainment, they want their comfort They want anything and everything under the sun except God and His Word. What we have done is we have replaced Jesus Christ and we have replaced His Word with a religious world. We are very religious but we are lost. We are a world that knows nothing of the grace and mercy and justice of a holy God. We have sired a generation of people that cannot and will not receive the pure unadulterated Word of God. Their palates will not take the word of God. They relish the delicacies of this world rather than the word of God.
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The second application is this. If God does give us success, even worldly success, then we must be extra careful with our souls and their desires. I want to read to you two paragraphs from Matthew Henry. I want you to notice what he said. "If we pray for temporal prosperity," and all of us like to eat, we like to have money, we like to have blessings. Listen to what he says. "If we pray for temporal prosperity, we should also pray that we may at the same time have a grace commensurate with it that it may be a blessing and not a curse. If we are visited with prosperity when it has not been a direct object of our prayers, if we inherit riches, or if our plans are successful beyond our expectations, or in the language of the world, if fortune smiles upon us, there should be special prayer on our part that it may not be a curse rather than a blessing, that it may be so received and used as not to alienate our minds from God."
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"Few are the Christian people who can bear continued success in life. Few are those who are not injured by it. Rare is it that growth in grace keeps pace with uninterrupted worldly prosperity. Rare is it that the blessings of the earth are so received and employed that they are seen to be a means of grace and not a hindrance to growth in prosperity. growth in piety. If we must know scantiness, may God grant it not be the scantiness of the soul. Yet this is the common attendant upon worldly prosperity. When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner."
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"To gain silver and lose gold is a poor increase. But to win for the body and lose for the soul is far worse. How earnestly might Israel have unprayed her prayers had she known what would come with their answer? The prayers of lust will have to be wept over. Where to look upon is the greatest judgment to have leanness in our souls while we're fed with manna. We look upon it as an affliction to have an overly lean body, but it's a far sadder condition to have a lean soul." Wow.
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You know, the old Puritans had a saying, and it was this, "God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity." God oftentimes curses his enemies with prosperity. Why? They end up trusting in their wealth instead of God who gave it. The Puritans also had another saying, and it was this, "when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man." Very few men can handle prosperity. That's why he's saying if God blesses you, you better pray that your soul will not become lean and that you will use it in a way which will honor Him.
#73 | 53:36 to 54:30 | cleaned
One last passage, I want you to turn to the book of James chapter 1. Because I've been talking about lusts and I want you to see what the Bible says. I want you to understand that our lusts, our covetousness will destroy us. It is impossible to sin against God and escape His righteous judgment. Look in James 1 in verse 13. God says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Our lust leads to our sin, which leads to our death. It's impossible to hold on to your lusts and have life. You know, our Lord said this in Matthew 4 and verse 4. When Satan tempted him to turn those rocks into bread, our Lord said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
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Our lives are to be controlled, regulated, limited to the Word of God. and brought in conformity to the Word of God. Truly, you do not want what you want. You should want what God wants. And He wants your faith and your trust. And that faith and trust will be evidenced by your obedience. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask that You would help us, that You would teach us, and Lord, that You would show us that we must submit to Thee and bring our lives in conformity to Your Word. If we want to save ourselves from heartaches and trouble and turmoil and death, it's imperative that we obey Thee and honor Thee in every area and every sphere of our life, whether it's family, whether it's our marital relationship, whether it's our church relationship, our civil relationship, we're to do that which is pleasing and honoring to Thee. Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:27:23Z

So, You Want What You Want

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver warns that demanding our own desires over God's will leads to spiritual leanness and destruction. Using Israel's lust for meat in the wilderness and Samson's demand for a Philistine wife, he illustrates how God may grant requests in anger, resulting in judgment. The sermon calls believers to submit their lusts to God's Word, seek heavenly affections, and recognize that prosperity without God's blessing starves the soul.

Introduction: The Danger of Wanting What You Want

Weaver introduces the topic with Psalm 106:14-15, comparing the Israelites to spoiled children who exasperate God by demanding their own way.

The title of the message today, listen carefully, is, "So You Want What You Want." So You Want What You Want. Psalm 106 verse 14,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 106:14-15

"But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert, and He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls."

Scripture Reading — Numbers 14:22

"Because all those men who have seen My glory and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted Me now these ten times and have not hearkened unto My voice."

Samson: A Clear Illustration of Lust

Samson's demand for a Philistine wife despite God's law and his parents' counsel exemplifies the attitude of wanting what pleases one's own eyes.

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, 'I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me to wife.' Then his father and his mother said unto him, 'Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?' And Samson said unto his father, 'Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.'"

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"Look Samson, is there never a woman among your own brethren? Look at your tribe. And if your tribe is too small, if you can't find a woman that would please you in your tribe, look at all the other tribes of Israel. Surely, you could get a good Israelitish girl from one of those tribes. You're not even limited to this particular tribe."

What does Samson say?

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well."

He wanted what he wanted. You know, the Apostle Paul had to write concerning Demas in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 10, and he said this,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 4:10

"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica."

The Consequences of Loving the World

Demas forsook Paul for the present world, trading eternal reward for temporary pleasure. 1 John 2:15-17 warns against the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.

The Bible says this in 1 John 2 verses 15 through 17. Listen carefully. God said, "Love not the world." And He's talking about the world system now.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:15-17

"Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now He's describing the world system and He says this, "For all that is in the world, The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth

forever."

The Principle of Radical Self-Denial

Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 teach that it is better to cut off whatever leads to sin than to be cast into hell. We must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control lust.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:29-30

"If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee that if one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Our Sins Always Affect Others

Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's death, illustrating that no one lives or dies to himself. Our sins impact family, church, and nation.

Scripture Reading — Romans 14:7

Now before I get to explaining our text today, I think it's important that we remember one critical truth, and that is this, that our sins, our lusts, and our desires always affect other people. Do not come up with the stupid argument, "Well, it's my body and I'll do with it as I please," or "It's my life and I'll live it as I please." No, your sin always affects someone else. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 14 and verse 7, for none of us live it to himself and no man died to himself. Whatever you do will always ultimately affect your family, your neighbors, your friends, your church, and even your nation. I want you to look very quickly, hold Psalm 106, but look if you would to Matthew chapter 14. Let me give you an illustration. Matthew 14. I know that you've heard of King Herod. Here's a quick question. Do you think that someone's sins can affect someone totally outside of themselves and outside of their family?

Now, of course, the answer is yes. Who would have ever thought that the sin and the lust of King Herod would affect John the Baptist? But look at it. Matthew 14 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 14:1-12

"At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, 'This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. And therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.' For Herod had laid hold on John and had bound him and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, 'It is not lawful for thee to have her.' And when he would have put him to death, that is John the Baptist, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod."

Now let me tell you, this dancing before Herod and pleasing him was not some little ballet. It was not some little tap dance. It was a sensual dance. Watch.

Israel's Lust for Meat: Historical Background

In Numbers 11 and Psalm 78, Israel despised God's provision of manna and demanded meat. Their unbelief provoked God to anger.

Scripture Reading — Numbers 11:4-6, 18-23, 31-34

Now, I want you to go back whole, whole numbers 11, but go back to Psalm 78. Psalm 78, go back there. If you would please. And look, if you would please, beginning there, verse 18. Watch this. "And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts. Yea, they spake against God. They said, 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.'"

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:38

"And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocks, and herds, and very much cattle."

God's Response: Giving Requests in Anger

God sent quail in abundance, but while the meat was still in their mouths, He struck them down. He gave them their desire but sent leanness into their soul.

The Meaning of Leanness of Soul

The Hebrew word for leanness means to scrape away, waste away, or destroy. God's judgment was to give them what they wanted while causing their souls to starve.

Application: The State of the Modern Church

Many Christians have fat bodies but lean souls, despising God's Word and preferring entertainment. They have traded Christ for the world, just as Israel despised the manna.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If you then be risen with Christ,"

That is, if you are genuinely saved,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth."

Warnings About Prosperity and Lust

Prosperity often leads to spiritual leanness. We must pray that blessings do not become a curse. Lust conceives sin, and sin brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

Conclusion: Want What God Wants

Our lives must be controlled by God's Word. It is better to want what God wants than to demand our own desires. True faith is evidenced by obedience.

So, You Want What You Want

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	o5tB05-Mv_c
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 19
Source Timed Segments	75

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Danger of Wanting What You Want: Weaver introduces the topic with Psalm 106:14-15, comparing the Israelites to spoiled children who exasperate God by demanding their own way.
Samson: A Clear Illustration of Lust: Samson's demand for a Philistine wife despite God's law and his parents' counsel exemplifies the attitude of wanting what pleases one's own eyes.
The Consequences of Loving the World: Demas forsook Paul for the present world, trading eternal reward for temporary pleasure. 1 John 2:15-17 warns against the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.
The Principle of Radical Self-Denial: Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 teach that it is better to cut off whatever leads to sin than to be cast into hell. We must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to control lust.
Our Sins Always Affect Others: Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's death, illustrating that no one lives or dies to himself. Our sins impact family, church, and nation.
Israel's Lust for Meat: Historical Background: In Numbers 11 and Psalm 78, Israel despised God's provision of manna and demanded meat. Their unbelief provoked God to anger.
God's Response: Giving Requests in Anger: God sent quail in abundance, but while the meat was still in their mouths, He struck them down. He gave them their desire but sent leanness into their soul.
The Meaning of Leanness of Soul: The Hebrew word for leanness means to scrape away, waste away, or destroy. God's judgment was to give them what they wanted while causing their souls to starve.
Application: The State of the Modern Church: Many Christians have fat bodies but lean souls, despising God's Word and preferring entertainment. They have traded Christ for the world, just as Israel despised the manna.
Warnings About Prosperity and Lust: Prosperity often leads to spiritual leanness. We must pray that blessings do not become a curse. Lust conceives sin, and sin brings forth death (James 1:13-15).
Conclusion: Want What God Wants: Our lives must be controlled by God's Word. It is better to want what God wants than to demand our own desires. True faith is evidenced by obedience.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Lust leads to leanness of soul

When God grants sinful desires, He often sends spiritual leanness as judgment, leaving the soul starved even while the body is fed.

Psalm 106:15: 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.' The Hebrew word implies scraping away or wasting away.

Israel's demand for meat was unbelief and ingratitude

Despite God's miraculous provision of manna, Israel lusted for meat, questioning God's ability and despising His gift.

Psalm 78:18-22: 'They tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts... because they believed not in God.'

Samson's choice illustrates self-will over God's law

Samson's demand for a Philistine wife directly violated God's command against intermarriage and dishonored his parents.

Judges 14:3: 'Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.' This means 'it is good in my own eyes,' contrary to Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7.

Trading eternal for temporal is foolish

Demas forsook Paul for the present world, which has long passed away, but his sin remains. Temporary pleasure is not worth eternal loss.

2 Timothy 4:10: 'Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.' 1 John 2:17: 'The world passeth away, and the lust thereof.'

Sin always affects others

No one sins in isolation; Herod's lust cost John the Baptist his life, and family members often suffer from one person's uncontrolled desires.

Matthew 14:1-12; Romans 14:7: 'For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.'

Modern Christians have lean souls despite material abundance

Many churches prefer entertainment over God's Word, resulting in fat bodies but starved souls, mirroring Israel's disdain for manna.

Amos 8:11 predicts a famine of hearing God's Word. Colossians 3:1-2 commands setting affection on things above.

Prosperity often curses the soul

Wealth and success frequently lead to spiritual decline; believers must pray that blessings do not become a curse.

Matthew Henry: 'When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.'

Scripture References

Psalm 106:14-15: Key text: Israel lusted in the wilderness, and God gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul.
Numbers 14:22: God says the Israelites tempted Him ten times and did not hearken to His voice.
Judges 14:1-3: Samson demands a Philistine wife because she pleases him well, violating God's law.
Exodus 34:15-17: God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites, including the Philistines.
Deuteronomy 7:1-6: God commanded Israel not to make covenants or intermarry with the nations of Canaan.
2 Timothy 4:10: Demas forsook Paul, having loved this present world.
1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world; the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life are not of the Father.
Proverbs 23:2: Put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite.
Matthew 5:29-30: If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out; better to lose one member than whole body cast into hell.
Romans 14:7: None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
Matthew 14:1-12: Herod's lust and birthday oath led to John the Baptist's beheading.
Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.
Psalm 78:15-32: Israel sinned by asking meat for their lusts; God gave them their desire but slew them while meat was in their mouths.
Numbers 11:4-6, 18-23, 31-34: The mixed multitude lusted for meat; God sent quail but struck them with a plague; the place was called Kibroth-hattaavah.
Exodus 12:38: A mixed multitude and very much cattle went up with Israel from Egypt, showing they already had meat.
Isaiah 10:16: The same Hebrew word for leanness is used here.
Micah 6:10: The same Hebrew word is translated 'scant' here.
Amos 8:11: God will send a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
Colossians 3:1-2: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 John 1:2: John wishes that Gaius may prosper and be in health even as his soul prospers.

Historical References

Israelites in the wilderness: The Israelites repeatedly provoked God by lusting for meat and despising manna, leading to judgment at Kibroth-hattaavah.
Samson and the Philistine woman: Samson demanded a Philistine wife from Timnath, violating God's law and dishonoring his parents.
Demas forsaking Paul: Demas, a co-worker of Paul, deserted him because he loved the present world.
Herod Antipas and John the Baptist: Herod's lust for Herodias and his oath at his birthday feast led to John the Baptist's execution.
Matthew Henry's commentary on manna: Henry described manna as wholesome, pleasant, and provided without labor, yet Israel despised it.
John Gill's commentary on Numbers 11: Gill noted Israel's ingratitude in complaining about manna while God provided it freely.
Puritan sayings on prosperity: The Puritans said God often curses His enemies with prosperity, and when a Christian gets rich, God either gains a fortune or loses a man.

Important Quotes

He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls.

This is the central verse of the sermon, summarizing the warning that God may grant sinful desires but with spiritual impoverishment.

Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.

Samson's demand illustrates the attitude of wanting what one wants regardless of God's law, a key example of lust-driven choice.

Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.

Shows the danger of trading eternal calling for temporary worldly pleasures.

Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

A radical proverb emphasizing the necessity of extreme measures to control lust.

Prayer may be answered in anger or denied in love.

A key principle: God's granting of a request does not always indicate His favor; it may be judgment.

Our meat can become our poison when it comes without the blessing of God.

Warns that even good things become harmful when received apart from God's blessing and used for lust.

When wealth grows, with many a man in his worldly estate is fatter, but his soul's estate is leaner.

A quote from Matthew Henry highlighting the inverse relationship between material prosperity and spiritual health.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways do we, like the Israelites, despise God's provision and crave what He has not given?

[Context]

The sermon compares Israel's complaint about manna to modern discontent with God's Word and blessings.

[Question]

How can we discern whether a desire is a legitimate need or a sinful lust?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between holy desires and lusts that lead to leanness of soul.

[Question]

What does it mean for God to answer a prayer in anger? Can you think of biblical or personal examples?

[Context]

The concept that God may grant requests as judgment is central to the message.

[Question]

How does the account of Samson challenge our tendency to justify choices based on what 'seems good in our own eyes'?

[Context]

Samson's demand for a Philistine wife directly violated clear commands, yet he insisted because she pleased him.

[Question]

In what ways do our personal sins affect others, and how should that reality change our behavior?

[Context]

Herod's lust led to John the Baptist's death; Weaver stresses that no one sins in isolation.

[Question]

Why is prosperity often a greater spiritual danger than adversity?

[Context]

Matthew Henry and the Puritans warned that wealth frequently leads to a lean soul.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to 'put a knife to our throat' regarding persistent temptations?

[Context]

Proverbs 23:2 and Matthew 5:29-30 call for radical action against sin.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a genuine appetite for God's Word in a culture that prefers spiritual entertainment?

[Context]

Weaver laments that many Christians have lost their taste for pure doctrine and truth.

Applications

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