contentment, part 2

II. The Source of true Satisfaction

Because the Bible only uses the word content or contentment a handful of times, I traced the concept of satisfaction (which leads to contentment) through the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament speaks at length about satisfaction. I looked at 24 references that point to God as the One who satisfies the needs of His people. Often those references speak of physical satisfaction, but a few go further to show God uses His satisfaction of physical needs to point to the way He Himself satisfies our spiritual needs. Let’s look at some passages that point to the way God satisfies our souls. First Psalm 63:1, 5, 8 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, with singing lips my mouth will praise you. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” The Psalmist knew what it was to find satisfaction in God. He learned to fill his soul-hunger with God Himself! Let’s look now at God’s invitation to be satisfied found in Isaiah 55:1-3, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.”

This was the backdrop of the Old Testament, one the Jewish people would or should have understood well: it is God who satisfies the needs of His people, whether physically or spiritually. We turn to the pages of the New Testament, and find the word “satisfy” used there as well. In the feeding of the 5000 and of the 4000, we see again and again in the gospels, “They all ate and were satisfied.” Matt. 14:20, 15:37, Mark 6:42, 8:8, Luke 9:17…“They all ate and were satisfied.” “They all ate and were satisfied.” I read that over and over and thought it seemed a bit redundant. Then I realized what God was revealing: The God of the Old Testament has come in the Person of Jesus Christ to satisfy the needs of His people. The feeding of the crowds pointed to Christ as the one who was given to satisfy the soul-hunger of man. Jesus knew most of them did not understand this. In John 6:15, after feeding the 5000, Jesus withdrew from the crowd, knowing they intended to make him king by force. In John 6:26 He says, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” In essence Jesus was saying, “I have miraculously supplied you with bread to point to the way I can satisfy the life-hunger of your soul.” Then as Jesus goes on, you can almost hear Isaiah 55 ringing in your ears as He says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…I am the bread that came down from heaven…I am the bread of life…I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” God created man with a desire for satisfaction that can only be met in Jesus Christ.