Articles
Never Enough
Warren Buffet (a highly regarded businessman and genius investor) made a statement this past week that if other companies would pay their taxes the way his company had, then not one of us would have to pay a dime in taxes as a result. I got a chuckle out of the statement. I know what he means, but taken out of context, such a statement is historically ridiculous. Governments have an amazing ability of spending whatever money they have and always wanting more. They never have “enough” money. If businesses paid all of our taxes for us, the government would still find a reason to tax us. That’s just the way of things. But the thought process got me thinking of other things in life that are never satisfied.
“The leech has two daughters, ‘Give,’ ‘Give” (Prov. 30:15a). There are some things in life that only know how to take and will never be satisfied.
“Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied” (Prov. 27:20a; 30:16). We don’t refer to Sheol or Abaddon in our modern speech, but together these words mean death. The grave is never satisfied. There will not be a day when the graveyards are so full that no one else will die. That isn’t how death works. It is coming for all of us, and given enough time, it will take hold of each one of us. And after the eight billion people of our generation are dead, then death will reach out for the billions of people to come after us. Death never quits and is never satisfied. But we know that. We may not like to think about it, but we understand it. So why would it be mentioned in Proverbs? Probably to help explain the depths of the next statement.
“Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied” (Prov. 27:20b). Just how greedy is man? As greedy as the graveyards. We have desires, and we can spend all of our lives dedicated to fulfilling those desires, but it will never be enough.
“All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied” (Ecc. 6:7). Later this month, most of us will have a meal so massive that we call it a feast. But we’ll eat again. A life spent in the pursuit of food is a futile life. It is never enough.
“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity” (Ecc. 5:10). We are no different than the governments of the world. No matter how much money we might have, we will always find reasons to want more. Warren Buffet is estimated to be worth $143,000,000,000. (I typed that out so you could see all the zeroes). He has billions and billions of dollars. Despite being so rich and despite being ninety-four years old, he still spends what little time he has left diligently thinking of ways to make more money. There is never enough money to satisfy those who pursue it. Truly, this too is vanity.
On the other hand, Jesus taught us to live differently. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt. 5:6). Here is a pursuit that is not vain. A life spent diligently pursuing righteousness will conclude with a judgment of eternal life and eternal contentment. There will be no more need for more. We won’t need more time. We won’t need more food. We won’t need more money. We won’t need more anything. This is a life worth living and a goal worth pursuing.
