im not sure if this ought to be placed in
Fellowship as I'm not sure I understand this concept.
Anyway, I was reading today about needs v desires and I was asked a question, which stumped me.
" have you got everything you need?"
And I couldn't get past that. I first thought, well yes, I think so. I've got a nice house, my family are happy, and healthy, enough money to live on, to get me through the month anyway. Basic stuff. so obviously I got everything I need right? As far as it goes I couldn't wish for any more necessities wise.
Then I started to think about my desires. As far as my physical needs goes, I got it. They are clean cut. But desires scare me... I don't know why, I would love to have a great godly man in my life but I think it's because I see myself as not a very great godly woman just yet.
So how could this desire become a need?
I mean, it's a desire, really isn't it? I haven't got to the point of dying a horrible death if I don't have one but ya know...
Both biblical and personal advice much welcome
Thankyou
I like to start with definitions, which is key.
Dictionary:
Want, Need. These words are often used interchangeably, but should be discriminated. Need implies the lack; want also implies the lack, but couples with it the wish to supply the lack. "Some men need help, but will not ask for it; others want help (that is, they need help, or think they do, and ask for it) and get it, too."
Biblical word definition:
Need:
- Transliteration: Machcowr
- Phonetic: makh-sore'
- Definition:
1. need, poverty, thing needed
a. need, thing needed
b. lack, want
c. need, poverty
Want:
- Transliteration: Chacer
- Phonetic: khaw-sare'
- Definition:
1. to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need
a. (Qal)
1. to lack
2. to be lacking
3. to diminish, decrease
b. (Piel) to cause to lack
c. (Hiphil) to cause to be lacking
Deuteronomy 15:8 (KJV)
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
Desire: (Noah Webster 1828)
1: [Noun] An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected; a passion excited by the love of an object, or uneasiness at the want of it, and directed to its attainment or possession. Desire is a wish to possess some gratification or source of happiness which is supposed to be obtainable. A wish may exist for something that is or is not abtainable. Desire, when directed solely to sensual enjoyment, differs little from appetite. In other languages, desire is expressed by longing or reaching toward, and when it is ardent or intense, it approaches to longing, but the word in English usually expresses less than longing. We endeavored-to see your face with great desire. 1 Thess. 2. Thou satisfiest the desires of every living thing. Ps. 145. Desire is that internal act, which, by influencing the will, makes us proceed to action..
2: [Noun] A prayer or request to obtain: He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him. Ps. 145..
3: [Noun] The object of desire; that which is desired. The desire of all nations shall come. Hag. 2..
4: [Noun] Love; affection. His desire is toward me. Cant. 7..
5: [Noun] Appetite; lust. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Eph. 2..
6: [Verb] To wish for the possession or enjoyment of, with a greater or less degree of earnestness; to covet. It expresses less strength of affection than longing. Neither shall any man desire thy land. Ex. 34. Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts. 1 Cor. 14..
7: [Verb] To express a wish to obtain; to ask; to request; to petition. Then she said, did I desire a son of my Lord? 2 Kings 4..
Need/want denoting a lack we wish to fill. We
NEED Jesus.
Desire is an emotional state where the heart is involved. God says we're to
DESIRE spiritual gifts.
Genesis 3:16 (KJV)
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
- Transliteration: T@shuwqah
- Phonetic: tesh-oo-kaw'
- Definition:
1. desire, longing, craving
a. of man for woman
b. of woman for man
c. of beast to devour
which comes from:
- Transliteration: Shuwq
- Phonetic: shook
- Definition:
1. to be abundant (meaning probable)
a. (Polel) to give abundance to
b. (Hiphil) to overflow
While each word has its own meaning, let's look at the
letter meanings for each word in Hebrew (separated by a comma):
Desire:
תשוקה - mark/sign/covenant, eat/consume/destroy, nail/peg/"and", horizon/behind, behold/grace/look
Abundant: שוק - eat/consume/destroy, nail/peg/"and", horizon/behind
Want:
חסר - wall/fence/separation, support/prop/hand on staff, head/person/first
Need:
מחסר - water/chaos, wall/fence/separation, support/prop/hand on staff, head/person/first
Notice that
want and
need are different only by one letter
מ (mem).
Need includes chaos with the want.
Want is the separation of support to the person. The root word for
desire comes from
שוק which means
abundant, or
overflow. This word's letter meaning is to consume what's supplied. This meaning is surrounded by the letter for covenant and grace. So
desire is to have a covenant to make a part of us (consume) what's supplied in grace.
Hebrew is very creative, so there isn't a one-for-one translation relationship. One letter has multiple meanings which leads to words having multiple meanings. The best way to understand this is each letter and word indicate a theme and thereby tells a story.
My favorite example of this is the Name given to Moses for God:
The Name of God in the Hebrew Scriptures is
יהוה and the pictograph for this is:
open hand (י), LOOK! (ה), nail (ו), LOOK! (ה)
What do these letters reveal?
The meaning of the name of God has a dual meaning via the pictograph:
Work of Grace and Grace!
