Leanness of Soul
Historians who chronicle twenty-first century America
will no doubt call attention to its great technological advances. At
the forefront is medical science, which appears to be on the cusp of
epic cures for a wide range of illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes,
heart disease and others. Moreover, our generation appears to be
terminally obsessed with the physical and cosmetic aspects of life:
Botox, weight-loss, whiter teeth, radiant hair, P90X Beach Body
workouts, and body-contouring undergarments that make one look
better without being better.
Now, there is no problem with attention to the
physical. The apostle Paul taught us the importance of what we do
with our bodies by declaring them to be (1) the “the temple of the
Holy Ghost”, and (2) an integral part of what God purchased when he
redeemed us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). One of the great challenges of
discipleship is striking a proper balance between body and
soul…neglecting neither to satisfy the needs of the other.
The Pharisees—alleged spiritual leaders of Israel in
their day—were guilty of cultivating and perpetuating an obsession
with the external aspects of law and life. The misguided zeal of
these men led them to tithe the mint leaves and herbs from their
gardens while passing over judgment and the love of God (Luke
11:42). Our Lord had this to say about the imbalance: “These ought
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone!” The sin of
leaving undone those functions that promote soul vitality is a
Pharisaical legacy that remains to this day!
A few thousand years before the Pharisees
institutionalized neglect of soul, the wandering Israelites, as
their spiritual predecessors, had nationalized it. The Psalmist, as
part of a high-level historical summary, wrote the following words
describing God’s response to a people obsessed with the physical:
“And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul”
(Psalm 106:15). What God gave them with reference to the body is set
in contrast to what he sent them with reference to the soul. At
first blush we observe that the granting of requests by God is not
surefire evidence of spiritual health.
The word “leanness” (Heb. ‘rasown’) signifies
that something is less than it ought to be (i.e., lacking flesh or
fat; lacking richness, sufficiency or productiveness; deficient in
an essential or important quality or ingredient). In other words,
the soul suffering from leanness is missing something that it ought
to have. An engine mechanic knows full well what happens to an
automobile whose fuel mixture is too lean—sufficient compression but
no combustion! A lean fuel mixture can render a muscle car
powerless! So it is with the child of God whose focus is external
(physical) to the neglect of the internal (spiritual). And so it was
with Israel in the wilderness. It is quite clear they were desirous
of everything but the one thing they really needed: the Lord God
himself!
A second observation is the mention of their “soul”
in singular form. The primary emphasis of the context is thus
national, not individual. We know for certain that there were at
least two spiritual stalwarts, men of faith, in the congregation:
Joshua and Caleb. But these two giants (and no doubt a number of
others with kindred souls) were required to put their dreams on hold
for forty years while God dealt collectively with an elect people
who were mired in carnality and soul deficiency. It is clear that
our beloved America is experiencing at this hour that same leanness
of soul. In my humble opinion, our leanness is attributable in large
measure to pervasive lostness among our citizenry and lukewarmness
within our churches.
There is only one thing more lamentable than a lean
soul…and that is a lost soul! Jesus taught that one who was able to
attach personal property rights to the entire world would be
essentially bankrupt without soul salvation (Mark 8:36). For those
who exhibit abnormal obsession with physical preservation, Jesus
offered this pungent dose of reality: “And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew
10:28).
Consider with me for a moment a few of the things
that God has sent during the course of history. He sent Lot out of
Sodom as a life-preserving measure (Genesis 19:29). He sent Moses
back to Egypt to deliver His people from bondage (Exodus 3:12-15).
He sent Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians
1:17). He sent forth His Son in the fullness of time to provide
redemption for sinners, and the Spirit of his Son into the hearts of
believers so they could interact as sons with their Father
(Galatians 4:4-5). I am absolutely convinced that leanness of soul
is the last thing—the VERY LAST thing—that God ever wants to send to
his people!
I love Snickers bars! I
remember buying bags of Snickers miniatures for trick-or-treaters
with the hope that we’d have sufficient leftovers for personal
consumption. Perhaps you’ve seen the Snickers TV ad that touts the
candy bar’s ability to squelch those untimely stomach growls, and
ends with this prohibition: “Don’t let hunger happen to you!” In
like manner, based on what we know about the value of our souls and
the willingness of the God of grace to fill them with Himself, it is
entirely proper to assert: “Don’t let leanness of soul happen to
you!”
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