Photo by Alessio Maffeis

By Chloe Sun

In one of the scenes of the movie “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” one person tells another person that everyone has a target number in his/her mind and asks that person what number is in his mind. The other person simply replied “more.” This one word captures a basic human desire. We want more. For some, this “more” could be money, comfort or material possessions. For others, it could be fame, popularity or accomplishments. Most of us want “more” in some ways. This insatiable desire is like a bottomless pit, without limit and end. Underlying the desire for more is the thought “If only I could have more of this….I would be happy.”

Is it wrong to want more? Perhaps it depends on what we want more of. In the context of spirituality, if we want to desire more of God, to spend more time with God, or to acquire more wisdom to do God’s work, wanting more seems to be the right kind of desire. By contrast, if our object of desire is other than God or wanting to serve our ego-self only, wanting more can be dangerous. It may lead to discontentment and even despair.

When Eve saw that the tree was good for eating, a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate (Genesis 3:6). This desire for more resulted in sin and punishment. Interestingly, the word “desire” here in Hebrew also means “covet.” The same word appears in the tenth commandment “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:14). So, desire in itself is not wrong but covetousness is. When does “desiring” become “coveting”? Judging from scripture, covetousness is the desire that transcends (transgresses) God’s moral boundary. It is natural for Eve to desire the fruit because it is “good for eating and delight to the eyes.” In fact, both elements are intended by God for humankind to enjoy – “and from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for good” (Genesis 2:9). However, desiring to be like God knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5) is not what God has in mind for Eve. By desiring that, Eve crossed over the divine threshold and incurred its dire consequence.

How do we know whether our desires come from ourselves or from God? At what point does our desire become covetousness? How do we know if our desires are for our ego (to make us feel good about ourselves) or for our soul (to feed its need for more of God)? I don’t have definitive answers to these questions. The answers to these questions depend on tuning in with our inner self and asking honest questions. The insatiable desire for more leads to the unending quest for more reflections…

Chloe Sun, PhD., has been teaching Hebrew Scriptures at Logos Evangelical Seminary since 2004.  Her research interests include culture, gender, and identity issues in the Old Testament, Asian American Interpretations of the Bible, and Wisdom Literature. She lives with her husband and son in Southern California.