Enough Is Enough

2 Samuel 12:8,9a

“I gave your master’s wives house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?”

My two year old little girl loves to eat. Every morning when she wakes up, even with eyes still half-closed, her feet will bring her to the table asking for milk and ‘eat’. Many times during the day, in between her one toy to the next, she’ll ask for some cookies. If I’ll say there’s none, she’ll run down a list of other possible to-munch like ‘bwed’, ‘koleyt’, ‘ships’, ‘doodles’ then back to cookies again. During mealtimes, even when her plate is still four to five spoonfuls to finish, she’ll call out ‘more ha, mom’. If I say, ‘that’s your last’, she’ll readily blurt out ‘bwed?’ Hahaha. It’s hard to resist her charms. But sometimes I just have to say ‘No’ to for her to understand schedules and satisfaction and to mind our savings of course, haha. Enough is enough.

God has given David more than enough. He acquired all of Saul’s power and possessions, that is, the whole country and his whole house. Everything at his disposal. What else could he need? He even had his own wives and concubines to begin with. Not that God approved of it of course. It was David’s choice. But just like Adam and Eve, having a perfect garden doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. Covetousness will always tempt us to crave for more, even those not rightfully ours to take and taste. The prophet Nathan pictured it as a rich man taking the one ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man. It has no regard for others. A spoiled brat playing deaf ears to any reasoning. Worse than poverty is greed. Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving, but what excuses does an adulterer have? God said, “If all this had been too little, I would have given you more.” It is not just unsatisfying, but an insult to provide for ourselves elsewhere. His kingdom operates on a relationship that we receive from His table. We ask and He gives. For how can we give praise if it’s not coming from His hand? How dare we imply that His best is wanting when we never find time to ask Him to fully satisfy us? Is it really not enough or we’re just not looking enough?

God has given us more than we could ask or imagine. Stop looking at the our neighbor's fence on how they may seem to be more blessed than us. They may just be differently blessed, or they could have sought more. James 4 says ‘We do not have because we do not ask’. Even if David did ask for Bathsheba, he will not receive, because it is on a wrong motive. God as a parent delights to satisfy our cravings. But He will say No when it will do us more harm that good. Enough is enough.