See/Desire/Take. See/Desire/Take.
This trio of words shows up a bunch of times in the Old Testament, kind of like a hidden code, and I want to tell you about it. Generally, it works like this in Hebrew:
rāʾāh - see
tov - good/beautiful
chamad - desire/covet
laqah - take
Someone “sees” (rāʾāh) something which looks good or beautiful to them (tov) and/or they desire (chamad) that thing, so they take it (laqah). See/Desire/Take.
It seems innocuous enough, but the more you read, the more you realize that these words, when put together, symbolize something pretty dark.
In the narrative of the Bible, they symbolize sin. And the consequences of that sin are disastrous.
For example, these words show up in the story of a man named Achan, who took loot from the city of Jericho even though God had explicitly told the Israelites not to.
Joshua 7:20-21
I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw (rāʾāh) a beautiful (tov) robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted (chamad) them so much that I took (laqah) them.
See/Desire/Take. Achan disobeyed God and it caused a lot of trouble for the Israelites. The same words show up in the story of King David raping Bathsheba.
2 Samuel 11:2-4
Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed (rāʾāh) a woman of unusual beauty (tov) taking a bath… Then David sent messengers to get (laqah) her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.
See/Desire/Take. King David misused his authority and disobeyed God. He did what was right in his own eyes. This choice led to death, broken relationships, and trouble for the kingdom. It was sin.
There are other examples we could look at. But there’s really only one that you need to remember. It is the first sin in the story of the Bible and it’s where this pattern begins.
In the Garden of Eden, the woman is deceived by the serpent, and decides to take a bite of the fruit that God had specifically commanded the humans not to eat.
Genesis 3:6
She saw (rāʾāh) that the tree was beautiful (tov) and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted (chamad) the wisdom it would give her. So she took (laqah) some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
It was this choice - to do what seemed right in their own eyes - that brought sin and death into this world. See/Desire/Take
The biblical authors want us to see in this pattern something fundamental about the state of our world. Selfish desires lead to sin, and sin corrupts the world.
So what do we do about this? How do we break the cycle of sin? Well, that is what we’re talking about today.
SERIES RECAP
Welcome back to “Refocus,” our four-week series exploring what the Bible has to say about the practice of Moral Integrity. Again, here is how we define this at Grace:
Moral Integrity
Disciples of Jesus reject the corruption of sin and reflect Christ to the world as image bearers of God.
So, yes. This is a whole month about sin, which sounds just about as fun as a root canal. I get it.
But my hope over these four weeks is to present you with a different approach to this topic than you might expect. Rather than shame and condemnation and lists of arbitrary God rules to follow, what we’re talking about this month is identity.
And it’s a really positive thing. Becoming the person you were created to be and discovering your best possible life.
Why don’t we pray, and then I’ll briefly recap a bit of what we covered last week.
So, last Sunday I began by describing two groups of people that I often see within the church these days. The “sin management” people and the “you do you” people.
“Sin management” folks care a lot about sin, but only really the sin you can see. It’s a performance to look good and shiny and godly on the outside, but barely ever addressing the sin and brokenness within. It’s sin management.
“You do you” folks, on the other hand, are tired of the show. And they’re tired of the judgmentalism. Their basic attitude is, “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m going to decide for myself what is right and wrong for me.”
Both extremes, I argued, are missing something essential about the Bible’s call to true morality.
And what is that call?
Well, last week we talked about how, from the very beginning, Humans were created in the image of God. We were designed to be living representatives of God’s love and abundance and life to this world.
But instead of trusting in his wisdom and accurately reflecting God’s character to creation, we decided to do what was right in our own eyes. We saw what we wanted, we desired it, so we took it. Even if it’s exactly the opposite of what God desires for us.
In other words, we rejected God’s intentions for the world. And that rejection is sin.
Murder, rape, injustice, addiction, lust, rage, gossip, greed…
Because of our sin the image of God in us is disfigured. Like a beautiful painting that is covered in soot and grime and filth, sin has warped who we were meant to be. Instead of radiating God’s life outward, we’re curved in on ourselves.
See, desire, take. See, desire, take. You’re supposed to see God’s desires when you look at humanity. Instead, you just see our own. The masterpiece of God’s image is disfigured.
Thankfully, our God is a master art restorer.
When we put our trust in Jesus (the perfect image of God), the Holy Spirit begins to clean the canvas, to restore faded colors, to make the image of God in us shine once more.
Because of God’s grace we can break free of sin’s power and become the conduits of God’s life, abundance, and healing that we were always meant to be.
Again, moral integrity is not about rules. It’s about identity. Dealing with sin matters – not because we’re putting on a show, not because we’re being legalistic – but because it’s time for what has been disfigured to be restored.
LOVE THE LORD
So let’s take the next step in our journey. We’ve defined the problem. Sin as a disfigurement of the image of God. Today we’re going to begin to answer the question: What is the alternative?
Where does moral integrity begin?
Well, I think we can find the answer to that question in something Jesus said in the gospel of Mark. Mark 12:28-31, Page ______. Why don’t you turn there with me?
While you’re turning there, I’ll give you just a little bit of context. In the Old Testament law, or the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), there are, by some counts, 613 individual commands from God to the Israelites.
Everything from “thou shalt not kill” to how to handle skin rashes. This was God’s wisdom for how the Israelites would be set apart.
A big part of the Jewish religion by the time of Jesus involved rabbis (teachers) having discussions about the meaning or extent of these laws, and then later rabbis having discussions about those discussions, and so on.
Which is why at one point, while Jesus is in Jerusalem, a local Bible nerd decides to get this rabbi’s take on one of these discussions.
Mark 12:28-31
One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
So, from Jesus’ perspective, the foundation of obedience to the law - in other words, the foundation of moral integrity - is found in two specific ideas. Idea 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (in other words, your whole self). And idea 2: love your neighbor as yourself.
Or, put even more simply, “love God, love others.” Of all the 613 commands in the law, according to Jesus these are the two that matter most.
Which sounds great, but let’s be honest. It doesn’t really feel very practical, does it? I mean, I’ve heard that passage all my life, but it’s never told me what to do in a given situation. My “what would Jesus do” bracelet never actually gave me the answer.
So how does “love God, love others” help us make sense of the Bible’s call for moral integrity? How does it help us know what is right or wrong?
Well, here’s where it’s helpful to remember that when Jesus and the apostles were quoting from the Hebrew Bible, they rarely had in mind just the specific line they were quoting. Most of the time, that line was a hyperlink to the text that surrounded it.
When we look at the context of these two commands, we see that there’s a lot more going on here in what Jesus was conveying.
The first, “love the Lord your God” is from Deuteronomy 6:2, Page _____. Here’s what it says in context:
Deuteronomy 6:2-5
If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
Immediately what I notice with that passage is that, yes, it’s about obedience. “Obey all his decrees and commands.” But this obedience is directly tied to abundance. “You will enjoy a long life… All will go well with you… you’ll have lots of kids in a land of milk and honey.”
The point of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then, is not because “if you don’t I’m going to blast you.”
It’s because walking in line with God’s desires - putting God first and being his image in the world - is the key to abundance. It’s the key to vibrant life.
And Scripture makes it clear what the alternative looks like. See/Desire/Take. Rather than listening to God’s wisdom, we do what seems right in our own eyes. Which inevitably leads to pain, broken relationships, injustice, death… That’s what sin does.
We curve in on ourselves and end up twisted and disfigured. But if our whole self is oriented toward God, the story begins to change.
Setting aside our selfish desires and surrendering to the will of God is the key to flourishing and abundance.
Surrender to the will of God. All moral integrity begins with this fundamental posture. A rejection of “See/Desire/Take.”
We don’t do what seems right in our own eyes. We learn from and listen to and trust what seems right in his.
This is why Jesus calls this the most important commandment. When we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the image of God is restored in us and we can finally come alive.
Again, this isn’t about heavy-handed legalism. It’s about living into the abundance God desires for us.
So how do we know what seems right in God’s eyes instead of our own? Well, we’re going to talk about that next week.
For now, I just want us to understand that biblical morality begins with a posture of surrender. A willingness to ask, “What do you want, God?”
Let’s take a second to pause and do some self-evaluation. I want to give you a moment with God to think about the orientation of your life. Think about the last few months.
Would you say that in general your life has been defined by self-interest (See/Desire/Take)? Or have your decisions and actions been driven by a deep love of God? By seeking his wisdom and desires, even if they’re the opposite of your own?
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
So, a posture of surrender to the will of God is the starting point of moral integrity. The next step follows close behind it. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” A.k.a. the golden rule.
Which makes sense on its own, but the meaning is way deeper in context. So let’s take a look. It’s a quote from Leviticus 19:11, Page ______.
It’s at the end of a laundry list of specific commands. And I want to read a bunch of them. And as I do, see if you can find the common thread that weaves through them all.
Leviticus 19:11-18
Do not steal.
Do not deceive or cheat one another.
Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the LORD.
Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.
Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the LORD.
Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.
Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the LORD.
Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
So, don’t cheat one another, don’t insult the deaf, don’t spread gossip, don’t ignore the plight of your neighbor…
The common thread is these are all actions which threaten the peace, harmony, or well-being of a community. These are sins because when you do them, they disfigure the image of God in you.
Again, it all comes down to See/Desire/Take.
Leviticus says “do not steal.” Well, I steal because I see something you have, I desire it, so I take it. And this disfigures the image of God in me. I was created to represent the abundance of God. Instead, I’m representing scarcity.
I cause the blind the stumble or I spread gossip because I see an opportunity to make myself look superior. I desire other’s affirmation, so I take this chance to punch downward. I was created to reflect the others-focused love of God. Instead, I’m reflecting my own brokenness (and it spreads).
I seek revenge because I see the wrong someone has done to me. I desire retribution. So I take from them what they took from me. I was created to pay the grace of God forward as his image. Instead, the only thing I’m paying forward is more hatred and harm.
Sin is not just about breaking a list of rules. It’s about the corruption of our identity. Of who we were created to be and the world we were created to inhabit.
When we pursue our selfish desires, we think we’re doing what’s best for us, but all we’re doing is further breaking the world.
What is the solution to this? Well, according to Jesus, loving your neighbor as yourself. Acting toward them as you’d want them to act toward you.
You’d want people to speak kindly of you. You’d want your neighbor to help you when you’re in trouble. You’d want to be judged fairly. This is the kind of behavior that brings healing to the world.
Loving your neighbor as yourself is not some warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s a commitment. A posture. A lifestyle of setting yourself aside. It’s a way of living that imitates the self-giving love of Jesus, the perfect image of God.
Philippians 2:6-7
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
If Christ was willing to do that for us, what are we willing to do for our neighbor as the image of God ourselves?
Again, let’s take a moment for some self-reflection here. Do you live with a posture of self-giving love?
Do you routinely set aside your own desires for the sake of others? Or is your life governed by See/Desire/Take? Think about the last few months. What has your posture towards others been?
FUNDAMENTAL POSTURES
So, Jesus was asked which of the 613 commands in the Old Testament law were most important. He answered with two. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength… and love your neighbor as yourself.”
When we look at the context of these commands, it’s clear that Jesus is not just giving a clever answer to a debated question. He is laying out the fundamental postures of biblical moral integrity for his followers:
Fundamental Postures of Moral Integrity
1. Surrender to the Will of God
2. Self-giving Love
Number one: surrendering to the will of God. This means rejecting the allure of self. Breaking the cycle of See/Desire/Take and asking - with your life, with your relationships, with your decisions - “God, what do you desire?”
And Number two: self-giving love. This means, again, making your primary focus something other than yourself. Not doing what seems right in your own eyes, but doing what seems right for someone else.
Instead of See/Desire/Take, it’s See/Love/Give.
As the image of God, this is what you were created to do. And this is the key to your best possible life. A life of abundance. A life of peace. A life of joy.
True life begins with the death of your selfish desires.
The question is: do you trust God enough to take this posture?