It’s been
called one of the greatest rock songs of all time. When the Rolling Stones came
out with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, they needed a hit to stay in the
upper echelons of the groups touring Europe and America. This song did it for
them. Whatever you (or I) may think of rock music in general, the lyrics should
resonate with the search we all have to find some satisfaction in this troubled
world.
Mick
Jagger’s search for satisfaction takes him into the realm of material
possessions, sexual encounters, and possibly social acceptance through
conformity. All comes to naught as he finds emptiness time after time.
The search
for satisfaction and its more profound family member, significance, is as old
as mankind. Some would call the search a seeking after enduring happiness. It
has been the subject of songs, books, and movies for thousands of years. In the
Old Testament the subject is addressed in similar fashion as the Rolling Stones
lyrics.
The Book of
Ecclesiastes is not impressive in its length, but its honesty concerning the
human condition is enlightening and refreshing. Qoheleth, the Preacher, tried
many ways to find satisfaction and still came up with a loss. The author is
often assumed to be Solomon, the second king of united Israel and who is assigned
a legendary level of wisdom. The experiences of his son, Rehoboam, would seem
to fit better the despairing line of thinking. The general range of thought and
vocabulary would point more, however, to a time when Greek influence was
weighing heavily on Jewish thought.
“Vanity of
vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes
1:2 RSV). The phrase is repeated several times in this book best known for its
poem “For Everything There Is a Season” found in chapter 3. The author seeks
satisfaction in multiple ways including “wisdom and…madness and folly”,
pleasure through amassing possessions both objects and slaves, and the
gathering of concubines for sexual fulfillment. In the end he concludes that
all is meaningless. Whatever one accumulates will only end up in the hands of
the one who comes after. There is no point to life except to obey God and enjoy
the work he has put in one’s hands.
Mick Jagger
and Qoheleth share the drive to find meaning and satisfaction in life. Their
words also show they miss the one source of meaning that was there from the
beginning. Man was never intended to find joy, satisfaction, or purpose in life
and eternity apart from his relationship with God.
There is an
awesome greatness in the opening chapter of Genesis. Created in the image of
God, man has within himself a connection to the divine he cannot escape. God
calls to us and seeks the fulfillment of that connection. Satisfaction comes
only as we respond in total surrender to who we are. We are creations of God
designed, hardwired, to live in an intimate relationship with him. We are empty
until we accept that, and we can become so hardened by our rejection of his design
we become deaf to the call and numb to our own loss.
Where do we
find satisfaction according to the New Testament? The joy is found in the
relationship with God through Jesus Christ, his plan for us from the beginning.
Satisfaction comes as we experience a freedom from all the frustrations and
disappointments of this world. Jesus declared to his disciples real and lasting
joy was not to be found in this world regardless of what we experienced here.
(Luke 10:20) Only in our ties to the eternal and the joy found there would we
find the satisfaction our souls are seeking.
The Apostle
Paul was in a Roman prison and in chains. By the world’s standards he had every
right to be angry, frustrated, and disappointed in the way things were going.
Yet it was in that situation he writes one of the most joyous pieces of
literature we have. His letter to the church at Philippi was filled with joy
and gratitude. Paul had found satisfaction. (Philippians 1:19-21; 4:4, 10-13 et
al)
