Blessed are they who Hunger

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Hunger and thirst are not generally associated with blessing—much like many of the other statements Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount. While they may not seem obvious, they are undoubtedly true and full of wisdom for the Christian. That is likely why our Saviour used such an illustration, for hunger is something all men have experienced on some level or another, and so is thirst. What we hunger and thirst for—bread and water—are the absolute necessities of life. So it is with a walk with God and righteousness, "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord".

Righteousness is the absolute necessity for a closer walk with God, and yet the blessing of this verse is not upon the possessors of perfect righteousness but on those who hunger and thirst after it.

What is it that makes us hunger or thirst after something? It is the initial taste of it. Had I never tasted my grandmother’s cooking, I would not have the slightest desire for what I had never known. But since I have tasted and seen how good it is, I often long for it and fill myself with it as often as I can. So it is with the righteousness of God. The Lord is a Person who, once you have tasted and seen that He is good, you will long for another taste. We often live in despair because we have not tasted as much as we had hoped to, or because it has been too long between drinks. But let me ask you—do you long for Him? Are you hungry for Him?

It may very well be that you are not what you ought to be, and that you could indeed use a greater experience of Him and walk more closely with Him. But take heart, hungry and thirsty Christian: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness!”

This morning, there are at least two blessings to delight in if you are hungering and thirsting after God.

First, you have been blessed to taste and see that the Lord is good. Do you remember when, before His grace intervened in your life, you desired the things of this world? Do you remember longing after pleasures and sins—drinking poison to try to quench your thirst? Do you remember filling your belly with the vain things of the world, not even knowing there was anything better or more satisfying? Think now how far He has brought you! You could still be in the pigpen, still desiring wrong and hurtful things—but this morning you are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. What a blessing that we have tasted and seen, and still long for greater feasts and deeper draughts of His grace!

Our second blessing is found in the promise to all those hungry and thirsty believers: “for they shall be filled.” He puts no stipulation or timeframe on this promise but states broadly that we shall be filled. In eternity, yes—but also in the days of life ahead, and even this day, this hour, and for as long as life and eternity go on, we shall be filled. He is the Bread of Life, and no man’s bread satisfies for days on end; he must, as often as he feels that gnawing in his stomach, go to the table, sit down, and feast until his heart’s desire.

We all, like Mephibosheth, have been given a table and an eternal supply of satisfaction and fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ—but we must eat. As often as your heart gets hungry, go to Him! As often as you thirst for a closer walk with Him, walk! As often as you will—you may! “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”