The Vanity Of Sinful Pleasure!

In the days of the prophet Isaiah God heralded His Word, “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope.” (Isa.5:18) That is an interesting metaphor isn’t it? I believe the picture we have here from the prophet is one of a person standing at the edge of a water-well in search of the quenching of their thirst. They are letting their bucket down into the well of worldly pleasures like sex outside of marriage, pornography, blasphemous entertainment, violence, covetousness, and so on. But as they draw up the bucket of wickedness to satisfy their thirst, the thread upon which the bucket is held breaks and gives them no satisfaction. Again and again they try to draw up the bucket, and again and again the thread, though it looks like a cord, breaks. The thirst continues and even grows worse. The other part of the picture is that of carrying around sin with the same labour as an ox pulls a cart. So not only does the pursuit of worldly pleasure not satisfy, but becomes a strenuous burden a person carries around with them. Yet we as a people continue to insanely pursue our quest for satisfaction outside of the presence of God. The Bible tells us that God is the fountain of Living Waters, and that if we humbly follow Him as sheep do a shepherd He will make us to lie down in green pastures, and lead us beside still waters. Be covetous for pleasure and satisfaction, and pursue it with all your heart. But pursue it at the fountain of Living Waters- in the presence of God.