What the Bible says about Pleasure, Carnal
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Some of the results of a self-indulgent life are poverty, spiritual emptiness, and death. In I Timothy 5:6 "live in pleasure" is translated from the Greek word spatalao, describing a lifestyle of abandonment to one's desires for comfort and pleasure. It appears again only in James 5:5, as "luxury" or "wanton" (KJV).
Martin G. Collins
Overcoming (Part 8): Self-IndulgenceRelated Topics: Desire | Desire, Inordinate | Epicureanism | Hedonism | Hedonistic Lifestyles | Lust | Lust of the Eyes | Lust of the Flesh | Luxury | Pleasure | Pleasure, Carnal | Pleasure, Sensual | Pleasure, Worldly | Poverty | Self Indulgence
Solomon admits that his quest rewarded him with a certain amount of joy, but he still found it unsatisfactory. We might think that with all his wealth, good health, and a discerning mind, he would have had joy in abundance. What he accomplished, however, did not leave him with an enduring sense of well-being because his search continued after this experiment ended. He seems so frustrated that he says we should seize the joy as it comes along and be content with it (verse 24). His ultimate conclusion, found in verse 26, is that God determines whether we experience joy.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fruit of the Spirit: JoyRelated Topics: Abundance | Accomplishment, Sense of | Contentment | Fruits of God's Holy Spirit | Fruits of God's Holy Spirit: Joy | Fruits of the Spirit | Frustration, Sense of | Joy | Joy, Carnal | Joy, God gives | Pleasure | Pleasure, Carnal | Pleasure, Sensual | Pleasure, Worldly | Solomon | Solomon's Discontent and Frustration | Well-being , Sense of | Worldly Pleasure
Self-indulgence leads to excessive striving for yet more worldly pleasure. For those whose chief aim in life is sensual pleasure, there is never enough to satisfy. Self-indulgence can lead to full-blown addiction. Without God's truth of the coming resurrections of mankind, men see no reason to refrain from a life of pleasure and dissipation, ending in death.
Martin G. Collins
Overcoming (Part 8): Self-IndulgenceRelated Topics: Addictions | Dissipation | Joy | Joy, Carnal | Pleasure | Pleasure, Carnal | Pleasure, Sensual | Pleasure, Worldly | Self Indulgence | Worldly Pleasure
Ezekiel 20:1 reveals that while the Jews were in their captivity, the elders came to seek answers from God. What were their questions? They can be ascertained only by God's reply. Overall, the questions seem to have been something similar to, "Why are we having all this trouble?" "What is the problem?" "When can we expect to return to Jerusalem?"
God's answer begins to take shape in verse 7, "Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes." The last phrase literally means "the delight of the eyes." "His eyes" must refer to the typical Israelite's eyes. Recall that the Israelites did what seemed right or pleasurable to them but not necessarily what was delightful to God. Since God commanded them to throw away what was a delight to them, we must understand, then, that "the delight of their eyes" was to God idolatry and rebellion.
That brief phrase contains two contrasting perspectives. It identifies what God had against them: their idolatry. The delight of their eyes was the idol that they looked at and gave their devotion to.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fourth CommandmentRelated Topics: Abominations | Idol | Idolatry | Idolatry and Captivity | Israel's Rebelliousness | Pleasure | Pleasure, Carnal