I recently watched Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy again. In the first film of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring, we meet several characters as they embark on a long journey. One of those characters is Pippin— a fun-loving and rather impulsive hobbit.
At one point in the movie, Aragorn (a wise and respected leader in the group) tells them they must press on, to which Pippin responds, “But what about breakfast?” Aragorn reminds him he’s already had his breakfast. Pippin’s reaction provides one of the most popular and comedic lines from the whole trilogy. He says, “We’ve had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?”
As Aragorn walks away, Pippin turns to one of his hobbit friends and asks, “What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn’t he?”
While the exchange is amusing to viewers, Pippin was legitimately concerned that he might have to miss one (or more) of his many daily meals. In both the books and the movies, hobbits are known for their hearty appetites, a quality Pippin gladly embraces.
Though I’ve seen the movie before, I was still thinking about this line as I got ready for bed that night. The question popped into my mind, “What would it look like if I craved God’s Word the way Pippin craves food?” Sure, I try to get in the Word each day, but do I crave it? Do I savor it? Do I go back for more? Too often, I content myself with living off crumbs when God has offered me a feast.
This realization made me think of Amos 8:11. Here the Lord declares to Israel that He will send them a famine—“not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
We currently live in days of plenty here in America—Bibles are readily available, even on our phones. I often forget that this luxury is not guaranteed and that I may someday face a situation that limits my access to Scripture. Have I stored up His Word in my heart to sustain me on such a journey?
Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible—proclaims again and again the glory and beauty of God’s Word. Today, I am praying that God would give me a hunger, passion, and love for His Word that rivals the psalmist until I love Scripture more than Pippin loves food.
Cover photo credit: Aaron Burden
