Daily Needs

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.'... When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.' ... Moses said to them, 'Let no man leave any of it until morning.' But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt." -Exodus 16.4-5, 14-15,19-21

Israel's complaints about empty bellies have reached God, and now He is about to fill them. But with this provision comes a test of faith. Do they really trust God to continually provide for them? Do they trust Him to come through over and over again?

One morning they wake up and the ground is covered with something they have never seen before. Bread has come from heaven, just as God promised. And with this provision comes instructions, only take what you need for today, except on Friday, then take enough for two days so that you can rest on the Sabbath. Here they face a choice, trust or attempt to control. If they choose to trust, then they rely upon God fully. They depend on Him to bring food each morning as He promised He would. This faith is what God is trying to cultivate in them, but in order to choose faith there has to be an option opposite faith, and some choose to try and control.

For one reason or another, some don't trust God. Maybe it isn't that they don't trust Him, but they just want to cover their bases in case He happens to be busy and forget one morning. So instead of gather what they need, some hoard and stock pile, making sure they have enough to take care of themselves. But their plan backfires, as our attempts at control most often do. Instead of waking up to manna, they find worms and a foul stench.

Men, we like control, we've said all this before. We don't like when we can't control things and have to rely on others to get the job done right. It's nerve racking to have to depend on someone else for something that you need in order to survive. But that is the just the faith that a Man of God is called to have. I think of Jesus is Matthew 6.11, "Give us this day our daily bread." As He teaches His disciples to pray He tells them to seek from God only what they need for today. He is teaching them to live in dependence upon God.

Now to clarify, faith is not an excuse for irresponsibility. I'm not saying that you shouldn't save for retirement, or your kid's college. But don't hoard everything that you get trying to build a safety net that allows you to have a false sense of security in your own resources and abilities. Let us learn to trust in God for our daily needs, because when we try to hoard we end up with worms and a foul stench.

God will provide the things that we need. Let us trust Him for our daily bread.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Desire for Control

"When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.'... Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden" -Genesis 4.12, 16

God rejects Cain's offering and warns him to master sin. Something happens and Cain ends up killing his brother Abel. Abel's blood cries out to God (interesting thoughts here, maybe another time). God punishes Cain. Cain disobeys. Genesis 4.

After the offerings Cain and Abel are in the field, and Abel is killed, we don't have any details besides these. God asks him where he is and Cain says he doesn't know. And then God hands out punishment. The ground will not produce a harvest for Cain any more, he is to be a wanderer on the earth. He isn't to settle in one place, but to keep moving, a Nomad. Maybe this command was for him to become a keeper of flocks, like Abel had been, and the constant reminder of his brother and his actions are too great for him to bear. But whatever it is, God's command is for Cain to keep moving, to live on the road. Cain is afraid for his life. Living exposed in the world with no house or walls to protect him would be scary. But God promises His protection.

We see here an opportunity to live in complete trust of God. With this command his very existence is dependent upon God. But we see a trait common to so many men, the desire for control and comfort. Instead of wandering in the promise and protection of God, Cain departs from the presence of God and settles in Nod. Then on top of this, he builds a city. Restless wanderers don't settle, and since they don't settle, they don't build cities. But this is exactly what we see Cain do.

I wonder what Cain gave up by disobeying God? He is known infamously all over the world as the first murderer. The only other times we see him mentioned in the Bible are Hebrews 11, 1 John 3, and Jude 1, and they all speak of the murder of Abel. How could God have redeemed Him had he obeyed? What great things could God have done in his life, even after he sinned, that he forfeited by leaving the presence of God and building a city?

How does our desire for control pull us away from God? When we seek to control our lives we show no trust in God's provision. We seek the counsel of man, and lean on our own understandings, without giving God a thought. We are called to live as wanderers, completely dependent upon God, but too many times we choose control and comfort over trust and obedience. What blessings have we forfeited? What miracles have we been unable to witness? What great things have we not gotten to be a part of?

Shortly we'll see another man, called to wander. He obeyed, and through him all the peoples of the earth have been blessed. Oh that we would choose to wander like he did.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor