May 4, 2010

Numbers 11

There it was again, peanut butter and jelly. I was sick and tired of peanut butter and jelly. It was getting toward the end of my seminary career. Never once did Laura and I go without food because it was not available. Granted we did not enjoy the abundance and variety that most Americans are accustomed to enjoying. But we never were hungry because we did not have food to eat. We ate a lot of rice and eggs. Lunch for me at Seminary usually consisted of peanut butter and jelly. It was cheap and easy to fix. On this particular day, I was tired of peanut butter and jelly. I chose not to eat. Did I grumble? Maybe a little bit. But at least I had food to eat.

The Israelites were grumbling for lack of anything else to eat besides manna. In all actuality there was an even greater, more severe and more important famine going on. Yet, they did not complain about that lack. “What was it?” you may ask. It was a famine for the Word of God. The only one that these 2,000,000 people had to speak the Word of God to them was Moses. And what did they do with him? They complained about the menu. What did God do? He did two things. 1) He put the Spirit of the Lord upon 70 of the elders of Israel so that they could speak the Word of the Lord to Israel. 2) He gave them quail until it “came out their noses.”

What was the real need of the Israelites? It was the Word of God. As Moses told the next generation. “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Duet. 8:3. Did they grumble about not getting enough of the Word? No, they grumbled that all they had to eat was manna. How about that! Living on a daily miracle, and they complained about it. Were they the least concerned about receiving God’s word? Apparently not. So God appointed 70 men to teach the word of God. Do I crave the word of God as a newborn craves milk? Do you? The people asked for meat to eat. God gave them more that they could eat. The quail became a nuisance. The people played light and fast with the Word of God. The Lord gave them men to speak the word. But He also gave them all the meat that they wanted and more. Hmmm. . . what does this tell us about finding the glory of God? I think I’ll go eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john



Luke 22:47-71

In the spring of my freshman year in college, I made a new friend in class. We had American History and Fencing together. He was a walk-on football player. I once talked with him about his plans for the future. He wanted to become a lawyer and earn enough money that he could become one of those guys that controls the athletic program by the way he contributes money. He wanted to be the one who could quietly pull the strings, and no one else knew. He did become a lawyer. Whether he pulls strings behind the scenes for the athletic program, I have no idea. Part of the glory of Jesus is that He both quietly pulls the strings behind the scenes, and He is the focus on the field of play.

In the midst of going to the cross, Jesus remains confident, collected and still looking out for the needs of those whom He loves. Peter, ready to fight to the death, gets a surprise swing in against the High Priest's servant. Missing the mark, Peter severs the man's ear. Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the man's ear. Jesus rebukes the chief priests for coming secretly to arrest Him. Then at the high priest's house, after Peter denied Him 3 times, Jesus turned to Peter and just looked at Him. The chief priests were unable to bring the examination to a successful conclusion until Jesus gave them the precise answer they needed to condemn Him and the only answer He could give that would cause them to condemn Him. He claimed to be the Son of God.

Jesus knew who He was. He guided the events to their conclusion. He was the central character along the line of events. Although not the officer in charge, He controlled the events. Ultimately, He was the One who was both behind the scenes pulling the strings and in front of the scenes as the main actor.

Even today He remains as the One who holds it all together. Nothing happens in my life without His approval or permission. He also is the One in the foreground of my life. He deserves all my attention and yours also. He works behind me and in front of me. That is glory that I can't completely grasp! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John