Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
Simple and Searing
EXODUS 15:19-17:7 | MATTHEW 22:1-33 | PSALM 27:1-6 | PROVERBS 6:20-26:20-26
Click on the link below to listen to an audio recording of this post:
The people have made it out of Egypt and they have even escaped the regret and wrath of the Pharaoh. The Red Sea is parted for their swift and safe departure, and Pharaoh’s horsemen who pursue them are swallowed up in the sea as it closes upon them. Imagine the stories that would have been told about this awesome event for generations to come!
And God’s provision continues with them on their journey through the desert. Manna falls down from heaven, and bitter waters are made sweet. About that magical manna, it has a strange quality to it. The people are told to take however much they need or want.
And this is what they observe: 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.
Amazing, isn’t it? That is the beauty of God’s provision: we get just what we need and just when we need it, and God compensates for our lack of judgment when we ask for too much or too little! This very manna was provided to the people day in and day out– for the duration of their time in the desert which was forty years in all.
But forty years is a long time, and there were times when the people questioned Moses’ judgment and even God’s provision. There were those among them who were more disgruntled than others, and there were times when quarrels broke out among the people and Moses was expected to make it all go away.
Well, Moses did what he always did– he would go directly to God and ask for help! And God obliged– time and time again.
Turning next to Matthew, we continue to learn of Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, the religious folk of the day. A few more parables and direct Q&A with the high-minding folks of the day, and Jesus has not any qualms about telling them his exact opinion — be it on the institution of marriage in the afterlife, or in the business of taxes on this earth. This was one straight-shooting, telling-it-like-it-is man!
Next, we turn to the Psalms, and David’s psalm for the day is yet another intimate one. He yearns for an everlasting union with God, and says this:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Singing and making music to the Lord. That is David’s desire for himself. May it be mine as well.
Finally, words of instruction from Solomon, wise king of Israel:
20 My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
“Much better, Mommy, thank you!”
“Mummy, cover me!”
Darchini, Elaichi, Laung: The Triumvirate in the Indian Spice World
EXODUS 13:17-15:18 | MATTHEW 21:23-46 | PSALM 26:1-12 | PROVERBS 6:16-19
Click on the link below to listen to an audio recording of this post:
It is finally done: the people are led out of Egypt by Moses. Moses’ brother Aaron and sister Miriam are apparently a strong influence and support for Moses in this huge undertaking. More is said about them than his own wife and children. At any rate, the trio is obedient to God in carrying out this great enterprise which is to go down in the history of the Jewish people as a most significant event.
The parting of the Red Sea is yet another supernatural phenomenon that occurs during the course of the early journey, and it is now to be seen what else might be in store for them as they traverse up north through the desert and into the ‘promised land’.
There is a long song recorded in this chapter that is attributed to Moses and Miriam. It is a song of thanksgiving and praise to God for His provision and protection. The words are timeless and I daresay it must still be one that is sung by the Jewish people today. Part of it goes like this:
13 “In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
16 terror and dread will fall upon them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, O LORD,
until the people you boughtpass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling,
the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.
18 The LORD will reign
forever and ever.”
Turning next to our reading in the Book of Matthew, we continue to see Jesus’ teaching and preaching ministry. He is being pursued by the Sanhedrin, the religious group that is out to get him. Who is this man, after all, speaking so boldly about the Kingdom of God? He even has the audacity to come into the Temple and change the order of things.
Oh, and he hangs out with the scum of society, and then even goes so far as to say, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” What is going on here? Who is this man? Should we believe in him?
Next, in the Psalms, we find David making a case for himself to the Almighty by way of reminding the Lord of his many noble qualities. Yet, it is not because of these laudable qualities that the Lord chooses to save. David says:
2 Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
In the Proverbs for the day, we find verses that are worth repeating and remembering. Solomon says,
16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
As per this list, all the religious leaders in Jesus’ day would be guilty as charged. As per this list, they don’t have half a leg to stand on. In all their zealotry to uphold the Law, they are seen to be slowly and systematically breaking it, one verse at a time, and by the time we come to the end of Jesus’ earthly sojourn, we will have seen how they will have completely and thoroughly fulfilled this small criteria of seven things.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
