January 27, 2006 Exodus 16-18 and Matthew 18:1-20
This passage of Exodus and the passage in Matthew teach us that God cares for us more than we know. As you read it think of all of the ways that He cared for the Israelites and for all people. I believe it will cause all of us to have a time of rejoicing, if we let it sink in.
Exodus 16 is about God's provision of food for the Hebrews in the wilderness. He provided a supernatural substance called manna each morning to make bread, and He provided quail for meat. He waited until the people complained, and then He responded to their pleas. I believe He did this to show them that He responded to their requests. (v.12) However, He did give them manna to teach them and to test them, too. (v.4) They could only gather one day's worth at a time, or it would spoil. That was to teach them discipline. It was to show that they were to trust God to provide for them each day. Isn't that what Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer? He said for us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." God wants us to trust Him for everything we need each day. Then, He used the manna to teach them to rest on the Sabbath. There was no manna on the Sabbath, so they could gather twice as much on Friday, and it did not spoil. That showed them how serious He was about keeping the Sabbath for rest and worship. I pray that we have learned these lessons, even though we don't have manna now.
Exodus 17 is about God giving them water from the rock and giving them victory over Amalek. In both cases the lesson is that they had to trust God to provide. Moses used his rod to strike the rock for water, and they won the battle as He held the rod up during the battle. The rod was the symbol of God's power and provision, so God was teaching them to look to Him for every need. Then, in chapter 18 Jethro helped Moses to see God's will. God did not want Moses to be burned out from too much work. God wanted Moses to pray and to teach the people. Then, He wanted Moses to allow the people to apply God's principles by helping Moses judge the people or rule the people. This lesson applies to every leader today. We are not to do it all ourselves, we are to pray and to teach others, so they can receive God's blessings, too. God does not want anyone to be over worked. He wants everyone to do his part, which is just the right amount.
Matthew 18 shows us God's care for us by showing us to humbly submit to Him like a child and to take sin seriously. Then, Jesus gives the parable of the lost sheep. He rejoices to bring back the lost sheep, even more than He rejoices over the 99 who did not go astray. This shows that God does not write us off when we stray. He cares for each person, and He wants all of us to be close to Him. Then, I noticed something new. I had never seen that the passage on restoration of a sinning brother and church discipline comes after the parable of the lost sheep. Isn't that neat? What is God saying? He wants us to care for our sinning brothers as He does and to go after them to restore them, even if it takes the tough love of church discipline. It shows that God hears our prayers as He heard the cries of the Hebrews in the wilderness. (v.20) What a comfort to see how much Jesus cares! What a comfort to know that He is with us to do His will! Let's show the love of God to others today, and let's do our part to show others how much He cares for them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 19-20 and Matthew 18:21-35.
Exodus 16 is about God's provision of food for the Hebrews in the wilderness. He provided a supernatural substance called manna each morning to make bread, and He provided quail for meat. He waited until the people complained, and then He responded to their pleas. I believe He did this to show them that He responded to their requests. (v.12) However, He did give them manna to teach them and to test them, too. (v.4) They could only gather one day's worth at a time, or it would spoil. That was to teach them discipline. It was to show that they were to trust God to provide for them each day. Isn't that what Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer? He said for us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." God wants us to trust Him for everything we need each day. Then, He used the manna to teach them to rest on the Sabbath. There was no manna on the Sabbath, so they could gather twice as much on Friday, and it did not spoil. That showed them how serious He was about keeping the Sabbath for rest and worship. I pray that we have learned these lessons, even though we don't have manna now.
Exodus 17 is about God giving them water from the rock and giving them victory over Amalek. In both cases the lesson is that they had to trust God to provide. Moses used his rod to strike the rock for water, and they won the battle as He held the rod up during the battle. The rod was the symbol of God's power and provision, so God was teaching them to look to Him for every need. Then, in chapter 18 Jethro helped Moses to see God's will. God did not want Moses to be burned out from too much work. God wanted Moses to pray and to teach the people. Then, He wanted Moses to allow the people to apply God's principles by helping Moses judge the people or rule the people. This lesson applies to every leader today. We are not to do it all ourselves, we are to pray and to teach others, so they can receive God's blessings, too. God does not want anyone to be over worked. He wants everyone to do his part, which is just the right amount.
Matthew 18 shows us God's care for us by showing us to humbly submit to Him like a child and to take sin seriously. Then, Jesus gives the parable of the lost sheep. He rejoices to bring back the lost sheep, even more than He rejoices over the 99 who did not go astray. This shows that God does not write us off when we stray. He cares for each person, and He wants all of us to be close to Him. Then, I noticed something new. I had never seen that the passage on restoration of a sinning brother and church discipline comes after the parable of the lost sheep. Isn't that neat? What is God saying? He wants us to care for our sinning brothers as He does and to go after them to restore them, even if it takes the tough love of church discipline. It shows that God hears our prayers as He heard the cries of the Hebrews in the wilderness. (v.20) What a comfort to see how much Jesus cares! What a comfort to know that He is with us to do His will! Let's show the love of God to others today, and let's do our part to show others how much He cares for them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 19-20 and Matthew 18:21-35.