Congregation Shema Yisrael

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. -Deuteronomy 8:3

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the Adversary. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The Adversary said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’” -Luke 4:1-4

Do you know where your next meal is coming from? If you have enough time to read this blog, then the answer is probably “yes”. Yet in these uncertain economic times, who knows if you’ll have a job (presuming that you are currently employed) next month, next week, or even tomorrow? Does that suggestion bother you, even a little? With unemployment rates seeming to skyrocket, I’m sure it bothers a lot of people, even in the community of faith. Yet Yeshua (Jesus) said this:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? -Matthew 6:25-27

Sounds simple and straightforward, doesn’t it? Just muster up the required faith and never worry about food, water, and clothing ever again. Never worry about not having enough money for retirement, how to pay your next unexpected medical bill, auto insurance, the kids’ college fund, and so on and so on and…you get the idea. Obviously, it wasn’t all that easy for the Children of Israel, newly freed from Egyptian slavery, to stop worrying either, despite the fact that they had been witnesses to the amazing miracles of God.

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” -Exodus 16:1-3

Of course, it’s not small thing to give sufficient food and water to three million people plus their livestock on a daily basis, particularly in a desolate place like the Sinai. Yet nothing is impossible for God. The Children of Israel saw the plagues in Egypt, the mighty Nile turned into a river of blood, the land of Egypt plunged into total darkness, where light was only found in the Jewish homes in Goshen, and the terrifying plague of the death of the first born, with the angel of death turned away only by an act of faith that resulted in the Lamb’s blood being painted on their doorposts by those who believed.

The Children of Israel were lead out of Egypt and the Egyptians were so happy to see them go, they gave much gold, silver, and jewels to the departing slaves. At the Reed Sea, with an enraged Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and 600 of his elite chariots and officers in hot pursuit, God had His servant Moses raise his staff above the waters and part them, allowing His treasured, splendorous people an escape route on dry land, walled on either side by hundreds of tons of water, held in check by the power of God.

Pharaoh and his army recklessly followed, and met their doom when, after the Children of Israel had safely crossed to the other side of the sea as if on the wings of an eagle, God once more commanded Moses to raise his staff and the waters came crashing down on soldier, horse, chariot, and King, crushing them in a cataclysm that can only be faintly imagined in our day and age.

At the edge of the sea, the redeemed men and women sang a new song to God in gratitude, with awe and majesty offered up to the King of Kings as sweet incense sailing into the sky. Then, scant moments later it seems, they turned and said:

Then Moses led Israel from the Reed Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” -Exodus 15:22-24

Gee, that gratitude didn’t last long.

You might be tempted to say (and I’ve heard this before) that the Children of Israel were weak in their faith. Just look at the mess they made of God’s plan in the days of the old prophets, always falling into idol worship and continually wandering away after other gods, you might declare. Certainly both the ancient and modern followers of Yeshua are more faithful than those people. Really?

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five – and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he made the blessing and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. -Mark 6:37-44

He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. -Mark 6:48-52

That doesn’t seem to be much better. The Children of Israel saw the fantastic miracles of God and still complained about lacking food and water just a handful of days later. The disciples of Yeshua, the trusted twelve, who saw the miracles of the Messiah, walked with him and talked with him, still couldn’t fathom how they could feed 5000 people, not counting the women and children, with five loaves of bread and two small fish; even when they had to know full well that God had fed millions with manna. Even after seeing thousands fed, their hearts were still hardened and seeing the Master come to them, walking on the stormy sea, they continued to be terrified and were unable to understand what was happening around them.

Still feeling really good about your faith? Of course, Yeshua did say this to Tomas:

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” -John 20:29

Unlike the Children of Israel or the disciples of Yeshua, we (most of us, anyway) haven’t “seen” God’s miracles, at least on the scale of feeding thousands or causing millions to walk on the dry sea floor; the waters suspended unbelievably high over their heads. Yet we believe, but do we always do honor to God with our faith?

So many believers in churches and in Messianic faith communities pray for God to lead them to ever greater heights of glory in His service, and we imagine ourselves like heroic Paladins serving the Great King, yet we have difficulty controlling even the simplest daily concern for our basic needs and wants. Perhaps that’s why, when Yeshua’s disciples asked him how to pray (didn’t they know already?), he answered like this:

He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into harsh testing.’ ” -Luke 11:2-4

“Give us each day our daily bread.” It doesn’t sound like an extravagant request, does it? And God is faithful to grant us what we pray for.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” -Luke 11:11-13

Yet, we worry, at least some of the time, despite all the promises and despite whatever miracles and answered prayers we’ve seen in our lives. We fail God daily (be honest, admit it) yet ask God for more and more. We bypass our disappointing behavior and treat God like Aladdin’s genie. We pretend to sit on God’s lap and “cuddle” the King of all Creation as if He were nothing more than a cosmic teddy bear who is our “Daddy” (no “Abba” does not translate into “Daddy”) and who would never hold us accountable for our faithless behavior. I think they call that “greasy grace”.

I’m just the same as you. I continually catch myself treating the sacred as common and not sanctifying the Name of God, His Glory, and His Honor. If we’re supposed to be a living example of the grace and wonder of God, will anyone get even a fuzzy approximation of what God is really like based on what we say and do? I pray so, but I know we let him down time and time again and, in letting God down, we fail to be a faithful witness to the people around us who are depending on us to bring the Light of the World to them. Are our hearts as stone-like as the Children in the desert, constantly complaining for food and water, or like the twelve who walked with Yeshua and who couldn’t accept on faith even the smallest miracle done in their midst?

The next time you find worry clouding your perception of God and your responsibility to be a light by example, consider the Master’s own words:

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. -John 6:25-35

Millions hunger everyday. How many believers are starving in the many impoverished nations in Africa? How many Christians in earthquake-ravaged Haiti are without even the basic needs that you and I take for granted? The Lord gives and the Lord takes; blessed be the Name of the Lord. When we really understand Job’s words, we’ll also understand what Paul meant when he said he had found peace and contentment in all circumstances, thanks to faith in Messiah Yeshua and in God.