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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 15 January 2025:
Exodus 16:3 — “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
The Jews would have rather eaten meat as slaves than to suffer discomfort in freedom and under the protection of the Lord. The hand-fed caged bird might grow captive to comfort, unwilling to escape and experience the fullness of life in the great outdoors where each meal depends on God’s provision. It takes courage and strength to live freely and to trust in the Lord. When you grow dependent on government or other man-made institutions, they become idols that rob you of the fullness of life and prove to be poor gods, providers that take far more than they give and can’t love you back. Where have we surrendered freedom and joy for costly, unreliable security and comfort? How have we compromised fidelity to God for reliance on ungodly institutions. The comfortable captive is easy to control, and the best slave is the one that doesn’t realize he is a slave. Psalm 84:10 — “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
New believers or immature Christians are usually very self-centered in their faith and vulnerable to comfort-based temptations. Most people begin their spiritual journey selfishly much like infants only want to be fed, held, changed, and to sleep. It is natural to start out this way, but not stay that way. Mature Christians must be ready to patiently ‘parent’ babies in Christ, protecting them from their own self-centeredness, never forgetting that babies don’t grow up overnight, and they don’t grow up well without wise, consistent parenting (discipleship).
Note that the Hebrews were not starving to death; they were just hungry and worried about starving. They imagined and anticipated misfortune and acted as if it were already occurring. This is called anxiety, which causes you to sin today because of fear of an imaginary future. The antidote to anxiety is faith and trust in the goodness of our sovereign LORD.
- Philippians 4:4-8 — Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- Matthew 6:25-34 — “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Exodus 16:4 — “Behold, I am about to 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 they will walk in my law or not.”
God’s test for you is obedience in good times and bad, during times of want, and during times of plenty. God knows your heart, but he uses tests of obedience to reveal the truth of your heart to you and to others. You might have observed in life that people are susceptible to sin when they have too much or too little. Proverbs 30:8, 9 — “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
Exodus 16:8 – Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.
When you get mad at others for treating you unfairly (in your eyes), remember that God is still in control and knows exactly what is happening to you. He has ordained whatever you are experiencing. Your grumbling is really against God who did not allow you to get what you wanted. Settle the matter with God, and return only good to the offending individual.
Exodus 16:15 — “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
Again, many secular ‘scholars’ have sought natural explanations for these supernatural acts of God, but God’s word intentionally provides enough detail to demonstrate the miracle. Those who are swayed by worldly theories have not read the Bible first-hand to see the whole story, nor do they really want to accept God for who He is.
Exodus 16:28 — “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?”
How you act reveals what you really think about God.
Exodus 16:35 – The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
God provided until the people could provide for themselves. God expects growth. He doesn’t treat spiritual babies the same way He treats spiritual adults. God works in miraculous ways, but He won’t usually use miracles as a substitute for your obedience or to keep you from the circumstances of your unrepentant sin. We own responsibility, and God owns accountability.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 15 January 2025: Commit today to never grumble again about anything. Replace your grumbling with gratitude. Understand that in Christ, it isn’t happening to you; it is happening for you; and if it isn’t working for you, it is working on you to conform you to Christlike character. Don’t reject God’s best for you by complaining about the circumstances and people God has place in your life on purpose. Before you quit your job or break off that relationship, ask God if He is done teaching you in that schoolhouse; don’t just dropout of school, graduate!
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 