Feasting on God's Word (One Year Bible)

The Lord’s people were in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the Lord’s presence, symbolized by the tabernacle, was with them (Exodus 25-26). Jesus’ disciples were caught in the storm. Nevertheless, the Lord was with them, and He brought peace ( Mark 4:35-41 ). The greatest wilderness, the greatest storm is death itself. Through faith, we can say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” ( Psalm 23:4 ).

The people of Israel were called by God to celebrate His goodness:  “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field” ( Exodus 23:16 ). A good harvest is used by Jesus as a symbol of a rich, spiritual harvest – “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown” ( Mark 4:20 ). The linking of the physical and the spiritual is found in  Psalm 22:26  – “The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him.”

There is a world of difference between legal obedience and Gospel obedience. It is the difference between “old wine” and “new wine” ( Mark 2:21-22 ). The religion of the Pharisees was legalistic. The obedience of Jesus was truly spiritual. These men could not stand Jesus -  “the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus” ( Mark 3:6 ). Forget the mighty redemption of God ( Exodus 20:1 ), and you are left with a whole lot of rules and regulations” (Exodus  21-22). If you become obsessed with the rules and regulations, you will have no real love for the Redeemer and His redemption. If our lives are to have real spiritual depth and not mere religious observance, we need to “pay attention to (God’s) wisdom” and “listen well to (His) words of insight” ( Proverbs 5:1 ).

Those who seek to be mighty before men must learn to be humble before God. “Moses went up to God… “, “Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak” ( Exodus 19:3 , 7 ). “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed”, “He travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons” ( Mark 1:35 , 39 ). The Psalmist was unable to speak for the Lord; “My mouth is dried up… my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” ( Psalm 22:15 ). What did he do? He prayed – “But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me” ( Psalm 22:19 ). Day 48

The life of faith is never an easy life. We have to do battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. We see the influence of the world in  Exodus 17:3  – “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt… ?” We may also see this as the influence of the flesh. The world appeals to our desire for the things of the flesh. The influence of the world and the flesh is also seen in Psalm 22. We see the Psalmist’s feeling that God is far from him – “Why are You so far from saving me… ?” ( Psalm 22:1 ). The Psalmist’s sense of abandonment is seized upon by the world - ”All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads” ( Psalm 22:7 ). The ultimate origin of temptation is the devil – Jesus was “tempted by Satan” ( Mark 1:13 ). In our conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil, we, like Jesus – “angels attended Him” ( Mark 1:13 ) – can know the strength and victory which God gives. 

“The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left” ( Exodus 14:21-22 ). “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” ( Matthew 27:51 ). The dividing of the waters and the tearing of the curtain are the results of the mighty activity of God. They are signs of His great work of redemption. ”Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you” ( Proverbs 4:25 ). This is what the Israelites had to do, as they were going through the Red Sea. This is what we must do, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and saying from the heart, “Surely, He was the Son of God” ( Matthew 27:54 ). 

In  Exodus 12:13 , we read of the Passover – “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” In the story of Christ’s crucifixion, we have the message of His blood being shed for sinners. This is illustrated in the events of Jesus being crucified and Barabbas being set free. the chief priests and the teachers of the law did not understand what was really happening. God was bringing salvation to sinners through the death of Christ, the sinless Saviour. In Christ, there are “eternal blessings” ( Psalm 16:6 ). These blessings are given to us by God.