Manna (or Manner) Lessons

So the children of Israel started murmuring against Moses again. This time it wasn’t the Red Sea that hemmed them in, with Pharaoh on the other side. Neither was it thirst that parched their throats, with the bitter waters of Marah staring at them. It was hunger that inspired their cries. Sounds legitimate, huh? But instead of believing and asking God for what they needed, they chose to murmur and complain, comparing their ‘predicament’ to the former abundance of ‘flesh and bread’ in Egypt. God heard their cries, and promised to give them quails (flesh) in the evening and manna (bread) in the morning, with a view to testing them in the process. So he sent word to them through Moses, saying that he would give them food, to prove who he was to them. But there was an instruction: they were not to gather more than a certain amount per person, neither were they to gather more than they needed for a day, except on the sixth day. On the sixth day, they would get enough for two days so that they need not go out for food on the Sabbath day, the day of rest.

And the food came as was promised. In the evening, there were quails, and in the morning there was manna, just as the morning dew disappeared from the ground. The dew seemed to have hidden the manna from view. Perhaps they had descended together from the heavens. The people went out and gathered the manna. They could grind it or crush it, cook it or bake it. It tasted like wafers made with honey. It was indeed, bread from heaven! And as soon as the sun waxed hot, the remnant on the ground melted away and disappeared. However, some of the people disregarded the instruction of Moses not to leave any of the manna they gathered till the following morning. What they left till the day after began to breed worms and stink. What they gathered on the sixth day though, did not stink when they left it till the Sabbath day, for God did not send manna on the day of rest. But some people still went out to look for manna on the Sabbath day, and God became angry with them.

So what are the lessons? One: the Israelites, like many of us, failed to remember and keep a record of the good deeds of God in their lives. As a result, they started complaining, even lamenting, when hunger came knocking. Perhaps they just refused to remember. Whatever the case, they acted as if it wasn’t God who delivered them from Egypt or drowned Pharaoh in the Red Sea. They would have just asked Him – he would have done it. Two: in God’s kingdom, no matter the abundant supply of material provision available, you must learn to take what you need, not what you want. Anything outside of this simple rule is covetousness. Often times, we want God to give us what we want, re-defining our wants as needs in the process, to conform to the standards of the world. We must learn to be content with the simple provisions of God from day to day. God could even give you more than you need to test your heart and see what you would do. Don’t fail the test, take what you need! Three: God’s provision is regulated by God’s instruction and will remain intact and available for us as long as we are in the boundary of obedience. Once we disobey, however, God’s own provision can begin to breed maggots and even stink! God’s provision is preserved by God for us as long as we obey his commandment. Beyond obedience, we have no guarantees from Him. I could go on and on, but you had better check up Exodus chapter sixteen to read up the whole story and let the Holy Spirit speak to you from the abundance of heavenly treasures!

July 18, 2012

The Martyr

Why did you do it? Why did you deny him?

You said you knew him not, yet he sprung out of you

You said he was a stranger, although he bore your mark

You even called him alien, while he still bore your name

You turned away from him, though he clung to you still

And through your wicked elders, you sent him to his grave

Oh you ancient city of martyrs, why did you do it?

 

Why did you do it? Why did you put him away?

Together you sat in council, deciding on his fate

You hired false witnesses, to confirm him a sinner

And brought forth false evidence, indicting him the more

You shut your eyes and ears, while they dragged him away

To have his blood splattered, down by the sacred river

Why, oh tell me, why did you do it?

 

Why did you do it? Why did you wash it away?

You watched in silent horror, as they dragged him towards you

And tied him to the great taproots, that extend into you

They spilled his blood by you, the blood of the blameless

You washed it all away, taking with you his memories

Yet you moved on in silence, as if nothing had happened

Tell me, oh you sacred river, why did you do it?

Toyin Taiwo © 2012

The Coming Wrath

The wrath of God is soon to be revealed. God, in an act of justice and righteousness, will unleash his wrath upon the nations of the earth for the evil and wickedness that has filled the surface of the earth. Just as in the days of Noah when God destroyed all the earth with water, God will once again destroy not only the earth, but the visible heavens (the skies and the clouds) as well. This time however, he will use fire. He will punish all those who have opposed or rejected him, as well as those who have promoted injustice and wickedness on the earth, either by doing them, or by rewarding those who do them. He will exact revenge on every cheat, punish every liar and condemn every immoral and perverse person to the punishment of eternal fire. No form of sin, no matter how little, will escape the watchful eyes of the Just Judge of the earth. He will prove himself to be righteous by doing this.

Every wicked action, ungodly speech or impure thought (or motive) will be punished by the Father of lights, in whose sight nothing is hidden. The blood of every righteous man slain will be demanded, and due punishment will given to everyone who has done one form of evil or the other. In the day of His wrath, God will not spare or have mercy. It will be a day of great trouble and grave judgment as the wicked will roll in the fires of God’s wrath, pleading mercy and finding none. He will abase the proud and expose their shame, having removed their source of pride and afflicted them with pain. Even the formerly righteous who compromised and went into sin will not be left out. They too will share in the suffering of those who were wicked all through their lives.

All extreme, moderate and minimal forms of unrighteousness and evil among men will be punished accordingly. Every vile person will receive his due reward from God for all his works. Flatterers, gossips and malicious speakers will have their tongue suffer the punishment of eternal pain. Every form of pleasure gained by sin will be rewarded with a much greater degree of pain by God himself, who will judge the nations of the earth. And every one who rejected the Son of God will be punished for rejecting the Ultimate Sacrifice for their sins, and will pay for all those sins by themselves. The indulgent, the homosexuals, the adulterers and fornicators as well as murderers will all have their place in the flaming fire that never ceases and never consumes, so that their pain will be eternal.

Knowing well that all have sinned and no man is worthy to escape the judgment, God in his mercy has provided Jesus, his Son, to die as a punishment for the sins of all men, so that whoever trusts and puts their hope in him will not perish but will have eternal life. Jesus took that punishment for your sins if you will believe in him. But if you do not, you will take the punishment for your own sins and explain to God why you came short of His standard. Remember that God will not overlook little sins. Little and great sins alike will be punished in His presence. The slightest stain will deter anyone from entering the kingdom of heaven. The blood of Jesus however, is sufficient to cover even the greatest sins, if only you will believe. That blood will keep us from the destruction that comes in the day of God’s judgment.

Today, God’s call to us all in this wicked and errant generation is to repent of all our sins and to return to his tender mercies and loving kindness. If we will trust in the blood of His Son and live by the words he commanded, if we will accept Him as our Saviour and allow Him to be our Lord, if we will obey Him and keep walking in His love, then we will escape the wrath of God on the last day and live with Him forever in the new heavens and the new earth which he will create. God’s love for us is so great, and it is a shield to us from His judgment. So let us embrace His love and avoid His terrible judgment, which is coming soon.

I have not written on this theme because it is my favourite in the Bible, or because I fancy these ideas. I have written because the judgment of God is emphasised all through the Scriptures, and this generation is neglecting the fear of God and embracing the pleasures of sin and unrighteousness unreservedly, thereby inviting the wrath of God, which will soon be poured out heavily. I have written this, not only because of those who have embraced one form of sin or another and who need to repent, but also because of those whose love and passion for God are waxing cold because of the abundance of sin, which makes it appear as if the judgment of God is merely a thematic discourse, and not a scary reality. I pray our hearts will clearly apprehend the reality of God’s coming wrath, and of his present love revealed in Jesus Christ, who rescues us from the coming wrath. Amen.