Lord’s Treasured Possession

Just as God intervened previously to save the Israelites from militant enemies, the Lord Jesus Christ

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is ready to come to their side, provided they follow his voice and covenant with all their being, to be his treasured possession again.

Exodus 19:3-6 (ESV):

3 while  Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and  a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Matthew 23:37 (ESV):

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!

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Manna Nutrition

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In our modern day, a wide variety of vitamins and supplements are available. What nutrients are necessary and beneficial? What if scientists had the original manna God sent the Israelites from heaven for food to analyze to see its’ nutritional value to engineer similar diets & supplements?

When it comes to our health, diet is important. For our soul, diet is insufficient. Even with a God-given diet of manna and meat, God was spiritually disappointed with most of the people, illustrating the lack of spiritual value in observing numerous ‘religious’ dietary restrictions that seem godly merely on the surface. The Lord is much more interested in our following him. The Son of God made this clear, explaining it’s what emanates from the heart that defiles a person rather than what one eats.

What is manna? It is a flaky white bread like honey flavored wafers provided by God. Because this was a key part of the people’s diet, either God fortified this flavored bread with added nutrition or the bread contained nutrition naturally.

The description of the flaky manna bread described in the Bible is reminiscent of Baklava, though it is not Baklava. Baklava is present in Turkish and Greek food, and other cultural food, with the Greek variety having a greater honey emphasis.

Exodus 16:32-35 (ESV):

32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord  has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'” 33 And Moses said to Aaron,  “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the  Lord  commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 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.

Matthew 15:16-20 (ESV):

15 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

1 Corinthians 8:8-9 (ESV):

8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Exodus 16:12-15 (ESV):

12 “I  have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At  twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'” 13 In the evening  quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing,fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “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.

Exodus 16:31-32 (ESV):

31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord  has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'”

Baklava

(1) http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/Baklava.htm
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava
(3) http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Baklava
(4) http://www.sarahmelamed.com/2010/04/baklava-arabian-delights/
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_cuisine

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Sweetness Miracle

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When analyzing God’s miracles, one wonders if sometimes God uses keen scientific knowledge to accomplish the results. God can change matter, yet God may choose to use simpler natural means. God had Moses place a specific log into bitter water to make it sweet. The 2011 Physics article about the berry that makes bitter food taste sweet challenges us to wonder whether God used a scientific means to transform bitter water into sweet water. Did God leverage specific knowledge of what made the water bitter, to put in biological agent/s to permanently counteract that bitterness?  As scientists continue to learn more over the decades, centuries, and millennia, it’s possible greater scientific insights will emerge to inform speculation as to whether certain miracles showcased in the Bible were achieved by God leveraging science & nature knowledge, or instead due to God simply using his intervention powers to change nature. Faith, trust, and turning to God makes all the difference under either scenario, since God can act using a variety of techniques. After God counteracts the bitter water, God assures his people at that same location, that if they observe his commands & statutes and do what is right in God’s eyes, that none of the diseases that afflicted the Egyptians would afflict them. At first glance, what would bitter and sweet water have to do with diseases? It was not until thousands of years later, that a more advanced understanding of diseases & viruses & bacteria emerged with modern scientific knowledge. God making that statement at this location suggests a possible linkage to biological processes to transform bitter water into sweet water. Let’s move beyond these speculations, since God is mysterious and powerful and did not reveal this to us specifically. At an abstract level, God healed the bitter water by making it sweet, showing his care and protection for his people. God offered an extended level of care and protection from diseases, which could prematurely end a person’s life or increase life’s bitter struggles. God’s timing in making that promise after transforming the bitter water into sweet water, serves to reinforce God’s ability to fulfill his promises. Do you take advantage of the protections God offers through his promises, and also through the tools science provides?

(1) Exodus 15:23-26 (ESV):

23 When they came to Marah,they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he  cried to the  Lord , and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he  tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

(2) Researchers uncover secrets of ‘miracle fruit’, September 27, 2011 by Bob Yirka,
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-uncover-secrets-miracle-fruit.html

(3) Holman Bible Dictionary on Diseases, http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T1622

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Profitable to God?

God granted Satan permission to afflict Job for a time as a test, leading many later to find encouragement from how Job handled the situation. Job’s friends incorrectly interpreted Job’s affliction as a sign of his guilt, and applied their wisdom and knowledge to make their case against Job. While their views were flawed, we can learn about their views compared to revealed truths elsewhere in scripture to help us correct similarly mistaken perspectives that are often assumed without carefully consulting God’s word. The question ‘Can a man be profitable to God?’ is asked with an implied answer of ‘No’. Should the implied answer be Yes? God’s word is profitable. God’s people play a critical participative role in spreading God’s word. God’s word is good for teaching, reproof, correction, and righteousness. Scriptures show many prophets like Elijah and Elisha, leaders like David and Moses, and disciples & apostles like Peter & Paul who are profitable to God’s mission. People are profitable to God through furthering God’s purposes, spreading God’s word to reach the lost through the gospel, and helping God to bring people from error to righteousness according to God’s plans. When Job’s friend says ‘Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself’, there is an implied ‘only’ at the end of the sentence suggesting an individual’s wisdom only benefits the individual and not God and not others. It is true that if you are wise, it benefits yourself, and the lack of wisdom similarly harms oneself. Wisdom also has the power to benefit others and God’s purposes too. God is willing to give more wisdom to followers who ask in faith without doubting. Why? Reason suggests the increased wisdom enables believers to be more helpful and profitable inline with God’s purposes.

Job 22:2 (ESV):

2 “Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV):

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God  may be competent,  equipped for every good work.

Titus 3:8 (ESV):

8 The saying is  trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Proverbs 8:35-36 (ESV):

35  For  whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

James 1:5-6 (ESV):

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

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God Permits, God Desires

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What is best for us is not what God permits but rather what God desires. God permits our fall, but desires our salvation. God permits our sin, but desires our righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. God permits our stubbornness, yet desires our repentance. God permits out hate, yet desires our love. God permits our foolishness, yet desires wise and loving decisions. God permits us to act in ways deserving judgment and justice, yet God prefers us to pick the path of mercy and forgiveness available through his resurrected Son.

Mark 10:2-9 (ESV):

2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

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