7 January 2010
Psalm 103; Deut. 8:1-3; Col. 1:1-14; John 6:30-33,48-51

As the people are about to enter the land, Moses gives them final instructions. He seeks to explain why they have been in the wilderness the past forty years and that it was both a test and mercy. God has provided for them in all this time rather than destroy the nation which He had every right and reason to do. Testing is something none of us like, much less forty years of testing, but it is necessary for us to undergo testing in order that God’s will be worked in us. James, Paul and Peter all speak in their epistles of the necessity and benefit of testing. The prophets speak of refining by fire and the potter molding the clay. All these images are of situations when pressure is applied or the heat is turned up in order that the final product is pure and shaped according to the will of the maker.

Jesus has seen that the people were following Him and had nothing to eat and first feeds them with fish and bread to satisfy their physical hunger and now promises spiritual food like the manna from heaven. He is to be our daily bread, that for which we do not labor and which is graciously provided for us by God Himself. After the miracle of feeding five thousand people one would think that their hearts would be prepared to receive Him as Messiah and they were prepared for that but on their terms, they wanted to make Him king. Jesus promises more but they perceive it as less in this situation because they have wanted Him to do a feeding program.

The Word of God both the written word and the living Word, are available to us, we have the Bible and the Spirit and these are our nourishment and strength, enabling us to grow and bear fruit. We talk a great deal about these things but are we feeding and feasting on them? How much time do we spend in the Word, reading, meditating and in prayer in comparison to the amount of time we spend on politics or sports or reading fiction? If we are to live not by bread alone but by every word that comes from God, we need to evaluate our priorities. Paul here connects these with a life lived worthy of the call and election of God, our response to His gracious goodness.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.