THE LORD SPOKE (October 5)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Isaiah 46-48

Isaiah 48:21 - They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.

Have you ever stopped to think how much water had to gush out? None of the pictures in the Bible storybooks get it right. Not even the movies do. There’s usually just a pretty little trickle of water coming from the stone and a crowd in the background saying ooh and aah.

Take a closer look at that crowd. It was probably over 2,000,000 strong. The men were numbered at 603,550 (Num. 1:46) so, even if you conservatively add an equal number of women and children, you’re pushing two million people. The average person consumes about 1.3 gallons of water per day (more if walking constantly in desert conditions) so the Israelites would need 2,600,000+ gallons per day. Oh, and don’t forget all their flocks and herds. It wouldn’t do to get to the Promised Land without any livestock. Even if the camels can go for days without water, the total consumption rate is probably going to be well over 5,000,000 gallons per day, which averages out to 3,472 gallons per minute. That’s roughly the equivalent of a fire hydrant with good pressure behind it. In other words, it would be enough to knock you down if you tried to stand in front of it.

By the way, we need the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next. In fact, we need it 24/7 and nobody can take baths unless we get lots more.

There’s only one Rock that can do that. Isaiah gives us another interesting water metaphor in this same passage:

If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Is. 48:18)

Jesus was building on that when He said,

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. (John 7:37-38)

Jesus was represented by that rock in the desert. That’s why Moses’ striking of the rock the second time was such a heinous sin - he broke the analogy of Christ suffering once for all. Just as that rock in the wilderness produced a life-sustaining flow, so too does Christ provide for our every need.

Have you found your supply in Him? Are you a conduit for His life-giving stream to others?


Psalms 37-38

What an amazing promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Where did we ever get the idea that He’s some celestial killjoy just looking for a way to take away our toys and make us more miserable?

It’s from this verse that Augustine came up with his now-famous phrase, “Love God and do as you please.” If we love God truly, our pleasures change. We no longer delight in sinful activity. We’re grieved as He is grieved by it. Our desires are re-directed to those things that are God-like and bring us into conformity with His character. We can do as we please because we want only to please Him.

The remainder of Psalm 37 gives us the nuts-and-bolts of how to do it; how to delight in the Lord. Consider, for example, the following:

Ps. 37:1 - “do not fret” - This isn’t just “don’t worry; be happy” advice. Because the end result of evil men is observable - they wither and are sure to die - we are told to not fret, to not let the existence of evil take away our eternal perspective.

Ps. 37:3 - “trust in the Lord and do good” - More than just turning from evil, we are to actively pursue good. Get yourself a project! It will help you trust the Lord more.

Ps. 37:5 - “commit your way to the Lord” - Begin each day with the desire and commitment to do what He wants. Tell Him that. Ask Him to show you what and how to do it. He will!

Ps. 37:7 - “be still before the Lord” - Slow down the hamster wheel! Take/make the time to listen to God in His Word. Wait long enough to see which direction He is moving and then follow Him. Don’t jump out ahead.

Ps. 37:8 - “refrain from anger” - We’re back to the “do not fret” theme here. Three times already in this psalm (Ps. 37:1,7,8) this is repeated in regard to the evil around us. Wickedness is not going to go away but it can be driven from our hearts. There is a shield of protection available for the one who seeks it from God.

By the middle of the psalm, the terminology changes. From “delight yourself in the Lord” (Ps. 37:4) it becomes, “if the Lord delights in a man’s way” (Ps. 37:23). Of course the Lord delights in a man’s way, if that man has made his way the Lord’s way! When those delights merge, what joy is found. It’s for that purpose that He created us and, on our part, we find true and ultimate fulfillment in Him alone.