Scripture: “There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with
Scripture: “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I
Scripture: “Jesus said, ‘You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch.
Jonah had been on the run from God. When God told him to go in one direction, he chose to do the opposite, resulting in being thrown into the sea by a group of sailors only to be swallowed up by a fish. While Jonah was on the run, God kept providing specific provisions to get him back to where he needed to be. This fish spit him up on the shore near Nineveh after Jonah decided to be obedient. The people in Nineveh were a violent and wicked people. They treated their enemies barbarically, and the last thing Jonah wanted to do was tell them to repent. Surprisingly, Jonah’s message was well received, and the people turned to God. As Jonah was observing the change in the people, he couldn’t believe it. He thought these people deserved punishment, and he wanted his message to be fulfilled. He was more concerned about his message than the saving of the people. While he finally followed God’s will, he wanted to do it his way and dictate the outcome…
The Israelites left Egypt only to forget the slavery they had experienced. When they were walking through the desert, all they saw were the things they were lacking and the things they left behind. God sent them manna to sustain them on their journey to the Promised Land. They experienced a miracle everyday when food arrived on the ground. Even in the midst of experiencing God’s provision, the wailing commenced. The journey from Egypt to the Promised land would have taken days. However, in Numbers 13, the spies were sent to scope out the land, and the fear of the people consumed them. Interestingly, in this moment in Numbers 11, the dissatisfaction with their current reality and a grumbling spirit were predecessors to entry into the Promised Land. Their attitude jaded their current perspective and influenced their faith. If they couldn’t believe God to provide meat for them, then they wouldn’t be able to believe God to provide victory for them later. The stakes would be greater when they faced giants, and their missed opportunity today foreshadowed their lack of faith tomorrow. The Israelites were looking back at a season with far more glamour than that season actually afforded…