David Bahn – Reflections

The Story, Chapter 6

“Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month — until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it — because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’

” But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?

The Lord answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

How often we see things completely apart from God’s perspective? Admittedly, there is good reason to be realistic in the face of the challenges of life. If we don’t act in response to the needs and opportunities all around us we should not expect to experience the blessings of those actions – given or received. The Bible is clear about this: Whoever does not work shall not eat.” And “What good is it if you see a brother in need and simply say, ‘Go, be well fed…’”  Most times we do need to lift a shovel if we are to move a mountain. We have to mash the grapes and ferment the juice if we want to make wine.

But when God speaks into our lives about serving him and advancing his kingdom, promising that he will sustain and bless us in that process, we can be sure he will do it. That’s true no matter how seemingly difficult it may be to see God’s word come true.

Admittedly God does not often make promises like these in Numbers 10 & following (the basis for this part of THE STORY). But he had just told Moses that they would have meat tomorrow. Moses saw only the great challenge of feeding 600,000 men. There’s no way he could see that happening.

God reminds him, with the challenging rhetorical question: “Is the LORD’s arm too short?” Is God not able to reach as far as necessary to accomplish his work in the world? I’m not big on name it and claim it theology. But it would not wise to assume that God cannot reach into the darkest and most challenging situations we face and work deliverance for us. His arm is not too short, nor is his heart to hard toward us. He loves us, and will see to it that his will is accomplished – all within the realm of his mighty power and the blessing of his love.