February 19, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

You Have Been Warned

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Opening Prayer

I thank You, Lord. You are a God who knows weakness and gives me strength. You know my need and give me grace.

Read Psalm 78:1-31

[1] A maskil of Asaph. O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. [2] I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old- [3] what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. [4] We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. [5] He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, [6] so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. [7] Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. [8] They would not be like their forefathers- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. [9] The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; [10] they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. [11] They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. [12] He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. [13] He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. [14] He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. [15] He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; [16] he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. [17] But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. [18] They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. [19] They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert? [20] When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?” [21] When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, [22] for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. [23] Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; [24] he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. [25] Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. [26] He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power. [27] He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore. [28] He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. [29] They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved. [30] But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths, [31] God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Reflect

Reflect on some of the ways you have experienced God leading you and providing for your needs recently. A grateful heart can’t long be heavy or downcast.

“Blow, blow, thou winter wind, / Thou art not so unkind / As man’s ingratitude,” sang Amiens in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, reflecting that though nature may be cruel it is never as cruel as “benefits forgot” and “friend remembered not.” “Righteousness” in the Old Testament is covenant loyalty. It wasn’t a cold adherence to a strict code of conduct, but a personal, relational response to a Creator God who loves us and provides for us. The three great virtues in the Old Testament, justice, loving-kindness and mercy, spring from the character of God himself.

Behind this psalm lie the words of Deuteronomy 8 and 9. The Israelites are on the threshold of the Promised Land. Before rehearsing the Law, Moses sets it in the context of 40 years of wilderness wandering, recalling in detail God’s provision. “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell” (Deut. 8:4). Yet they were faithless, grumbling idolaters. The wilderness was a paradigm of testing, of lessons in faithful dependence. It was a time never to be forgotten. The festivals were established so that they would remember God’s deliverance and provision. Yet they forgot, time and time again.

God is faithful. Jesus showed us what that faithfulness looks like in a life of fellowship with the Father, and obedience, even to death on the cross. He calls us into a community that remembers him. When we take Communion we remember him in his death and resurrection. Let this psalm encourage us to remember what he has done for us, both in history and in our personal lives. Let it remind us that sin is faithlessness, wounding the one who loved us and gave himself for us.

Apply

In your own words, what will you teach to your children, grandchildren or other descendants? What will you help them “remember” of God’s faithfulness?

Closing prayer

Father, as I look back over the journey of my life, I see Your presence through all the ups and downs, the failures and victories. I am forever grateful.

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