He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?” – This verse ended yesterday’s reading. It refers to the story in Numbers 20: 1-13 of Moses disobedience to do what God said in frustrated anger! Remember also that this whole Psalm is Asaph (writing on behalf of God) forcefully reminding God’s people that they should be well instructed in the history of their past! Having recognized the Hand of God in supplying their thirst needs, the next chapter in Numbers tells of their complaining about the vast variety of foods which living in Egypt had provided. The ‘Wilderness’ way, which needed to be passed through to get to the Promised Land of Canna offered no Egyptian delicacies! God provided but read on….
21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power. – surely we can all see that His anger here is not unreasonable!
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.
Comment: Mankind has, according to the Bible, been given enough evidence to see that God is the Creator (eg Romans 1; Psalm 8 etc). We like to think that God owes us every good thing – we close our eyes and almost imagine God as our servant. He has said Himself that His character is one of steadfast loving-kindness. However He is NOT our servant in the sense of a ‘genie’, although Jesus is our ‘Servant King’! (Is 42, 49, 50, 52-53). A fairly simple list of eight of God’s characteristics is 1. Merciful 2. Gracious. 3. Slow to anger 4. Abounding in steadfast love 5. Abounding in faithfulness 6. Keeping steadfast love 7. Forgiving 8. Punishing the guilty. I think that some people accept the slow to anger as being a good character, which it obviously is. They are not so sure about the ‘Punishing the wicked’! ‘Could God do that!’, they query, In this Psalm so far we have seen God becoming angry but not as yet been told to what that will lead! I guess that Asaph will have something to say about where His anger leads, maybe tomorrow we will read about that.
2 Chronicles 38: 16 – But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
Prayer: Help me, shoulders back, and head held high, to walk, trusting You as I should, to lead me into and through whatever life throws along the way!