Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 17:1-7, Psalm 17:15, Isaiah 55:1-5, Psalm 145:8-9, Psalm 145:14-21, Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:13-21
A). A METAPHOR FOR PRAYER.
Genesis 32:22-31.
“The ford Jabbok” (Genesis 32:22) is significant, first, in that it was the border of the land of promise (cf. Numbers 21:24). Second, it was here that Jacob had a lifechanging encounter with God, and had his name changed from Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28).
In anticipation of his (much feared) encounter with his estranged brother Esau, Jacob sent his family over the brook, along with “all that he had” (Genesis 32:23; cf. Genesis 32:13-21). Jacob was left “alone.” But he was not entirely alone since there was Another with him (Genesis 32:24).
Jacob's wrestling, whilst factual and historical, is nevertheless a metaphor for prayer. The place name, Jabbok, means pouring out, or emptying. This reminds me of the self-emptying of Christ (Philippians 2:7-8). It also reminds me of Jesus' prayer life, as portrayed in the Gospels.
Jabbok was a ford, a crossing place, but also, incidentally, a place where God and man met. There Jacob wrestled with a man. Surely indeed, he wrestled with the Lord, in a prayer of disciplined endurance (Genesis 32:24).
When God meets with us, it puts us all out of joint - until Jesus puts us back together again. For Jacob this was not just metaphorical, but literal: a prayer of painful perseverance (Genesis 32:25). We need to exercise a certain tenacity in prayer, not easily giving up.
Jacob was persistent in prayer, refusing to let his opponent go until he procured the desired blessing (Genesis 32:26). Thereby Jacob - whose name means 'usurper' - had power to prevail with God and man. Jesus the great intermediary has power with God and man, and empowers US to prevail with God and man.
Jacob received a new name, Israel, which means 'a prince with God' (Genesis 32:27-28). There is a new name written in Christ's kingdom for those who overcome (Revelation 2:17). Such outpouring of ourselves, painful perseverance, tenacity in prayer - will cause us also to prevail. Thus, like Jacob, we will procure the blessing (Genesis 32:29).
Jacob called the place “Penuel” = “the face of God.” It is with some astonishment that he had “seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30; cf. Exodus 33:20; Judges 13:22; Isaiah 6:5; Luke 5:8). It is good for us that we may ‘boldly approach the throne of grace’ (Hebrews 4:16), in the name and by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, without any fear that it might cost us our lives!
The sun arose that morning as a lone figure passed over Penuel, “halting upon his thigh” (Genesis 32:31). Jacob emerged from his encounter a changed man. Such is the power of prayer.
B). AN APPEAL IN HOPE.
Psalm 17:1-7, Psalm 17:15.
PSALM 17:1. How can a man, born dead in trespasses and sins, plead with the LORD to “hear the right?” Well, it is as Abraham said, ‘Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ (Genesis 18:25). When we use this Psalm, we are not appealing to our own self-righteousness, but to ‘the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ’ (cf. Romans 3:22-23).
“My cry” comes first, and then “my prayer.” The parent hears the cry of the child, and will respond to them, even before those cries have been articulated into a known language. The LORD knows the sorrows of His people, and hears their cry (cf. Exodus 3:7). The Lord hears and answers the prayers of His righteous people (cf. 1 Peter 3:12).
PSALM 17:2. The Psalmist makes his appeal to the highest court of all, and is bold to call upon God to vindicate him. This is faith indeed: ‘if I have done any wrong, then let me hear sentence from the mouth of God.’ We can be so bold, because we know that God holds the scales of justice, and that the blood and righteousness of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, far outweighs all of our sins (cf. Romans 3:25).
PSALM 17:3. It is the LORD who searches the heart (cf. Jeremiah 17:10). We can make our plea with Peter, ‘Thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee’ (John 21:17). If we have the love of God in our hearts, then the judge Himself will be our vindicator (cf. Job 23:10).
PSALM 17:4. The desire of the believer is that we should keep ourselves away from “the works of (carnal) men.” The grace of God within us enables us to accomplish this by applying “the word of His lips” (Scripture) to keep us from “the paths of the destroyer.”
PSALM 17:5. Having forsaken the paths of evil, we can call upon God to uphold us in His paths. The Lord keeps our feet from slipping, and shall at last ‘present us faultless before the presence of His glory’ (cf. Jude 1:24-25).
PSALM 17:6. Experience tells us that God will hear our prayers. It is this confidence which seals our appeal: “incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.” Persevering prayer produces results (cf. James 5:16).
PSALM 17:7. “Show” what I know you to have: “thy loving kindness.” It is an appeal for the LORD to show anew His covenant grace wherewith He first loved us. The LORD continually extends to us the right hand of refuge.
PSALM 17:15. “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” This looks beyond the present crisis and need, through the availability of God’s righteousness, to the ultimate hope of the resurrection.
This is as bold as Job’s vision of his own resurrection - ‘though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God’ (cf. Job 19:26).
This anticipates John’s hope (and ours) - ‘it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is’ (cf. 1 John 3:2).
In the meantime, with Paul - ‘we all with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18).
C). A CALL TO FAITH.
Isaiah 55:1-5.
ISAIAH 55:1. The Bible is full of wonderful gracious invitations. Isaiah 55 begins with a call to the thirsty to come to the waters. This is in order to quench, not a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst.
Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled’ (cf. Matthew 5:6).
Those who seek to be made righteous through the Lord Jesus Christ are granted the thirst-quenching experience of eternal life in Him.
Jesus said to the woman at the well, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’ (cf. John 4:13-14).
If faith awakens a sense of need in our souls, it is to Jesus that we must go to satisfy that need. Then we will receive the Holy Spirit, and not only quench our own thirst and find our rest in Him, but we will become channels of His blessing to other needy souls.
As water was symbolically poured out at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood in the Temple and called out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let Him come to me and drink’ (cf. John 7:37).
What do we need to purchase this water of salvation?
Nothing at all! It is a free gift of the true and living God.
All the spiritual refreshment we need, symbolised by water, wine, and milk, is ours without money and without price. We just need to ask God for the forgiveness of our sins through the Lord Jesus Christ.
It costs us nothing, because Jesus paid the full price of the penalty for our sins when He gave His life in our place on the Cross at Calvary. There He knew pain and suffering, and even cried out in His own anguish, ‘I thirst’ (cf. John 19:28).
ISAIAH 55:2. It is in the nature of man to make heavy work of his religion. We seek to establish our own righteousness, by trying to abstain from the evil that so naturally arises in our hearts. We seek to cancel out our own sins by doing good deeds. All this is to spend money for what is not bread, and our wages for what does not satisfy.
The prophet Isaiah cries out elsewhere: ‘I will declare your righteousness and your works, for they will not profit you’ (cf. Isaiah 57:12).
The same prophet warns us: ‘We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags’ (cf. Isaiah 64:6).
We are encouraged to eat of the true spiritual food, which is to partake of the benefits of the salvation found only in Jesus. Then we shall have an abundance of all that is good for eternal, never-dying souls.
ISAIAH 55:3. What are we to do?
We are to listen, and to hear what the Lord is saying to us. With our physical ears we listen to the Gospel in the reading and preaching of God’s Holy Bible. Blessed is the man who listens to wisdom, and who hears the quiet words of the wise. Blessed are those privileged to hear the words of Jesus, and His call to their heart.
We are to come to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of our sins, and accepting the free gift of His love. He makes a covenant with those who come to Him, granting spiritual and eternal life.
ISAIAH 55:4-5. The prophets taught that the only sure way of salvation was through a certain descendant of Israel’s King David. That descendant is our Lord Jesus Christ who came to call Israel to repentance, and to provide for the salvation of all nations upon the earth. People from every land flock to Him as the only Saviour of sinners, and thus does He glorify God the Father.
D). DAVID’S PSALM OF PRAISE.
Psalm 145:8-9; Psalm 145:14-21.
Psalm 145:8. Proclamation.
“The LORD is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and merciful” (Psalm 145:8). This is similar to the self-revelation of the LORD to Moses (Exodus 34:6). It is an integral part of Israel’s understanding of their God (Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Jonah 4:2). The longsuffering of God is the last thread of hope for a perishing generation (2 Peter 3:9).
Psalm 145:9. Providence.
We encounter a word which is translated “all” or “every” seventeen times throughout this Psalm. There is a sense of inclusiveness here, but also the particularity of “each” (Psalm 145:9). To say that the LORD is good to “all” could be quite general: to say that His tender mercies, or compassion, are over “all” His works, or “all” that He has made, is more specific.
Psalm 145:14. Protection.
The LORD has a particular care towards the weak and vulnerable. He heard the cry of the children of Israel in their captivity, and set His mind to deliver them (Exodus 3:7-8). Thereafter He taught His people to care for strangers, widows and orphans - and the poor (Exodus 22:21-23, 25). This care is continued in the church (Hebrews 13:2; James 1:27; Galatians 2:9-10).
The LORD has a particular care towards those of His own who might otherwise fall (Psalm 73:1-2). He works ‘all’ things together for good (Romans 8:28), for the good of His ‘peculiar’ people (1 Peter 2:9).
Psalm 145:15. Prayer.
Whether they know it or not, all flesh is dependent upon the LORD for their daily provision. Whether they acknowledge it or not, no man can find sufficient sustenance without the LORD. It is better therefore to seek Him first, knowing that He will add to us ‘all these things’ (Matthew 6:33).
Psalm 145:16. Provision.
If God provides for the birds of the air, how much more for you (Matthew 6:25-27). It is good, therefore, to acknowledge God’s hand in all these things, and to gratefully receive His bountiful provision.
Psalm 145:17. Perfection.
Our trust in the LORD is not based in our ability to believe, but in His perfections. He is righteous in all His ways: He is just. He is kind in all He does: He is holy.
Psalm 145:18. Presence.
It is good that we can view the LORD as a God who is not only transcendent, but also immanent. He is present within His Creation. He is “near” to all who call upon Him. We should, therefore, ‘Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near’ (Isaiah 55:6).
The one true God, the God of all integrity (Deuteronomy 32:4; John 14:6; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 19:11) draws “nigh” unto all who call upon Him “in truth” - with a matching integrity of heart.
Psalm 145:19. Petitions.
It is of the LORD’s mercy that He also hears our petitions. This is particularly addressed to “those who fear Him” - those who revere His Name. We may not presumptuously or blasphemously call out His Name at every approach of trouble: but when we nurture a relationship with him, He is there for us, always.
He grants our desires because our desires are consistent with His. He hears our cry because we are His people. He ‘saves to the uttermost’ all that come to God via Jesus Christ, whoever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
Psalm 145:20. Preservation.
The LORD preserves all who love Him. This is the flip side of our own perseverance: ‘he who endures to the end shall be saved’ (Matthew 24:13). Yet we may not presume upon His grace: the God who is slow to anger (Psalm 145:8), is also the God who will punish the unrepentant (2 Peter 2:9).
Psalm 145:21. Praise.
The “each” and “every” of God’s comprehensive care find their final expression as the Psalmist speaks the praise of the LORD, and “all flesh” replies by “blessing” (speaking well of) His holy Name. The groaning Creation (Romans 8:22) at last finds relief in the “forever and ever” - Amen!
E). A PASSION FOR GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE.
Romans 9:1-5.
From the dizzy heights of Romans 8, the Apostle Paul seems to suddenly hit an unprecedented low in Romans 9:1-5. The crescendo of the previous glorious chapter meets the jarring note of Paul’s passion for his own people - God’s ancient people, Israel! Three times the Apostle asserts the truth of what he is about to say:
“Truth I say in Christ; I am not lying; my conscience bears witness with me in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1).
What is it that suddenly unbalances him which such disturbing force? The answer comes in a couplet:
“That grief to me is great, and unceasing sorrow in my heart” (Romans 9:2).
This may sound redundant: but this doubling of words is a Hebraism based on the two Greek words used in succession to translate the one Hebrew word for ‘sorrow’ in the LXX translation of Isaiah 35:10 (cf. Isaiah 51:11).
The reason for this despair is not unrelated to what has gone before. The Apostle has extolled the love of God in Christ Jesus, but he is ever conscious of the failure of Israel to embrace the salvation so freely offered. What he says next is astonishing in the extreme:
“For I was wishing I myself a curse (anathema) from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3).
This is not without precedent. After the incident of the golden calf at Mount Sinai, Moses pleaded with the LORD on behalf of Israel. Moses boldly declared that if the LORD would not forgive them, then he (Moses) should be blotted out of the book of life (Exodus 32:32).
Yet we know from Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Moses was not blotted out of the book of life. And it was impossible that Paul should ever be anathema to his Lord.
Paul lists eight prerogatives of Israel: “The adoption (cf. Hosea 11:1), and the glory (1 Kings 8:10-11), and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises” (Romans 9:4).
They were descended from the Patriarchs; and from them came “the Christ according to the flesh (cf. Matthew 1:1), who is over all, God blessed forever (cf. Titus 2:13). Amen.” (Romans 9:5).
Yet Jesus is not the unique property of Israel, but came in fulfilment of the prophecy to Abraham that ‘in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed’ (Genesis 12:3; cf. Romans 1:3-5). Paul despaired that, even given all these privileges, Israel still rejected their own Messiah!
F). THE FEEDING OF THE 5000.
Matthew 14:13-21.
1. The creativity of feeding over 5000 hungry mouths.
The feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all four Gospels. Like the Creation, it is a significant historical event. Both events are a demonstration of the Divine prerogative.
In the beginning, we are told in the ancient account, God created all things of nothing. Ex nihilio! But we are also told that man (as one example) was formed of the dust of the ground.
So why do people have difficulty believing in the historicity of the miracle of the feeding of the 5000? It is because they fail to see the divine nature of Jesus.
Because He is God, He is able as God to make a small amount of food go much further than is humanly possible. That which He first created is also formed into what it was not hitherto. It is multiplied!
2. Bringing food to a hungry world.
Jesus was moved with compassion towards the multitude which followed Him, and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14) They were, after all, like sheep without a shepherd!
That compassion reached out indiscriminately to the whole crowd, 5000 men plus women and children, when He fed them with but five loaves and two fishes. Some would prove hypocritical, following Him only to fill their bellies (John 6:26) - but that was not His concern here. They were all fed to the full by Jesus, and there was still a sufficiency in reserve when they had finished.
Such is the abundance of His compassion. But what of ours? I need not enter into the statistics: we all know that there is an inequality in this world which is to our very shame if we have more than enough and are content to let the majority of humankind starve!
3. Christ's sufficiency and our call.
The miraculous feeding of the 5000 in the Gospel is not an everyday occurrence, but it does carry a spiritual message for those with eyes to see.
This is not to take away from the historicity of the event, nor to needlessly allegorise. However, in light of Jesus' own teaching of Himself as the Bread of life, we cannot fail to acknowledge that the miracle stands as a sign of His own sufficiency as discovered in the Cross.
In our own experience as Christians we are also made very much aware of the events of Calvary in partaking of bread (and wine) in the Communion.
This also lays upon us an obligation. Just as we must have a care to the physical poverty in our global village, we must also seek to bring the spiritual food of life to a world that hungers not only for bread, but for the very Word of God (Amos 8:11-12).
