Time with Jesus - Monday, 20 February 2012
Hi all,
Sometimes,
to understand the Biblical narrative, it’s necessary to look at Bible
commentaries to get a feel for what took place. The story of Moses, the Israelites
and the quail is a good example of this. If you take the time to read Numbers
11, what took place, is recorded.
Essentially,
the Israelites began to complain that all they were given to eat was manna. But
they wanted meat. They complained and complained about this and finally the
Lord decided that if they wanted meat, He would give them quail to eat. That’s
all they would get for one whole month. They would eat quail til it came out of
their nostrils.19 You will not eat it
for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 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?"'" Num 11:19-20 TNIV
One
of the dangers of moaning and groaning to the Lord about something is that He
may give you what you want. But with it will come “leanness of soul”. 15
So He gave them what they asked for, but He sent a
plague along with it. Psalm 106:15
John
Gill’s commentary describes this as follows: But sent leanness into their
soul: he gave them flesh to the full, even to a nausea; they fed too
heartily on it, and were surfeited with it; which not being digested brought a
repletion, and issued in a consumption; or rather death, immediate death, for
while the flesh was in their mouths, and they were chewing it between their
teeth, the wrath of God came upon them and slew them. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and
before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people,
and he struck them with a severe plague. Num
11:33 TNIV
This
is an aspect of the Lord which most of us don’t like. We badger God repeatedly
with “ungodly requests”. Rather like the way the people badgered Samuel/God for
a king. They got Saul. He (Saul) ended up giving the people “leanness of soul”.
Jesus
encourages us to ask and keep on asking. So how can we tell the difference
between “badgering” God and repeatedly asking God for something?
Perhaps
James tells us the difference: 2 You
want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of
what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it
away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for
it. 3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives
are all wrong--you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:2-3 NLT
Phyllida
and I have found a useful rule of thumb to help us with this difficulty. Prayer
for our own needs can come from bad motives. But prayer for the needs of others
is seldom likely to be to waste on our own lusts. I’m not in a position to say
this is always correct. But perhaps you may also find it useful
Today’s
meditation is the Quail’s Tale. It elaborates on what happened when they “got
the bird” for wanting “bird”.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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He gave them what they wanted.
But oh what a surprise!
Their stomachs soon got sickened,
til it “came out of their eyes”!
Quail they had for breakfast,
for dinner and for tea.
Quail for each and every meal was
fed continually.
And then when they had eaten it,
they had to eat some more.
They didn’t like the manna, so
quail was all they saw.
But with it came a sickness.
The body can’t digest,
Such huge amounts of quail and
soon their bodies manifest,
A sort of inner churning, that
filled them up inside,
So chock-a-block with quail
meat, they turned around and died.
This sort of thing still
happens, when God’s people belly-ache;
And keep up with their
badgering – “O Lord
for Jesus sake,
Please let me have a “whatsit” and
let me have it now.
I really can’t afford to wait, so
won’t you please, somehow,
Provide me with a “whatsit” or
better still, a pair.
I don’t know what I’ll do with them,
but certainly somewhere,
I’ll find a use for both of them. Please
Lord don’t make me wait.
I have to have an answer Lord,
before it’s ten past eight!”
I’m not sure if you’re like that;
whether you are or not,
Be sure that what you’re asking
for, you may not like a lot.
He’ll give you what you wanted.
But let me make it clear.
You’ll wish you hadn’t asked
for it till August of next year!
You’ll find your “whatsit” poisonous;
Inhabited with “fleas”,
The size of baby marrows with infection
and disease.
So don’t be in a hurry with
your requests to God.
If you are impatient He may not
spare the rod.
He may give you an answer far
quicker than you need.
And send a special “whatsit” to
satisfy your greed.
Don’t think that He won’t do
it. You may be tempting “fate”
And wish what you hadn’t
badgered Him, but were prepared to wait!
This little funny story that’s
intended to amuse,
Is written so that Christians,
may know that if they choose,
To ask the Lord for something
and badger Him each day;
He may well give it to you and
give it in a way,
That you will find unpleasant.
You may receive your quail,
And find you have a serpent you’ve
picked up by the tail.
Then, after you’ve been bitten
and you are dead and gone.
You’ll wish you hadn’t carried
on and on,and on, and on!
Jim Strickland – Written Monday, 20 February 2012
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