Feeding Many

The lips of the righteous feed many….

Proverbs 10:21

Where may we find Christ in the Old Testament? This thought presents itself to us often as we work our way through the various passages of ancient revelation. We peruse such books as the Proverbs, which is replete with good advice upon practical matters, and as we do, we say to ourselves, ‘How does this show me Christ?’ In actual fact, Christ is here, and some dedicated meditation on the Word, with the wisdom which God Alone can give, will yield satisfying results to our souls. Our text today yields such fruit. ‘The lips of the righteous feed many.’ As we consider this text, let us begin by asking, ‘Who is more righteous than Christ?’ The answer is, ‘no one else.’ Christ is the sum of all perfections. He embodies all the Attributes of the Wholly Righteous God. He is ‘the brightness of His Glory, and the Express Image of His Person,’ with all that that entails. Therefore, it follows that the lips of Christ, do in fact, ‘feed many.’ Have we not found it to be so in our own experience? We have been afraid, and He has, fed us with His, ‘Fear not.’ We have been alone, and He has satisfied us with, ‘for I am with you.’ We have felt that all was out of control and He has assured us with, ‘I am Your God.’ We have been anxious about the future, and He has said, ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’ Today, we have sought Christ in the Old Testament, and by the Grace of God, we have found Him. We may go forth now, well-fed upon Christ, Whose ‘lips…feed many.’

Our Gracious Savior and Our God,
we rejoice that You feed us upon Your own Great Self.
We rejoice that daily we have a supply,
of fresh bread from the ovens of Heaven.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

How It All Hangs Together

The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19,20

It is marvelous to consider how all the systems around us continue to operate.  Consider the solar system, the seasonal cycle, the generational cycle, the photosynthetic cycle, and the ebb and flow of civilizations. All these continue to run their courses unabated. How is it that they do? In our text today, we find reference to the intervention of God and to His sustaining of these systems. ‘By His knowledge the depths were broken up,’ may well be a reference to the flood, when God intervened to bring judgment upon a wicked society. That judgment began, according to Scripture, a new cycle of the earth being watered. Before the flood, the mists came up ‘and watered the whole face of the ground.’ At the time of the flood, ‘all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.’  After the flood, God promised that, ‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.’ The purpose of tying these events together, is to demonstrate that what there is of the operating systems we observe around us, is ordered and sustained by God. Most specifically this brings us to Christ because, ‘He is before all things, and by Him all things hang together.’ This is exciting for us. As puny and unable as we are to control the most minor things that pertain unto us, we know personally, the Christ Who controls all these things. This is a blessed place to rest our souls today. Christ rules and we are safe with Him.

Our Great and All-powerful God, we honor You today,
and praise You that You ‘uphold all things by the word of Your power.’
We rejoice that there is not a single thing
that lies beyond the reach of Your Almighty Hand.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

From Creation to Christ

The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19, 20

Christian thought proceeds upon two great presuppositions, (as articulated by an old theologian named, VanTil). The first presupposition is that God is. The second presupposition is that God has revealed Himself. The first place in which God has revealed Himself is in creation. ‘The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.’ Our text brings us to consider the creation as the manifestation both of the knowledge and wisdom of God. As we consider creation in reference to these attributes of God, we arrive at several conclusions. All these created things, the systems in their continued operation and the individual created things which work together to make those systems operate, bear eloquent testimony to the knowledge and wisdom of God. Without the underlying presupposition that, by creation God has revealed Himself in wisdom and knowledge, we find ourselves like blind men, vainly attempting to describe an elephant in its’ totality. Ultimately, this evidence of the wisdom and knowledge of God leads us to consider how we may know this creating God. This leads us to the Scripture, which in turn, leads us to Christ. Standing back to take the wide angle view, we realize that in the distance there is the distinct Figure of Christ and behind Him, a cross, an empty tomb and a Glorious Throne. So, let us dwell upon creation with this view, that it serves as a vehicle that carries us ultimately to the Feet of Jesus.

‘Great God of Wonders,
all Your ways are matchless, Godlike and Divine.’
We rejoice that You, in Your creation,
lead us unfailingly to the Glorious Person of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Christ, Our Deliverer

The horse is prepared against the battle: but safety is of the Lord.

Proverbs 21:31

One of the great conundrums is the consideration of human responsibility, as set alongside the intervention of God.  Our text today gives us a very graphic picture of this discussion, ‘the horse is prepared against the battle: but safety is of the Lord.’ Does God intend for us to be diligent?  Yes, He does.  Does God intervene on behalf of His people in their hour of need?  Again, yes, He does.  In many ways the most sensible approach is that we prepare as if the results all depend upon us and pray as if all of the results depend upon God.  Having said that, the best of preparations are of no avail unless the Lord undertakes.  Witness this in the life and ministry of Christ.  The disciples had labored all night to catch fish, yet caught nothing, until Christ came along and told them to cast their nets upon the other side of the boat.  Suddenly, their success was overwhelming.  When they were out on the stormy sea of Galilee, and were rowing hard to bring the boat to land, they were unsuccessful until Christ intervened.  We may pile example upon example both Biblical and extra-Biblical, but the conclusion we will inevitably reach is that human preparation is necessary, but will only succeed as Christ undertakes.  We do not cry down due diligence, but we cry up the power of Christ to make success of all the things in which we engage for His Honor and Glory.  As we go about our preparation, for whatever endeavor we attempt, let us bear in mind, ‘the horse is prepared against the battle: but safety is of the Lord.’

Our Gracious and Upholding God,

We praise You that You enable us when we are of ourselves most unable.

We thank You that daily You lead us in plain paths,

guide us with Your eye, and uphold us on every leaning side.

Tomm Tice

Where the Bush is Burning