Day 97
Deuteronomy 6:1-8:20, Luke 11:33-54, Psalm 42:1-6a
We continue the theme from yesterday, "love the Lord your God". The idea of relationship is key here, and there is one thing to note that we have not touched upon yet, despite being so far into the Old Testament. When the translators have used the word "LORD" (ie. all capitals), they have translated the Hebrew word יַהְוֶה translated to YHWH or Yahweh. This is the name for God that is used through the Old Testament and Isaiah 42:8 talks of God saying "this is my name". Jesus was a person, he had a name. You and I have names, something that people can call us personally. God though seems far off and the name we seem to give him is "Lord". This is not so much a name as a rank, a description of a male with some authority or standing, something that it is hard to have a personal relationship with. Our God though has a name, it is Yahweh and we can talk to him, we can enter into a personal relationship with him, and this is something that Moses is pleading for the people to do, to have that loving relationship.
The other thing we see in the Old Testament comes to us again in Matthew 4:4. Jesus says "it is written: 'man does not live on bread alone'", and we have just found the place where it is written! In this section Moses continues to remind them what God had done for them, when they were hungry and close to death in the desert, God fed them. When the people were close to death again, he saved them again by sending more bread from heaven. This time it was his son, dying on the cross, who provided the bread that would give us life. "Man does not live by bread alone" he can only ever live by the life of Christ sent from heaven because we were going hungry in the desert.
Some of the most powerful words for today though come from our Psalm. This is a song from the heart from someone who had been going though the mill and yet never took their eyes of the Lord, and it goes back to the food of life. For the psalmist, their tears had been their food. Even from the depths of despair they remember the good times with God, "When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say 'blessed be the name of the Lord'". This person is close to then edge, crying out "when can I meet my God", 'when will this end?' and yet they ask themselves, "why are you downcast my soul ... put your hope in God".
There is a God out there who has a name, a name that we can pin a relationship to. A name that talks of love, of forgiveness, of care and nurture. A name that we can call out from the deepest darkest places. A name that is love. Call out that name and stop to listen.
We continue the theme from yesterday, "love the Lord your God". The idea of relationship is key here, and there is one thing to note that we have not touched upon yet, despite being so far into the Old Testament. When the translators have used the word "LORD" (ie. all capitals), they have translated the Hebrew word יַהְוֶה translated to YHWH or Yahweh. This is the name for God that is used through the Old Testament and Isaiah 42:8 talks of God saying "this is my name". Jesus was a person, he had a name. You and I have names, something that people can call us personally. God though seems far off and the name we seem to give him is "Lord". This is not so much a name as a rank, a description of a male with some authority or standing, something that it is hard to have a personal relationship with. Our God though has a name, it is Yahweh and we can talk to him, we can enter into a personal relationship with him, and this is something that Moses is pleading for the people to do, to have that loving relationship.
The other thing we see in the Old Testament comes to us again in Matthew 4:4. Jesus says "it is written: 'man does not live on bread alone'", and we have just found the place where it is written! In this section Moses continues to remind them what God had done for them, when they were hungry and close to death in the desert, God fed them. When the people were close to death again, he saved them again by sending more bread from heaven. This time it was his son, dying on the cross, who provided the bread that would give us life. "Man does not live by bread alone" he can only ever live by the life of Christ sent from heaven because we were going hungry in the desert.
Some of the most powerful words for today though come from our Psalm. This is a song from the heart from someone who had been going though the mill and yet never took their eyes of the Lord, and it goes back to the food of life. For the psalmist, their tears had been their food. Even from the depths of despair they remember the good times with God, "When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say 'blessed be the name of the Lord'". This person is close to then edge, crying out "when can I meet my God", 'when will this end?' and yet they ask themselves, "why are you downcast my soul ... put your hope in God".
There is a God out there who has a name, a name that we can pin a relationship to. A name that talks of love, of forgiveness, of care and nurture. A name that we can call out from the deepest darkest places. A name that is love. Call out that name and stop to listen.
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