Relationship

"Relationship."

GOD WANTED them to live from heaven, for His bread to be their daily sustenance. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 says this, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The manna from heaven provided to Israel in the wilderness was so that none of it was done by their effort (Deuteronomy 8:3). He wanted them to see Him as everything, as Provider and sustenance and move away even from bread they’d prepared without leavening. Nothing mixed in, but it was still baked in their own efforts. This is also why He wrote the Law the way He did. He wanted none of it to come from their desires, their images of God, and how they wanted to worship. He didn’t want them to return to Egypt.

“And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:17)

A woman Jew wrote this thought from her study of the Torah. “He didn’t want us to be slaves and Him as Master. He is King but didn’t want us as subjects. He wanted to be Father, to be with us.” Relationship.

Yet, they continually returned to Egypt. As slaves. Or worse, as Egyptians. They’d grown up there, seen their idol worship, and imitated it with the golden calf (Exodus 32:6). For this sin, thousands died. King Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh and brought her to the Promised Land. Built her a house. Then God came to him by night in a vision and said, “Ask what I shall give thee (1 Kings 3:5).” Solomon asked for wisdom. We preach this. We fail to see why God asked. He wanted Solomon to see his behavior. Solomon sacrificed on the high places (1 Kings 3:3). He married Egypt.

The prophet Hosea speaks of their love for Egypt, saying they have counted “the great things of my law … as a strange thing” and “they shall return to Egypt (Hosea 8:11-14).” It is also spoken of in Jeremiah and the Psalms. Israel of today is not this way, so don’t misunderstand my point. Israel of today is dedicated to G_d in a way we Gentiles do not fully understand, but in God’s eyes, it’s a beautiful thing. He adores them.

We must see our behavior in this light. Because I discovered a gentle God with a kind heart in my hour of darkness. He has no impatience in Him, no criticism of our clothing or appearance. He doesn’t turn aside when we flub up our prayers. He is continually speaking, wanted to bring us closer. He wants to be our desire. For time with Him to be everything and every word we speak to come from Him. His heart is to make of our lives, of the length of our days, something more and more beautiful. Not a weaker “me”, but a stronger, settled, happy one, closer to heaven than to earth.

“I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.” (Hosea 14:5-8)

Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com