The Provision and Presence of God
This week I have been thinking of the greatest and most influential people that have ever lived. For me clearly Jesus must rank as number 1, but then I began to wonder who I would put next on my list. Then I thought I would restrict it to the period from when Jesus was born. One person that I thought must be on that list must sure be Martin Luther. Born in the late 1400’s he started the protestant reformation and a breakaway from the controls of the Pope and the Catholic church. One of the key verses that propelled Luther was
Romans 1:16-17 New International Version - UK
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.”
Which has its origin in Habakkuk 2:4. In other words not by indulgences, or because of what the Pope decrees, but that the grace of God is a free gift and the word of God should be man’s only authoritative source- no one person. Of course this infuriated the Catholic church. But thanks to the printing press that had just been invented, his words spread like wild fire and Luther soon had a massive following. One could say he became the worlds first media (print) personality. Now Luther wasn’t one to mince words and could be quite harsh and crude at times. His outspokenness caused a few problems and he wasn’t short of enemies. He did not believe in violence at all, but the way he sometimes said things was over the top and extreme. For instance, he became very frustrated and angry with the Jews for not seeing that Jesus was the Messiah. A few hundred years later Nazi’s and Hitler used Luther’s writings to justify what they did to the Jews. Luther would have been horrified. So, you can see the effect of taking out of context someone’s comments is not new!
By about 1529 the spread of this protestant reformation was so widespread, that they need a consensus of beliefs to consolidate. Leaders met from all over at what is known as the Marburg Colloquy to discuss 15 points of belief they believed necessary for unification. They agreed on 14 and Luther held out on the last one. It all hinged on this
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Luther believed that the bread of communion became literally Christ’s body where the rest of the delegates believed that it was symbolic. (Separate to this by the way Luther questioned whether the Book of Revelations should be in the bible?)
I personally don’t for a minute believe that the bread physically changes in communion and just as Jesus said
John 2:19 New International Version
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
Is clearly symbolic of His body, so is the term when referring to bread as “This is my body.” symbolic.
Now were quite familiar with symbolism and particularly the symbolism of bread because at the time of Jesus in the Temple that stood, there was a section called the "Holy Place," which was accessible only to priests and contained, the table of showbread, and the Lampstand. It was separated from the innermost and most sacred area, the "Holy of Holies," by a thick veil, which only the High Priest could enter once a year.
This bread in the Holy Place was also called the “bread of the Presence”
Exodus 25:30 New International Version
30 Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.
Leviticus 24:5-9 New International Version
5 “Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah[a] for each loaf. 6 Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. 7 By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial[b] portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. 8 This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant.
(An Omer is one-tenth of an ephah. This is confirmed in Exodus 16:36 (2.2L/22L))
Do you know that amounts, numbers and quantities noted in the bible are often very specific and have deeper meanings? Well, it’s interesting to note that the amount of flour used for each loaf was the same as the amount of manna the Israelites were to collect for the Sabbath (2 omers for the Sabbath)- The same amount the the priests ate each Sabbath?
So, the bread in the Holy Place represented not only the presence of God for the 12 tribes i.e. for ALL people, it also represented the provision that God had provides for all of us. He still provides manna for us!
So, when Jesus says this in John
John 6:30-35 New International Version
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a]”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
And when He says in the Last Supper,
This is my Body given for you…
Yes, we are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus but we are also reminded of the Bread of the Presence and the continuous and very presence of God and His continuous provision in our lives today. Just as was represented in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle.
And as we eat of that bread, He becomes part of us. Now, it’s no longer the priests that only eat that bread, we all do. So, we all can enjoy the continued presence of the Holy Sprit within us and we can all enjoy the continued provision of God.
So let us not take His presence and provision for granted- it is a precious thing!
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 New International Version - UK
6 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
‘In the time of my favour I heard you, the Presence of God!
and in the day of salvation I helped you.” The provision of God!
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.
Just one last point before I close;
When Jesus says in John 6 “I am the bread of life “, and when we say the Lord’s prayer and say “Give us this day our daily bread”, there is not only the physical implication in the prayer, but there is a spiritual aspect as well. We are also saying Lord “You be the bread of the Presence and my provision in my life, be my daily manna”. And He does exactly that!
So, in closing this brings us full circle back to the time of Martin Luther. There was great rejoicing at that time in the freedom of experiencing a loving Father whose very presence dwells within each one, and more than that who provides for each one.
They realised there is no special individual you have to go to, or follow, no special place you have to go to, to be with God, no Pope or some man with special powers. Because God dwells in us- and that’s worth celebrating!! The Bread of the Presence and my provider!
His very Presence is within you, His Holy Spirit is within you.This is what God says to you…
Zephaniah 3:17
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.’
Isn’t that special!!