Something occurred to me this morning as I read Deuteronomy 8:3-4, “…He [God]… fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know… Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.”
True, the intent and purport of these postings is, in fact, to record details/nuances/epiphanies that emerge as a result of a daily Bible reading. Yet I never cease to be amazed at some of the things which emerge.
From the Old Testament comes this realization: the group of Israelites who went into the Promised Land had grown up in the wilderness. Okay, that’s not real interesting. How about this though? Remember how the Israelites murmured constantly against God and Moses about what they didn’t have? Remember how they longed for what they had had in Egypt and were constantly comparing their current situation to a now-seemingly-desirable slavery? They hated the manna, they wanted meat, they longed for the leeks and garlic, etc.
But what about the Israelites who went into the Promised Land? They would have little or no frame of reference by which to complain. The whole point of the wandering in the wilderness was so that those who had murmured against the Promised Land (and all along the way) would have died out. This new wave of Israelites were only children and most likely didn’t know anything more than their current existence; a dry and dusty trek being fed manna from heaven and the occasional water from the rock.
If any memories of Egypt existed, could it not be argued that they were indistinct enough not to affect the whole comparison mindset? Manna was normal. Water from the rock was normal. What are leeks and garlic anyway? And who needs meat? Interesting, no?
From the New Testament, we see the story of the woman of ill repute who honored and respected Jesus in the most personal and tender ways possible. I think what struck me the most during this reading was the fact that the Pharisee, whom Jesus was eating a meal with, did not bother to tell him what kind of woman was touching him.
This paragon of virtue who had invited this charismatic public figure into his house (for publicity’s sake or not, I have no idea) not only had let this woman into his house, but he KNEW what kind of woman she was. Perhaps it was one of the many games that were played on Jesus, trying to trap him in various awkward situations; it is not for me to say. Regardless of his motive, this man, knowing the unclean status Jesus would fall into just from being touched by the woman, did not say a word but watched, keeping everything inside himself, uttering no warning or word of protest. Again, interesting, huh?
And from Psalms I find passages which, upon reading, caused me to utter them with sincerity, truth, and desperation… “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God… But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered… out of the deep waters.” Psalm 69:1-3,13-14.
