LESSON: PSALM 36

Thy steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 36:5

God’s power and might is in the very bread we eat. He is present in this bread and nourishes us through it and under it, but in an invisible manner. We think that it is the bread that does it all! But where no bread is available, He nourishes men without bread by His Word alone. He acts here also as He acts under the bread, invisibly. The bread is His “fellow worker,” as Paul says, “We are fellow workers for God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Through and under our external office of the ministry, He gives His grace inwardly—that grace which He could actually give without our office and does give without it. But while the office is there, one should not despise it or tempt God.

So also He nourishes us through bread externally, but inwardly He alone gives the growth and digestion which the bread cannot give. In short, all creatures are God’s masks and mummers, whom He wants to work along with Him and help Him to accomplish all sorts of things, which He could certainly accomplish without their co-operation and also does accomplish without them.

This is what He has ordained so that we should learn to cling to His pure Word alone. If there is bread, do not put all your confidence in it; if there is no bread, there are still no grounds for despair. Use the bread when it is available and do without it when it is not available.

But at all times we should be certain that we are nourished by the Word of God, whether bread is available or not. With this faith, one conquers greed, bodily indulgence, and temporal concern for our nourishment.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever alert, heavenly Father, to the fact that we continually need the blessing of Your Word in all that we do in our daily lives, even in our eating and drinking, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 121

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

There are situations in life when God really strips us bare and we suffer want, even in regard to such matters as clothing, housing, and the like. But before very long, clothing has to be found, otherwise the very leaves would have to be plucked from the trees and become coats and cloaks for us to wear, just as it happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness, whose clothing and shoes remained intact (Deuteronomy 8:2,4). So also the wild deserts became their houses and provided ways for them where there were no ways and water where there was no water; indeed, stones became water for them.

God’s Word stands fast, which says, “He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). What Paul says to Timothy is only too true: “God [...] richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Christ’s own words in His Sermon on the Mount also apply here: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:33,34). Such words must remain true and stand fast into all eternity.

It is quite a common sight that poor people and their children are better conditioned and that their provisions seem to go further and to be more beneficial than is the case with the wealthy and their rich supplies. In many ways, we are reminded that earthly provisions are not the only matter of importance. God’s Word nourishes all men.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, you have assured us that you will be with us always, even to the end of time. For this reason, we now turn to you in the faith and conviction that you will always hear us, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12

Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” John 6:11,12

In taking the five loaves and blessing them, Jesus gives us to understand that there is never anything so insignificant that it cannot be of some use for His disciples. He can bless even a little for them, so that they eventually have more than enough, whereas those who are rich often do not have enough with all their riches.

“Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing,” as the Psalmist declares, but the rich often suffer hunger. “The young lions suffer want and hunger” (Psalm 34:10). In her Magnificat, Mary also reminds us that “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53).

On the other hand, in giving the order that the fragments should be gathered up, Jesus teaches us to be saving, to look after His blessings, to make good use of them so that one never tempts God by the misuse of His blessings.

Just as He wants us to have faith when we have nothing and to be quite sure that He will provide for us, so also He does not want us to tempt Him by despising the blessing He has given us or by letting them lie to rot away while awaiting others from heaven by way of a miracle.

What He has provided, we should accept and use. What He has not provided, we should wait for with firm faith.

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PRAYER: You have often shown us in your Word, O Lord, that your children will never lack any good thing. We trust you to provide all the “good things” we need as your children. Grant us your grace that we never misuse any of these good things, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 15:12-17

“As the Father has loved me, so have I love you; abide in my love.” John 15:9

In His feeding of the five thousand, our Lord gives us a splendid example of His manifold love for men. In the first place, His miracle in providing so much food is not performed only for the benefit of His godly followers who followed Him for the sake of His works and words. It benefited also those who were concerned only about their bodily welfare, who sought only food, drink, and temporal honor from Him.

Soon after this, Jesus set some of these people straight at Capernaum when He said, “You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). They actually wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him their king (John 6:15).

Here, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sends His rain and lets His sun shine on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:45).

In the second place, we should note how Jesus, in a most friendly manner, bears with the crudeness and weak faith of His disciples. His testing question to Philip and his apparent appeal to reason, and Andrew’s rather childish contribution to the matter under discussion, are recorded here to bring to light the imperfection of the apostles. Over against all this, His own love and friendly treatment of them shines forth even more beautifully and with greater love.

All this should stimulate our faith and act as an example for us to follow. The members of our body and all creatures also offer us common instruction. For all that God has created is full of love; the one creature bears, helps, and rescues the other.

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PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your love for us was truly wonderful and passing knowledge. Let this love always be aglow within us so that we accept it in true faith for our salvation and practice it for the benefit of all our fellowmen, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 6:1-15

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33

In the Gospel of the feeding of the five thousand, Christ once again teaches us the need for faith without anxious worry about food and clothing. Then He stirs us up with a miracle in which He actually demonstrates in deed what He says in words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

We see here that the people follow Him to hear God’s Word and to witness signs. They are seeking God’s kingdom. Jesus does not forsake them but provides them richly with food. He shows quite clearly that before those who seek God’s kingdom should suffer want, the grass in the wilderness should rather become corn and one piece of bread should rather become a thousand loaves, so that what He declared to the devil at the time of His temptation would stand fast, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

So that this principle of God’s Word should be confirmed and stand fast, He proceeds to provide for these people what they should eat. He consults Philip about the matter even before they make any complaints and ask for food.

From this we also should learn to let Him do the worrying for us, and we should realize that He thinks about us more and sooner than we think about ourselves.

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PRAYER: You know all our needs, O Lord, even before we think about them ourselves. You have promised never to leave or forsake us. Be with us then, O Lord, at all times, for the sake of your truth and mercy. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 9:46-50

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

The Gospels are replete with many fine sayings which set forth very important teachings. This is also the case in Christ’s words at the end of the Gospel concerning the healing of the dumb demoniac: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” “The devil is not with me, for I drive him out. And so, he must certainly be against me.”

However, this saying refers not only to the devil, but to the blasphemers on whom also He passes sentence and condemnation here. They are against Him because they are not with Him.

To be with Christ means to think with Christ, that is, to believe in Christ, to believe that His works and not our works help us. That is Christ’s position, and that is what He teaches. To “gather” with Christ is to do good in love and to be rich in good works.

He who does not believe in Christ is compelled to rely on his own works. Such a man is not with Christ but against Christ. He denies Christ because he builds on his own works. A man who does not love does not gather with Christ but performs vain works, whereby he becomes worse and gets further away from faith.

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PRAYER: Lord God, our loving, heavenly Father, grant us at all times such an understanding and clarity of faith that we are always absolutely with Christ and not against Him, gathering with Him and not scattering. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 16:17-20

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.” Luke 11:21,22

In this illustration taken from everyday life, Jesus demonstrates that no one but God alone can really overcome the devil. No one is ever in a position to boast that he can of himself drive out sin and the devil.

Note well how He describes the devil. He calls him “a strong man” who is fully armed and guards his own palace. That is, the devil not only has possession of the world as his own kingdom, but he also has it guarded and supported so that no one can take it from him. It is also a kingdom with inner peace that carries out his will.

Just as little as a house or court may successfully oppose or guard itself against a tyrant who really has possession of it, so little can free will or human might avail against sin and the devil. It can avail nothing at all—it must be subject to sin and the devil.

Just as the house must be conquered by a “stronger” man and be taken away from the tyrant, so also must man be saved and rescued from the devil through Christ.

We see here once again that, in the matter of our salvation, our doing and righteousness avail nothing at all, but that it is God’s grace alone that bestows salvation upon us.

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PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, heavenly Father, that in our battle against sin and the devil, success awaits us only if we contend against our old evil foe with all the resources which you in your grace provide for us, in and through the “stronger” man, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: EPHESIANS 6:12-17

“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? [...] If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:18,20

From Christ’s words in this Gospel, it follows that where God’s finger does not drive out the devil, the devil’s kingdom still stands, and where the devil’s kingdom is, there is no kingdom of God. It follows quite conclusively that as long as the Holy Spirit has not come to us, we are not only incapable of accomplishing what is good but are of necessity in the devil’s kingdom.

If we are in the devil’s kingdom, we cannot possibly do anything else but what pleases the devil; otherwise, it could not be called his kingdom. Paul suggests that such people are caught in the snare of the devil, being captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). How could the devil permit the subjects of his kingdom to follow their own inclinations in doing what is against his kingdom and not for his kingdom?

Christ here makes a most striking, shocking but important statement when He assigns a kingdom to the devil that cannot be avoided when the Holy Spirit is absent. He also declares that God’s kingdom cannot come unless the devil’s kingdom is driven from us with God’s own power from heaven.

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PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, in your glorious resurrection from the dead, you proclaimed your victory over sin, death, and the devil. Fill our hearts with such trust in your victory that we go from strength to strength in the power of your truth, for your love’s sake. Amen.