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The journey from captivity in Egypt to the promised land, should have taken just weeks, but as we know it took 40 years! Rather than thinking of the land to which they were going, the people were thinking of the land they had escaped. Their hearts were hankering for the food of Egypt! “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” They were dissatisfied with God’s daily provision for them, i.e. the manna. With tear-filled eyes, they yearned for ‘flesh’ (v.4). God gave them their desire, saying, ‘‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month until it comes out of your nostril!” According to Psalm 106, they paid a price for their dissatisfaction. Their ‘fragile fidelity’ had been exposed! – ‘And God gave them their request; BUT sent leanness into their soul.”

“Who will give us flesh to eat?” - Numbers 11:5

God had said through the prophet Jeremiah that the Israelites, because of their constant disobedience to the Lord’s commandments, were to be ‘carried away to Babylon’, for seventy years. In the psalm before us, the exiles are sat by ‘the rivers of Babylon’ and wept as they remembered their homeland. Their grief was compounded when their captors asked them to sing one of Zion’s songs. Their reply to this request was, “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” Their heaviness of heart meant they had no desire to sing. How different to the Son of God, who, on the eve of His death, in the ‘strange land’ of planet earth, and with the shadow of the cross looming large, “sung a hymn [and] went out to the Mount of Olives.”

‘How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?’ - Psalm 137:4

‘‘Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” - John 12:5

Anyone looking at this week’s question out of context would think that the asker of the question had genuine concern for the welfare of the poor. Out of gratitude for what the Lord had done for their brother Lazarus, Martha and Mary made a supper for Him at Bethany. Mary has some understanding that the Lord’s death was imminent, and decided to anoint His body in preparation for burial, with pure, costly nard. The sight of this act of devotion caused Judas to ask his question. It belittled the sacrifice that Mary had made, and gave the impression to onlookers, that he was deeply concerned about the poor. He was in fact the arch master of masquerade, and fooled all except the Saviour. All was not what it seemed! He was ‘a thief’.

As this Samaritan woman made her way to Jacob’s well to collect her daily supply of water, she noticed a Jew sat resting on the side of the well. She knew there’ll be no conversation with this visitor to her town, because ‘Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.’ However, the woman was soon to learn that this Man is different! When Simeon held the infant Christ in his arms he said of the child, “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Please note that the Gentiles are listed FIRST, even before God’s earthly people the Jews [Israel]. Here, God was giving an early intimation that the coming of Christ into the world was in order to embrace ALL men and women – even the despised Samaritans!

"How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" - John 4:9

 - Matthew 22:20

The tongue is ‘a little member’ in the body. It is capable of much good, but on the other hand it can cause much harm. James informs us, “A whole forest can he set ablaze by a tiny spark of fire, and the tongue is a fire”. The tongue of the converted person should be held in check. This is difficult, for once again James says, “all kinds of ... creatures can be ... tamed by man, but no one can tame the human tongue. It is an evil always liable to break out”. In the natural realm we would never get sweet water and bitter water issuing from the same opening in the rock. No corrupt speech or lies should ever escape the lips of the believer!

‘Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?’ - James 3:11

John the Baptist was personally unable to ask this question of Christ, because he was shut up in prison, so he sent two of his followers. It was the great Jewish hope that one day the Messiah would come [‘the Coming One’]. Had not the Scriptures spoken of One who was the Shiloh, the Redeemer, the Prophet, and King. John had been confident that Jesus was that long awaited King- Deliverer. However, it appears that that John’s faith was now wavering through his long imprisonment, and he began to doubt. One commentator wrote, “His sending to Jesus shows full confidence in His word as a prophet, but ignorance as to His person”. The Lord’s answer was, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me”.

"Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" - Matthew 11:2-3