He will rain bread from heaven

Hunger is not a third world problem, it is a global problem. Hunger can lead people to do things that are morally bad in order to be filled. In the Old Testament, we saw how Esau carelessly sold his birthright for a bowl of red stew (Genesis 25:33-34) because he was very hungry. At one point, the army of Israel was so hungry that they ate animals with their blood in it (1 Samuel 24:33). At another time, the king of Israel was disgusted and angry to know that two women decided to eat their own children because of hunger and they succeeded in eating one child (2 Kings 6:28-29). In the 21st century, hunger is the course of most of the vices that happen on the street. People go the extra mile to hurt and even kill others in order to satisfy their hunger. If these stories of hunger are unpleasant, imagine leading a whole hungry nation for days. This was what happened when the people of Israel experienced hunger in the wilderness:

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”‭‭ (Exodus‬ ‭16:1‭-‬3‬).

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭16:4‬)

Imagine over a million people screaming at Moses and Aaron to do something about their hunger. These were the same people who had experienced the manifest power of God through the working of miracles. They experienced a great deliverance that took them from Egypt to their current location. Yet, when they were hungry, they totally forgot that the God who easily parted the Red sea can so easily provide them with food to satisfy their hunger. Before you consider the Israelites as ungrateful people, just consider the many instances the Lord God has graciously provided for you, yet at the sight of another situation, you murmured and complained as if God has never done anything in your life. We are all guilty of this. Whether hungry or filled, we should acknowledge that God still provides. How did God deal with this situation? In Exodus‬ 16:4-5‬, the Lord God said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

“Bread from heaven” was God’s solution to a national hunger crisis. The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:31‬). The Israelites survived on manna for 40 years. God did not cease in those 40 years to rain manna for the people to be satisfied. This amazing miracle of God’s provision sustained an entire nation for 40 years until they tasted the produce from their new home. God did not miss out in providing bread to the people. As the people delighted in the bread so much and saw it as the sustenance, God reminded than in ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8:3‬ that even the hunger was His own way to humble the nation and then feeding them with manna, which neither them nor their ancestors had known, to teach them that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Thus, bread is good but is not the only way to survive. Man’s survival also depends on the word of God which is an eternal bread. During Jesus’ temptation, “after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:2‭-‬3‬).

Jesus reminded the tempter that “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬). As we seek God’s provision to satisfy our physical hunger, we should more than anything also desire not to be just bread consumers but word consumers. Understanding that our spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by the word of God Himself should encourage us to develop an intimate relationship with God. In John 1:1-5, John the apostle revealed a profound truth: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus is the Word incarnate, He is the bread of life. No wonder before He was crucified, He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:19‬).

Enjoying the bread of heaven goes beyond the sacrament of the Holy Communion, it is also a deliberate effort to be daily filled with both the logos (written word) and the rhema (revealed word for a specific situation). Don’t be a hungry believer, there is too much to be consumed each day.

Man shall not live on bread alone

Bread is a staple food in most cultures of the world. The preparation of bread in most cultures varies but the idea of having something in the similitude of bread is almost universal. Different cultures prefer to eat their bread with different condiments. In some cultures, there’s bread as part of every meal: breakfast, lunch and supper. In the Bible, bread is used severally to refer to food in general. Jesus referred to Himself as this: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” ‭‭(John‬ ‭6:35‬). Throughout scripture, there are examples of scriptures to indicate that bread is very essential for life and for sustenance. Whenever there is famine, there is a lack of bread and people travel to different cities and different countries in search of bread. The lack of food/bread can lead to death.

Thus, whenever people are in need of bread/food, there is the lack of a basic human necessity that can lead to death. The 21st century has had its own series of famine in different parts of the world. People have faced a substantial lack of bread that has led to evil lifestyles, lack of faith in God and even death. While Jesus was on earth, He went through a forty days and forty night fast. Right after Jesus’ baptism, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:1‭-‬2‬). At that time, it was appropriate to say that Jesus needed food to satisfy His hunger. The devil was also aware of Jesus’ hunger and decided to use it to make Jesus sin against God.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:4‬)
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬)

Knowing how hungry Jesus was, the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”‭‭ (Luke‬ ‭4:3‬). This was a simple task for Jesus. He could have easily turned the stone to bread to prove to the devil that He was the Son of God. However, Jesus’ reply to this temptation was quite unexpected. Jesus was fully aware that bread could have satisfied His hunger but being aware of the craftiness of the devil, Jesus replied: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4, also in Deuteronomy 8:3‬). Jesus had identified from scripture that humanity’s sustenance does not depend on bread alone but on the Word of God.

In making this statement, Jesus confirmed that our existence does not only depend on bread. As believers, we should also be filled with the Word of God. We should have enough storehouses of scripture to aid our existence. This we can do by spending time with the scripture, through the memorization of Bible verses, listening to scripture and learning from other God-fearing people. Remember, as a child, Jesus had spent time in the house of God to understand scripture. He didn’t mind staying over in the temple to ask the teachers of the Law important questions about scripture. ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:8‬ makes it known that although Jesus was born as the Son of God, He learned obedience from what he suffered. This implies that the Omnipotent, Omnipresence and Omniscient Son of God made it His priority to learn scripture and to obey scripture. No wonder when the devil tempted Him, He had the right answers based on scripture.

Maybe, in the previous years, we have exalted bread over the Word of God. It is possible that our entire sustenance had been on bread alone. We might have missed the opportunity to nourish our spirits with the eternal Word of God. It is never too late to make important menu adjustments in the coming year. A daily consumption of the Word of God is necessary for believers’ balanced diet. How will you go about this? You can begin by a quiet time schedule tailored to meet your personal spiritual needs. You can also spend time reading scripture with understanding and listening to life-changing Bible messages that build up. Don’t be just a bread person in the coming year, be a Word person too. Where bread cannot sustain you, the Word will sustain you and take you through in Jesus’ name.

The widow of Zarephath

The Bible gives clear instructions that widows and orphans should be treated with love. From the Old Testament to the New Testament,  there are different verses that give indication of showing love and compassion for widows and orphans. If in the 21st century, widows and orphans are still vulnerable in different parts of the world, imagine their vulnerability before the common era. Moreover, in seasons of drought, famine becomes inevitable and the people who suffer most are the poor, the widows and orphans.  In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah the prophet declared this to king Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” True to the words of the prophet, therefore there was no rain and the result was famine. God sent ravens to feed the prophet until the brook ran dry. 

“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” (1 Kings 17:9)

Later, when the brook dried, God told Elijah this: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food” (1 Kings 17:9). It is amazing that God did not send rain but rather sent the prophet to a poor widow. It confirms this: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). The widow of Zarephath was a poor woman and the most unlikely person to save a hungry prophet but “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:27‭-‬28). The prophet was aware of the woman’s poverty but he still obeyed God. When Elijah encountered the widow, she was gathering sticks. Elijah asked: “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” (1 Kings 17:10) and as the woman was going to get it, he added, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread” (1 Kings 17:11). Which man asks for bread from a widow in times of famine? But Elijah was sent by God to a widow. 

The woman expressed her vulnerability to the prophet: “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die” (1 Kings 17:12). She and her son have enough to sustain them for some time and nothing more. Thus, sharing with the prophet meant an earlier death for them. Elijah told her: “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land’ ” (1 Kings 17:13‭-‬14). The woman accepted the message in faith and did as she was directed by the prophet. She placed her trust in the words of the prophet. She was willing to serve her last meal to the prophet with the knowledge that God will provide. She put her faith to work and this was the result: “there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:15‭-‬16). Sometime later, the woman’s son died and she cried to the prophet and through the power of God, the boy was brought back to life. The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (1 Kings 17:24).

The widow of Zarephath opened her home to the prophet of God, she shared her meal and water with the prophet and she trusted God to supply all her needs. Surely, as long as the famine remained, she and her family did not lack. They had more than enough food to eat. They received divine sustenance. Her dead son was brought back to life and her whole family survived the famine. She obeyed God and did what sounded impossible but her reward was this, God the impossibility specialist gave her more than she ever wanted. She had enough food and she had life. When it seems like there is no way to go through, give your worries to God, cast all your anxieties on Him, do not let your heart be troubled. If ravens (stingy birds) were sent to feed a hungry prophet in seasons of famine, God will definitely send your helper. If a poor and vulnerable widow shared her meal with a prophet in the season of famine, God can make the least expected person to be your source of miracle. But, like the widow of Zarephath,  you should be ready to trust Him to make all things work together for your good. 

Man shall not live on bread alone.

The temptation of Jesus and the temptation of Adam and Eve is connected. In both temptations, the devil asked for something to be done. Adam and Eve failed this temptation because they could not resist the offer to be like God. Therefore when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it and gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it (Genesis 3:6). On the other hand, when Jesus was asked to turn stones in bread, He replied that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God “(Matthew 4:4). Both had knowledge of what God’s word was but not all of them passed the test.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”(Matthew 4:4)

The desire for food and the craving to satisfy one’s hunger can cause people to do the unthinkable. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food because he was legitimately hungry. Esau didn’t consider the implications of his actions until his blessings were transferred to Jacob. Hunger can make people do things they will not do if they are not hungry. In fact the biggest and most lingering global pandemic that has stayed longer is hunger. More people have died of starvation than any other pandemic. The cure for hunger is food and tonnes of food are wasted each by those who have more than enough. If you can support any worthy cause that supplies food to the hungry, please do.

There is another form of hunger which is a spiritual hunger. This hunger cannot be satisfied with bread but with spiritual food. Mankind’s connection with God is the reason we sometimes feel this moment of hunger and emptiness that is not filled by food. The only way to fill this hunger is by the word of God. The devil is aware of mankind’s need for God and always tries to bring other things to satisfy that hunger. However, when we know the truth, it will set us free from the devil’s lies. Jesus is the truth and He is the only way to God (John 14:6). Bread cannot satisfy your internal hunger. There are many hungry people around us who need the truth.

Today, share the love of God with someone. Lead someone to Christ and tell them of God’s plan for their salvation (John 3:16). Remember, bread is good but it doesn’t satisfy our hunger for God!
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