My daily reading included these verses today:
Exodus 16:2-3 ESV
[2] And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, [3] and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
They brought to mind what Jesus said in Matthew 5 and 6 during the “Sermon on the Mount”;
Matthew 5:6 ESV
[6] “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
And
Matthew 6:31-33 ESV
[31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
God knows we have physical needs. He knows we get hungry and thirsty, that we need to eat and drink to stay alive. The audience Jesus was speaking to didn’t have their pick of 10 grocery stores in town, or the ability to go through the drive-thru for a quick bite. Many if not most KNEW what it meant to be hungry and thirsty. To grind grain to make the daily bread, or carry buckets to the well for clean water.
And yet it was to THIS group he told the blessings of hungering and thirsting after God’s righteousness.
When we are REALLY hungry we do what it takes to eat. If you have ever been thirsty to the point of dehydration you know the throbbing head, clammy skin, and rapid heartbeat that can come with it.
Do I hunger and thirst after God like that? Do I take the time to “seek His righteousness” daily? Most of us would never dream of missing a meal, and yet do we have such a discipline for reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer?
The blessing doesn’t come without the hungering and thirsting.
