Exodus 15:25
“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.”
INSIGHT
-Wood in Hebrew is written as ets & is used in various industries including; construction, energy, carpentry, etc. which help to produce goods & services that improve the quality of people’s lives all over the world.
-The Israelites walked for 3 days after crossing the Red Sea & got to a place called Marah where the water was bitter & could not be consumed. They grumbled against Moses & God showed him a piece of wood which when he threw into the water; sweetened it. This paints a picture of Jesus Who was crucified on a piece of wood & after 3 days made our lives sweet by releasing us from the bondage of slavery to sin. As we approach Easter, let us continue to ask for Gods mercy, give thanks & praise to Him for His everlasting love upon us.
PRAYER
We give You all the glory & thanks God our Father for the sacrifice You made for us on the cross, & for all the things You have done & continue to do in our lives, families & nation. We humbly ask You to cover us with Your precious blood so that we may be made pure before Your eyes Lord. Go ahead of us Lord as we start this week; to make all the crooked paths straight & to prosper us in all our ways. Answer all our prayers Lord, that our lives may always be sweet. All glory & honor belongs to You Father. Amen
1 Kings 18:33
“He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
INSIGHT
-Elijah had a contest with the 450 prophets of Baal to prove the power of God against Baal their god. These prophets made a sacrifice & prayed to Baal, danced around the altar, mutilated their bodies with knives until blood flowed from their bodies & finally gave up. When it was Elijah’s turn, he placed the sacrifice on an altar with 12 stones & poured 12 jars of water on it which represented the 12 tribes of Israel. He then prayed to God & a fire came down from heaven burning the sacrifice, wood, soil & stones which were beneath it. After that Ahab & the people then believed that the Lord is the only true God & they destroyed these prophets at the Kishon valley. In the same way, Jesus demonstrated His love for us by offering Himself as a pleasing sacrifice for the remission of our sins that we may gain victory with Him. He celebrated the last supper with the 12 disciples where He gave us His body & blood that we may partake of Him & receive eternal life (John 6:54).
PRAYER
You are our Lord God Almighty, there is no other God but You. All power, victory & strength belongs to You our Lord & King. Guide & direct us as we partake of Your body & blood that we may remain in You as You are in us until we access eternal victory with You. All glory & praise belongs to You forever. Amen
Proverbs 26:20
“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”
INSIGHT
-In the above comparison, scarcity of one automatically negates the latter. As wood fuels fire so does a gossip heighten a quarrel. Contention heats up the soul & places relationships, families & societies in a flame. A flame that is normally kindled & kept burning by envy; resulting to whispering & backbiting & later; a quarrel bursts forth. Most people are normally concerned with outward service or appearance than their inner beauty. Let us continue praying to God that through His passion we may be cleansed in our thoughts, words & our whole beings. For when the heart is pure, our words are filtered & the whole body becomes illuminated as James 3:2 notes; we all stumble in many things but if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
PRAYER
Jesus our Savior we humbly beseech You to purify our tongues, hearts, minds & our whole beings by Your blood so that we may see You in all things & share in Your love. Deliver us from all evil Lord & help us to pay more attention to matters that edify the spirit than outward glory. Mend all the broken relationships & families in Your tender mercy we humbly ask You Lord. Fill us, our families, societies, nations & the entire world with Your love that we may be all united in total peace according to Your will Father. We pray this trusting & believing in Jesus mighty name. Amen
2 Timothy 2:20-22
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
INSIGHT
-Gold & silver articles are often associated with honor while wood & clay are deemed more inferior to them. These materials were either used to honor God or dishonor Him. The ark of the covenant was made of wood & gold, just like the first Jerusalem temple which was constructed & decorated by a mix of gold, stone & different kinds of wood with the holiest places made of gold, a sign of honoring God. Pure gold has been used to make the streets of the New Jerusalem according to Rev 21:21. On the flip side, foreign gods were made using the same materials to dishonor God as it is today. The holiest places where gold & silver was used can be compared to the spirit man as they are considered the purest materials & highly valued as opposed to wood & clay which can be attributed to the body. This makes a clear distinction between that which defiles & that which edifies for the good works of righteousness, faith, love & peace that we have been called to uphold; for youthful lusts only lead to Sheol.
PRAYER
Our Father full of mercy & compassion, have mercy on us & on the whole world. We repent of all our sins Lord, sins of our youth, sins that we have done knowingly, those we have done unknowingly & sins of the whole world. Cleanse us by Your precious blood Father that we may become pure & remember our iniquity no more. Guide us & all the lost sheep who do not believe in You our good Shepherd & train us in righteousness that we may live in faith, love & peace Lord; until we inherit that which You have promised us. We praise You & glorify Your name on high. Amen
Luke 23:31-33
“For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”
INSIGHT
-Green wood has been used symbolically to show the ability of a person to bear fruit & make a difference in his/her own life & that of others. Dry wood on the other hand, is lifeless, unable to produce & is easy to catch fire. This was probably a comparison of the two thieves who were crucified next to Jesus. He was reproached, reviled, scourged & led to the slaughter so that by Jesus’ suffering & death on the cross He may triumphed over all His enemies for the purchase of victory in eternal life for the whole world.
SUMMARY
-Wood in Hebrew is written as ets & is used in various industries including; construction, energy, carpentry, etc. & helps to produce goods & services that improve the quality of people’s lives all over the world.
-Gold & silver articles are often associated with honour while wood & clay are deemed more inferior & could be used either to honour or dishonour God (2 Tim 2:20-22). The ark of the covenant & the first Jerusalem temple were constructed by both wood & gold to honour God. The same materials were used to make foreign gods thus dishonouring God. The holiest articles & places were made of gold a comparison to the spirit man as opposed to wood & clay which can be attributed to the body. Good works of righteousness, faith, love & peace spark in us a spiritual fire that draw us closer to God but a contention heats up the soul causing a quarrel between families, friends & the societies. Just like wood fuels fire, gossip heighten a quarrel (Prov 26:20). When the spirit is renewed by God, the heart becomes pure, our words are filtered & the whole body is controlled (James 3:2). Christ makes our lives sweet by His love displayed through His crucification & death on the cross & after 3 days released us from the bondage of slavery to sin. This was predestined at Marah after the Israelites were delivered from slavery & walked for 3 days after crossing the Red Sea. Moses to instructed by God to throw a piece of wood in the bitter water which made it sweet (Exo 15:25). Again when Elijah had a contest with the 450 prophets of Baal to prove the power of God against Baal. He used 12 stones when building the altar & poured 12 jars of water on the sacrifice. He then prayed to God & fire came down from heaven burning the sacrifice, wood, soil & stones beneath & Ahab; & the people believe that the Lord is the only true God (1 Kings 18:33). In the same way, Jesus demonstrated His love for us by offering Himself as a pleasing sacrifice for the remission of our sins that we may gain victory with Him. He celebrated the last supper with the 12 disciples where He gave us His body & blood that we may partake of Him & receive eternal life (Jn 6:54). Through His great love & mercy; God made us alive when we were dead to transgressions & raised us up with Christ. He made us sit with Him in the heavenly realm that we may be saved by grace not by our works lest anyone should boast & have been created for good works prepared for us in advance (Eph 2:4-10).
PRAYER
Jesus Christ our Saviour, we thank You & praise Your name for dying on the cross for our sins that we may attain victory with You unto eternal life through grace. Strengthen us to dwell in You as You are in us as we partake of Your body & blood by faith. We humbly ask You Lord to fill our hearts with joy this Easter & journey with all those who are traveling. We believe in You Father, make our lives sweeter as the water at Marah for the good works prepared for us in advance. All glory & praise belongs to You Lord forever & ever. Amen