Exodus 13:3
“And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.”
INSIGHT
-Bread in Hebrew is written as lacham which means loaf, provision, livelihood, support or a form of currency. There are different types of bread in the Bible eg. shew-bread which were twelve loaves of unleavened bread presented during Sabbath representing the twelve tribes of Israel, & was celebrated by Jesus & His disciples during the last super. Bread has also been used figuratively in such expressions as bread of sorrows (Psa 127:2), bread of tears (Psa 80:5), the bread of wickedness (Pro 4:17) & bread of deceit (Pro 20:17) etc.
-God ordered the Israelites to keep the feast of unleavened bread (Passover feast) in memory of their deliverance from Egypt the house of bondage. Jesus, born in Bethlehem (the house of bread) became the bread of life & the sacrificial Lamb that we may partake of Him & have everlasting life. The Passover feast also reminds us of the presence of God in our lives & His love by delivering us from sin & calls us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice holy & acceptable to Him (Rom 12:1).
PRAYER
You are the King of kings & Lord of lords Father, we praise Your holy name. Thank You Father for giving us this new day, good health & Your salvation upon our lives, all glory belongs to You. We confess all our sins & humbly ask You to purify us from all uncleanliness by Your precious blood Father. We offer our bodies as living sacrifices holy, acceptable to You, grant us Your mercy Lord. Pour your blood merciful Jesus on the door posts of our families, door posts of our country, door post of our friendships & marriages, door posts of our hearts & protect us from all evil. We praise You & magnify You Father now & forever. Amen
1 Kings 17:13-14
“Elijah said to 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.”
INSIGHT
-The giving of bread was & still is a major element of hospitality in the society & serves as a sign of love & gratitude. Elijah having come from a place where ravens fed him, he went to the house of the widow of Zarephath as God had commanded him. Though troubled, the widow was charismatic enough to provide food & offer a place to sleep for Elijah even though she was needy. God calls us to be kind & generous in giving for some in our neighborhoods might be sleeping hungry. According to the scripture, the widow had only floor & oil sufficient for one meal after which they could have starved to death. God displayed His supernatural power of provision through Elijah by supplying the widow with overflowing oil & abundant floor. God tells us to neither be anxious nor panic for He shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).
PRAYER
Jehovah Jireh You are our Provider we have never lacked bread, we praise You for this far You have brought us. Help us to have generous hearts of giving charitably to others according to Your will. You provided for the widow of Zarephath when she was in need Lord, provide for all our needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus. All glory, riches, power & wealth belongs to You Lord. Amen
Psalms 127:2
“It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.”
INSIGHT
-Anxiety is one of the main causes of sleepless nights, rising us early & lose of appetite, that’s why God tells us never to be anxious about anything but in prayer & supplication make our requests known to Him. In the realization that God is our only Provider, we ought to seek His ways & direction in all things. An anxious man finds pleasure in bread of deceit through fraudulent deals which is short-lived (Prov 20:17). An anxious woman eats the bread of idleness through distraction in worldly pressures but a virtuous woman remains diligent & takes care of her household (Prov 31:27). God gives us wisdom to cast our bread upon the waters & find it after many days through His guidance in investment (Ecc 11:1). God reassures us that He will never leave us nor forsake us & directs us that we may find rest in Him.
PRAYER
Abba Father our Provider & ever present Help we come before Your holy presence with humility in our hearts seeking Your mercy. We are lost in work & many things Lord; direct us according to Your will. Father, You have told us that You grant sleep to Your beloved; have mercy on us Lord & help us to find rest in You. We surrender our hearts to You Lord; strengthen us to only obtain pleasure & grace through You Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen
Matthew 4:3-4
“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
INSIGHT
-A persons life is surrounded by needs both physical & spiritual by which their fruitfulness inspire ones direction of purpose. Jesus came from the wilderness where He had fasted for 40 days & 40 nights, He was hungry & the Holy Spirit led Him to be tempted. Satan asked Jesus since He was the Son of God to demonstrate His power by changing stones into bread. Jesus response ‘it is written’ informs us of the power of His word in resisting temptation rooted from Deuteronomy 8:3. Further, our lives do not rest on our physical provision only but in God Who gives us life, so we should focus on things above. We are called to avoid occasions of sin by keeping Gods’ Word in our hearts for sin draws us far from Him & His grace helps us to remain in righteousness. To seek first Gods’ kingdom & His righteousness; & all other things will be added unto us (Mat 6:33).
PRAYER
Our Father Who at in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we also forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom the power & the glory, forever & ever. Amen
John 6:48-51
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
INSIGHT
-Christ Himself is the bread of life; the sustenance from God that gives eternal life when we partake of His body in the bread. Through this; we remember His sacrificial death & celebrate the eternal life He supplies through His body for sustenance of our life in the world & blood for the remission of our sins.
SUMMARY
Bread is richly used as a theological metaphor in the Bible to mean provision, livelihood, a form of currency & in a more elaborate way Christ Himself. As God supplies bread, so He also fills us with righteousness that we may have liberty in Him & give thanks in all things (2 Cor 9:10-11). The widow of Zarephath was in a desperate place of need when God sent Elijah to her house to lodge there. She was charismatic to Elijah & God supplied abundant bread & oil in her house when she believed Gods’ word. God is our Provider & cautions us from anxiety for man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from His mouth that we may only believe & be saved. By Christs’ death & resurrection, we have eternal life as we partake of His body & blood for sustenance & remission of our sins. Lastly, our union & communion with Christ through dwelling in His word & partaking of His body & blood is a token of victory over sin & death unto eternal life with Him.
PRAYER
Jehovah Jireh You are the Bread of life Who came down from heaven, guide us as we partake of You to receive life everlasting. You have always provided bread in our households & we have never lacked, all glory belongs to You Father. Many like the widow of Zarephath are taking their last meal today, provide for them Father that they may have abundant flour & oil in their households. In Your mercies Jehovah remove all anxiety from our hearts & increase the fruit of our labor & spiritual lives. Help us to seek first Your kingdom Lord & Your righteousness & grant us every other thing according to Your word. All victory & power belongs to You Father. Amen