Chapter 17

GOD WILL PROVIDE

(Matthew 6:25-34)

 

Before we begin this study of God's Word let us pray.

          Dear Heavenly Father,

                    I come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father I ask You to please take away my doubts and fears. Cause me, oh Lord, to trust in You and in Your Word. Help me Lord to better understand, believe and hold on to the precious promises that You have given to me.

Amen

 

INTRODUCTION

          In our previous study titled: "You Can Not Serve Two Masters" we saw some of the consequences that fell upon those who looked to something or someone else rather than to God to provide for their needs. We also saw and read about the blessings God bestowed upon those who trusted in Him.

          To further encourage us to seek after Him and His Kingdom, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, provides us with the most incredible promise for our temporal needs. To see this let us read from,

 

Matthew 6:25-34

""[25] Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

          What is our Lord teaching us? What is the message of this discourse? Is our Lord teaching us that we should not work and toil for our temporal needs? The answer is no. As we study the Scriptures we discover that,

          1. We are to work for our own physical needs.

          2. We are to be good stewards.

          3. We are not to worry.

          4. God will provide.

 

With this brief introduction in mind we begin our study by finding that,

 

WE ARE TO WORK FOR OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS

          To see this let us consider the following two proverbs. The first proverb is recorded in,

 

Proverbs 24:30-34

"[30] I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; [31] thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. [32] I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: [33] A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- [34] and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."

 

The second proverb is recorded in,

 

Proverbs 20:4

"[4] A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."

 

          As we read the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians we also discover that our Lord would have us serve, that is work for our masters, as we would serve Him. To see how this teaching applies to those of us who do not live under the slave/master relationship, we will read the following passage and substitute the word employer for master and employee for slave.

 

Ephesians 6:5-9

"[5] Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. [6] Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. [7] Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, [8] because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. [9] And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him."

 

          This principle of working for our temporal needs is so important in God's mind that in the Apostle Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians the Holy Spirit tells them and now us that those who do not work are not to eat. In other words we are not to be seeking for or providing to others free handouts. To see this let us read from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible the following passage,

 

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

[6] But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. [7] For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; [8] nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, [9] not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. [10] For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. [11] For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. [12] Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. [13] But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. [14] And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. [15] Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          6 … We are to withdraw from those who claim to be brothers or sisters in the Lord but are disorderly and do not follow the traditions or commands written in the Bible.

 

          8 … To not be a burden to those he taught Paul worked for his own physical needs. As we read the Book of Acts (Acts 18:8) we learn that Paul earned his living as a tentmaker.

 

          9 … As an Apostle, Paul had the God given right to receive from the people he taught his food, clothing and shelter. To see this let us read the following passage from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

 

1 Corinthians 9:1-14

"[1] Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? [2] Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. [3] This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. [4] Don't we have the right to food and drink? [5] Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? [6] Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? [7] Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? [8] Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? [9] For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? [10] Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. [11] If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? [12] If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. [13] Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? [14] In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."

 

          Thus we find that even though Paul had the right to receive food, clothing and shelter from those to whom he gave spiritual food, he did not exercise his right. Instead Paul chose to live in a manner so as to be an example of how the true disciple of Jesus Christ is to live. Specifically, he chose to be a living example of the fact that in order to receive the provisions for our physical needs, we are to work.

          With this in mind let us now return to 2 Thessalonians and notice the following verses,,

 

          10 … The rule of order within the New Testament church is: "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."

 

          11-12 … We are not to be busy bodies. Instead we are to work quietly and eat our own food.

 

          14-15 … If anyone does not practice this way of life; then the church is not to assemble with them. The reason they were to do this was for the hope that the idle person would change their way, go to work and earn their own keep.

 

          Now this does not mean that if a person falls upon hard times and/or are unable to work and provide for their needs that we should not help them. No! In fact, the Holy Spirit also instructs us to be charitable. To see this let us read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth during the time they were gathering supplies for the people in Jerusalem who were struck with a great famine. The Holy Spirit's teaching on this aspect of our walk with Jesus is recorded for us in,

 

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7

"[6] Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [7] Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

 

Let us notice the following verse,

          7 … In our charitable giving it is God’s desire for us to be a willing and cheerful giver. In other words, he does not want us to give out of intimidation or compulsion.

 

          In addition to being diligent and charitable workers, the Bible also teaches us that,

 

WE ARE TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF HIS RESOURCES

          To see this let us consider the parable of the ten minas. In today's American money this is approximately $64,000; or approximately $6,400 per mina. With this in mind let us read from,

 

Luke 19:11-26

"[11] While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. [12] He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. [13] So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' [14] "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' [15] "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. [16] "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' [17] "'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' [18] "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' [19] "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' [20] "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. [21] I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' [22] "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' [24] "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' [25] "'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' [26] "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          11-12 … The purpose of the parable is to teach us what we are to do while we are waiting for our Lord’s return.

 

          13 … The soon to be king instructed his servants to put to work the minas that he gave them. In other words, he instructed them to invest or spend the minas wisely.

 

          16-19 … Some of the servants were good stewards of the king's money and as a result they earned a profit for the king.

 

          20-21 … However, one of the servants did not obey the king's command. Instead of putting the mina to work, as he was told to do, he hid it so that it would not be lost.

 

          22-26 … These verses provide us some understanding of how our Lord views those who do not wisely utilize or invest the resources and talents He has given us.

 

          Not only does the above parable apply to our physical resources and talents and how we are to carefully invest or use them, but there is also a spiritual application as well. This spiritual application addresses the fact that we are to carefully and diligently use and invest the spiritual gift(s) and talent(s) that God the Holy Spirit has given us (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-27).

 

          As we reflect upon and do all we have just covered along with the lessons we learned from our previous study titled: "You Can Not Serve Two Masters", we discover that our Lord is teaching us that,

 

GOD PROMISED HE WILL PROVIDE

To expand upon this we begin by reading from,

 

Psalm 37:25-26

"[25] I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [26] They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed."

 

          With this background let us now return to the Gospel according to Matthew and reread the Scriptures from the theme of this study.

 

Matthew 6:25-35

""[25] Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

          In other words our Lord is teaching us to serve and follow Him above all things. He is also teaching us that we are not to fret or worry about our physical needs. Instead, we are to wholeheartedly follow Him, obey His commands and be diligent in performing the tasks, that is our work or employment that He has set before us. If we do this, our Lord and Savior promised to take care of our needs. As a side note we must be careful to not misconstrue our work to involve activities that are contrary to His will, which are activities that are sinful.

With all this in mind, let us now review

 

SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW FAITHFUL GOD IS TO HIS WORD

          To see how good and faithful our Lord is, let us review some examples of how our God made good on His Word to those who wholeheartedly sought after Him and His ways. To do this we will explore the following three ways in which God will provide for our physical needs.

          1. through our own labors

          2. through the abundance of others in our time of need

          3. through supernatural means in times of our need

 

We begin by reading how God blessed those who followed Him,

 

THROUGH OUR OWN LABOR

          In this portion of our study we will read how God blessed the labors of Isaac and Joseph. To see how God blessed Isaac in his labors let us read from,

 

Genesis 26:12-14

"[12] Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. [13] The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. [14] He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him."

 

          The second example of how God blessed the labors of those who were loyal to Him comes to us from Joseph. As you may recall, by his brothers, Joseph was sold into slavery. With this short background in mind let us read what happened after Joseph was transported from his homeland of Canaan and brought to Egypt. The Scriptures of interest are in,

 

Genesis 39:1-6(a)

"[1] Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. [2] The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, [4] Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [5] From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. [6] So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate…"

 

          The above two examples reveal to us how God, to provide for their physical needs, blessed the labors of those who followed and obeyed Him.

          However, there may be times or a season when God will allow His people to fall upon hard times. These are times when for some reason we are not able to provide for our own physical needs. In times like these our God will also provide for us. To see this let us review some examples of how God provided for the physical needs for those who were in need,

 

THROUGH THE ABUNDANCE OF OTHERS

          To better see and appreciate this aspect of our God's faithfulness and compassion, we will briefly review the following two examples:

          1. Provisions were given to the poor who resided in Jerusalem.

          2. Paul also received assistance for his needs.

 

          Our first example provides us with an illustration of how the various New Testament churches helped to provide provisions for those who were in need in Jerusalem. To see this let us read the following excerpt of what Paul wrote to explain to the Romans why he was going to Jerusalem. To read what he wrote we go to,

 

Romans 15:25-26

"[25] Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. [26] For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          25 … Paul wrote to the brethren in Rome that before he comes to them he must first go to Jerusalem.

 

          26 … The reason Paul went to Jerusalem was to give the needy provisions for their physical well being. Notice, these provisions were collected from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia. In other words, God moved the believer's in Macedonia, Achaia and Paul to provide for the needs of those in Jerusalem.

 

          For our second example we discover that even though Paul worked to provide for his own physical needs there were times when he had to accept help from others. To see this let us read from,

 

Philippians 4:16-19

[16] For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. [17] Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. [18] Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. [19] And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          17 … Paul did not seek or ask for the gifts he received but sought after the fruit that God would give to those who helped him.

 

          18 … Now that he received, via Epaphroditus, their help, Paul was in good shape.

 

          As we read the Bible we find that there were also times when God had provided for the physical needs of His people,

 

THROUGH SUPERNATURAL MEANS

          To see this we will briefly review the following four examples: (1) Israel during their exodus from Egypt, (2) Elijah fleeing from King Ahab, (3) The miracle of the oil and (4) Jesus feeding the five thousand.

          To refresh our memories of how, during their journey from Egypt, God faithfully provided for the physical needs of Israel let us read how Moses summarized this facet of their exodus as recorded in,

 

Deuteronomy 29:2-6

"[2] Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. [3] With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. [4] But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. [5] During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. [6] You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          2-3 … Even though the people of Israel saw all that God did to deliver them from their bondage in Egypt, they still did not truly grasp the majesty and compassion of God.

 

          4. God did not yet give them the mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. Consider how truly blessed we, the born again believer, truly is.

 

          5 … During the forty years of living and travelling in the wilderness of Sinai the clothes and shoes of the Israelites did not wear out.

 

          6 … For forty years, in the wilderness, God faithfully and miraculously provided them Manna in place of bread to eat and water in place of wine to drink. These were the provisions God miraculously used to nourish and sustain the nation of Israel, which was over one million people, for forty years.

 

          For our second example let us read how, while Elijah was fleeing from King Ahab during a severe drought, God supernaturally provided for his physical needs. A good summary of God's faithfulness to Elijah is recorded for us in,

 

1 Kings 17:1-6

"[1] Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to 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." [2] Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: [3] "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. [4] You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." [5] So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. [6] The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          1 … God, through Elijah, told Ahab, the King of Israel, that He was going to withhold dew and rain for what we find later to be over three years.

 

          2-4 … God told Elijah to hide by a brook in the Kerith Ravine. Elijah was to take his water from the brook. In addition, God told Elijah He would command some ravens to bring him food.

 

          5-6 … Elijah obeyed God and God fulfilled His promise to provide Elijah with his physical needs.

 

          Our third example of how God supernaturally provided the needs for His people is when through the hand of Elisha He filled empty jars with oil. To read what occurred we go to,

 

2 Kings 4:1-7

[1] A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” [2] So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” [3] Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. [4] And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” [5] So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. [6] Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. [7] Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

 

          The fourth and last example for this portion of our study comes by the hand of Jesus Christ. This example took place when Jesus fed a great multitude of people with only five barley loaves of bread and two small fish. It is recorded for us in,

 

John 6:1-13

"[1] Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), [2] and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. [3] Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. [4] The Jewish Passover Feast was near. [5] When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" [6] He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. [7] Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" [8] Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, [9] "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" [10] Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. [11] Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. [12] When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." [13] So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          2-3 … Because of the miraculous signs He performed a multitude of people followed Jesus upon a mountain side.

 

          5 … Jesus had compassion upon the people and wanted to feed the people. He then asked Phillip where they could purchase bread for them.

 

          6 … Because Jesus knew what He was going to do to feed the people,

His question was a test.

 

          7 … Phillip replied by telling Jesus that they did not have enough money to purchase the required amount of bread.

 

          8-9 … Andrew told Jesus that a young lad only had five barley loaves of bread and two small fish.

 

          10-11 … Jesus, after giving thanks to God the Father for the food, He gave to the multitude fish and bread to eat. They all ate till they were full.

 

          12-13 … After the multitude finished eating; Jesus' disciples filled twelve baskets with the left over pieces of bread.

 

          From the Gospel according to Matthew 14:2 we discover that on this day the great multitude that Jesus fed were five thousand men, besides the women and children.

 

THE POINT OR MESSAGE OF THIS STUDY

Actually it is beautifully summarized in,

 

Matthew 6:24-34

""[24] "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. [25] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

Blessed be the Lord forever,

Amen and Amen