Day 5: The words of His mouth
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread (Job 23:12).
Our Father, God of source and supply, from the beginning, You gave the gifts of physical sustenance to Your creation, providing for humans and for every creature:
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so (Genesis 1:29-30).
Later, You were to expand Your provision to humans—“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything” (Genesis 9:3).
But just as in the physical, You made provision for our spiritual needs even from the dawn of creation. Moses explained this to Your people as he emphasized the importance of nourishment beyond the physical:
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3).
The Lord Jesus was later to explain to later generations the greater priority of the true bread from heaven (John 6:33):
I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51).
It was this priority that Job acknowledged when he declared, "I have treasured the words of His lips more than my daily bread" (Job 23:12). Help us too, to understand this. We know that food is important—You know that, for You created us, and You have provided for us (Genesis 1:29-30, Genesis 9:3, Psalm 104:10-15, 27-28). But our Lord Jesus reminded us: "Is not life more than food?" (Matthew 6:25).
Today, Lord, as we pray for, and as we thank You for our daily bread, teach us to wholeheartedly receive with gratitude the bread of heaven. Teach us to treasure the words of His mouth, for they are spirit and they are life (John 6:63 - NKJV).
We thank Thee Lord for this our food
But most of all for Jesus’ blood
Let manna to our souls be giv’n
The bread of life sent down from heav’n
Amen.
~Author Unknown
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