Tuesday, April 18, 2023

 

Tuesday, April 18, 2023


Psalm 107:1-22

Exodus 15:19-27

Matthew 28:11-20


And the people complained…


On my bookshelf lives a very weathered copy of Julius Caesar's Conquest of Gaul. It comes off the shelf and goes into circulation every few years because it is such a jolly fun read. Not so much the ruthless efficiency with which Caesar put down Gallic opposition, but rather how the great man was so acutely aware that this work would be read widely back in Rome and function as pro-Caesar propaganda. How Caesar described Caesar was quite different to how someone like Cicero described Caesar. I rather think that if our own lives were to be made into a book or a movie then we would feel much more comfortable if it was to be autobiographical, and not left in the hands of someone else to write.


We see two sides to the same story this morning, with this portion of Psalm 107 describing the same event as it is recorded in Exodus. Moses cannot believe the ungratefulness of these people and records them as “complaining” about the bitter water. The Psalmist, by contrast, has the noble pilgrim crying out to the LORD in their distress.


It is a very good reminder that God looks not at our appearances, but at our hearts. He is not persuaded one way or the other by the face we put out to the world. He looks to our intentions and our desires, and judges our character based on that instead.


What a relief that even though God knows exactly what is going on with us, He still listens to us and gives us what we need. More than that – He gives us perfection. The perfect numbers of twelve springs and seventy palm trees teach us that God is the same inside and out. His internal character is the same as the face He shows the world: that His steadfast love endures forever.



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