“Jehovah Jireh”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, April 12, 2024

Exodus 16:23-36 (Forward, p. 74) CEV p. 71

In the Hebrew Scriptures there are a number of ‘Jehovah’ names or titles for God, each one representing some aspect of God’s character. Thus there is ‘Jehovah Shalom’ (the Lord our peace, Judges 6:24), ‘Jehovah Tsidkenu’ (the Lord our righteousness’, Jeremiah 23:6), ‘Jehovah Rapha’ (the Lord our healer/ fixer, Exodus 15:22-26) and ‘Jehovah Ra’ah’ (the Lord our shepherd, Psalm 23:1), to name just a few. But the one that today’s passage calls to mind is ‘Jehovah Jireh’, the Lord our provider.

But does that title presuppose that the Lord will provide for us, regardless of the circumstances and regardless of what we ask for? Many Bible commentators and preachers have taken it that way, those that promote what I would call ‘the health and wealth’ or the ‘name and claim it gospel.’ They take Jesus’ words, ‘ask and ye shall receive’ literally. And so, they actively teach such ideas as ‘you want a Rolls Royce, then ask for it, and you’ll receive it. God delights to give good gifts to His children. God’s will for you is that you prosper.’ And they would point to yet another one of God’s Jehovah names, ‘Jehovah Jireh’, the Lord our provider, as even more grounds for this belief. And so, they would take God’s provision of manna to the children of Israel in the wilderness as a model or example of what we should expect of God, an illustration of God’s more than abundant bounty!

But, in so doing, they gloss over the situations both of today’s passage, and the passage where the Jehovah Jireh title shows up. Both passages factor in a certain factor, namely obedience. In today’s reading the children of Israel had to obey; they had to go out and gather in the manner—but only on the days and in the ways that God stipulated. There was no manna on the Sabbath, even though some people—being disobedient to God’s clear command—went out and sought it anyway. (So much for asking and receiving.) And furthermore, they were also commanded not to keep any of it for any longer than for the designated time-period. Otherwise, it went bad and maggoty.

And with the original Jehovah Jireh, in which God provided a substitute for Abraham’s son Isaac, when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice him in

apparent obedience to God, the whole provision once again hinges on obedience (see Genesis 22:1-18).

And that is exactly what James says in the New Testament: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). He counsels his readers instead to ‘submit themselves to the Lord (verse 7), which is to seek God’s will first, before asking, and then make their prayers accordingly. It is all about being faithful to God, about being obedient to Him. And, if we love Him and do ask according to His will, then we will also be satisfied with whatever He gives, for we know that He has our best interests at heart. Then truly, He will be Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our provider. Amen.

Forward notes: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath” (verse 23b).

“The Jewish sabbath is a day of holiness and rest, a sacred weekly observance on the seventh day of every week. For most Christians, following a long tradition of observing worship on Sundays, the ‘Lord’s Day’ took the place of the Jewish sabbath, with Sundays set aside for prayer, worship, and a day of rest. Some religious and academic institutions made available sabbaticals for employees, extended periods ‘off’ from regular work commitments, with full or partial pay.

“In our contemporary era, work and life schedules don’t always follow a traditional rhythm. That makes it even more urgent for us to intentionally set aside time to seek rest, reflection, and re-creation on a regular basis. This time could be Sunday, another day of the week, a block of days, or even sacred time especially set aside within each day. Franciscan priest Richard Rohr has wisely suggested that unless we set aside at least one-seventh of our time for pursuits that are not self-centred and not about performance, we forget the purpose of our lives.”

Moving Forward: “When and how do you honour the tradition of sabbath?”