Exodus 16:16–21 (ESV)
This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
Once again, the Israelites are hilariously stupid. Only this time I can’t laugh; they’re too much like me. Moses is telling them that they have to rely totally on the LORD. They cannot store up anything for a rainy day—no savings, no 401k, no IRA. That’s hitting pretty close to home.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. — Matthew 6:19-20 (ESV)
How can we distinguish being properly dependent on the LORD from plain old irresponsibility?
For a Christian, irresponsibility is not producing fruit. Our responsibility is to serve the Lord. That’s obvious from the definition of the word Lord. Christian retirement is in heaven. The concept of retiring in this life isn’t in the Bible. Roles do change as we age, and the Bible clearly expects people to respect, care for, and venerate their elders, but a Christian never really retires.
The problem here isn’t with saving; it’s with saving more than you need. The Israelites are told to take what they need for today but not for tomorrow. They quickly learn that this is a rule, not a suggestion.
Matthew 6:19-20 is about storing up treasures, not reasonable savings. In Biblical times, the elderly lived with their children and contributed to the household as they were able. Their household was their 401k. Few Americans live like that. Reasonable saving for old age is perfectly fine.
Either Jesus is Lord or He isn’t. If He is, our main job is to discern His leading and to do it.
That’s why we have quiet times. The key is silence. The name “quiet time” is designed to center our time on the Lord. We live in a noisy world, and that noise drowns out what we need to hear.
Worship God in silence. The prayer is, “What message do you have for me today?”
The method is just to get away from distractions. Note: if you are distracted by, say, a phone call, it’s okay to go ahead and address it. Then try again to have a true QT. I find my email inbox distracting; I have to clear that out before I can concentrate.
God speaks in many ways.
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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.