Hear the word of the Lord:
Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained down on them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall within their camp,
all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
Psalm 78:23-29
This is beautiful Hebrew poetry,
parallel line answering and expanding its partner.
“Raining down on them manna” and
“Gave them the grain of heaven.”
This language is both powerful and beautiful,
while emphasizing the power and beauty of God.
Yet this psalm is more than beautiful language about God;
it is a description of God’s power for God’s people.
It is not just that God meets his people’s needs,
nor that he fills them, even with the bread of heaven.
It is that God delivers these blessings to our doorstep,
close enough to nearly make us stumble over them.
Not just in mere adequacy does he provide,
but his blessings are like “the sand of the seas.”
Surely a God like this deserves this beautiful psalm;
certainly our God is worthy of our most powerful praise.
May we see his blessings for us,
and not have to stumble over them.
May we praise him for those blessings today,
and not make him wait for our thankfulness.
Grace and peace,
Ron
