THE FOOD SUPPLY
Exodus 12:3-9; 1 Kings 4:22,23; Luke 24:36-43
The question was asked at the end of Genesis, “What is your occupation?” (chap.47:3). Our brother’s occupation was concerned with the food supply; that was literally his work, but more important than that, he was concerned about the spiritual food supply.
These three scriptures all speak of food. I read firstly in Exodus because this is God’s provision for the sinner, and we all need to partake of this food. It speaks about the household; it speaks about persons who are in positions of care for a house. Our brother had that. He filled out that service in his locality, and those of us who have known him all of our lives, knew that he cared, he had an interest in us. He was concerned about the outgoing of the gospel, that the Lord Jesus was available as the Saviour for sinners. What food is spoken of in this chapter! The lamb speaks of the Lord Jesus. The lamb was to be four days in the house. You can read the four gospels, read about the life of Jesus. The passage refers to “its head with its legs and with its inwards”. Think about it; find these features in the gospels. The glory of who He was in His own Person, that is like His head. Every thought would be in accord with heaven, no Man like Him! Then there was no walk like His – think of the legs of the Lord Jesus, these footsteps, this pathway that the gospels record for us. Whatever situation He was in, He was marked by perfection. He was marked by grace too, grace for the poor, needy, helpless sinner. Where did those legs take Him? They took Him to the cross at Calvary, where He suffered and died. That is what “roast with fire” speaks of, the unmitigated judgment of God. One “who knew not sin he has made sin for us”, 2 Cor.5:21. Think of what God judged, and the spotless One who bore that judgment is food for us to partake of.
We come to know Christ as our Saviour. It is a wonderful matter. As sinners we need a Saviour, and the Lord Jesus is the only Saviour: “neither is there another name under heaven which is given among men by which we must be saved”, Acts 4:12. It is imperative, so we eat of it, we partake of it; it is no casual matter to partake of this Lamb roast with fire. Then you come under the shelter of this blood, it is put on the lintel and the doorposts. We did not read of it but later in this chapter it says, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (v.13). The way is barred to God as judge. Mr Darby comments 'God … in His justice, His holiness, and His truth, could not touch those who were sheltered by that blood’.7 How wonderful that is! Think of the respect God has for the blood. Redemption’s price has been paid by precious blood. I trust everyone here knows the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and has partaken of this Lamb, this sacrificial Lamb, this Lamb without blemish and without spot. It speaks of the perfection of the Saviour, the One who has died for you and me. These movements of the Lord Jesus took Him to the cross at Calvary, and we come to know Him as the One who has broken the power of death.
Last week people commemorated D-Day. It was said that there was never anything that had been undertaken like that before. Think of the thousands of persons that died on that day and the days that followed. It resulted almost a year later in the end of the war in Europe. Dear friend, what the Lord accomplished on the cross at Calvary is far greater than anything that has ever been done in this world. What a victory: there was no victory like it! What could man do against death? But the Lord Jesus has been into it and broken its power, and has come out living and victorious. He is triumphant, and He is glorious: that is what we read of in Kings. Solomon typifies Jesus as glorified, both in His present position and as what He will be in a day to come, when He will come out and reign publicly. Everything in this world will be set in perfection then. Our brother enjoyed that now, Solomon’s provision for one day. What Solomon’s food speaks to us of is abundance and quality, and there is no lack here. Not like this world: there are no cutbacks in that world, there is no cost of living crisis because the believer’s link is with Christ in glory and there is no dearth in that realm. Our brother enjoyed this.
All these things that we have read of speak of the Lord Jesus, and what sustains the believer. We need food to live naturally, but the believer needs food to live spiritually and there is a plentiful supply of food, there is no dearth and there is no lack in Christ glorified. What a wonderful thing that is! Our brother enjoyed all that. You could tell in his life that he enjoyed the One on whom he was feeding, He was feeding on Christ. Believers want to be like Christ and those of us who have known our brother all our lives know that one of the things that has marked him and our sister, his wife, was the abundance of their provision; they came out in features of God Himself. God is not meagre in anything He does. Our brother and our sister were in a certain sense like that. There are many in this room who enjoyed the abundance of their provision, and spiritually too, impressions were enjoyed.
In Luke 24, the Lord is out of death. The disciples here were unsure, but He assures their hearts. The Lord Jesus would assure every heart here. He brings in His peace. He comes Himself and touches the hearts of the disciples, provides whatever is needed. Comfort is needed now, and the Lord is able to bring in comfort. He asks the question, “Have ye anything here to eat?” The Lord knew what they had, He knew that they had something. Our brother was always concerned that there would be something for the Lord. Whether it is individually or in our localities, collectively, our brother was exercised that what was for the Lord should continue; and there were impressions of the Lord that he was enjoying. It says, “Have ye anything here to eat? And they gave him part of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb”. It has been suggested that the fish refers to sovereignty. Our brother of whom we spoke in relation to the food supply is no longer with us, but the food supply continues. For those of us left here today, the exercise is to be active in what is vital and living. The Lord has taken our brother; that is the Lord’s act, and it is a sovereign act, and now the Lord would say, “Have ye anything here to eat?”. We accept and recognise that it was a sovereign act of the Lord to take our brother, and we feel the loss. But we accept that it is the Lord’s action, because it is His right to take those that love Him to be with Himself. Then there is the honeycomb, which would speak to us of what is worked out together. We need one another to work out the truth, and to continue in it. The food supply must continue.
I trust each one here knows what it is to have Christ as their Saviour, and to know the wonderful abundance that the believer enjoys by the power of the Spirit as occupied with Christ where He is. And also to be for Christ, “Have ye anything here to eat? … and he took it and ate before them”. Think of what the Lord enjoys in what is provided by His own, think of what is for His own heart.
May we be helped in these things, and be encouraged and comforted, for His name’s sake.
Bill Lovie
Words at a burial meeting
Buckie, 15 June 2024
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