Lord’s Day, Vol. 11 No. 13
Seek Ye First the Righteousness of God (2)
– Matthew 6:19-34
It is the will of God that we enjoy the blessing of a vibrant, worshipful, God-glorifying life of closeness and favour with God in the everyday activities of life.
In Matthew 19-34, Jesus warned against being trapped by the two main temptations that attack us all in this life and often threaten to tear us away from enjoying this blessed life of walking with God in being His faithful witness. He warned of the temporal or material trap (v19-24) and the anxiety trap (v25-34).
(2) The Anxiety Trap (v25-34)
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
He addresses the weariness of worrying when there is not enough food on the table for each meal, what clothes we wear. “Take no thought” is the word “be distracted”, “to be drawn in different directions.” Worry pulls us apart from resting on God’s provision.
These are literally the worries, anxieties and distractions of this present life that hold captive the hearts and minds of the hearers to the extent that there is no room for God in their lives; no room to consider, ponder, receive and give priority to things eternal. We see here the weariness from the energy-sapping effect of the cares of the world. They drain the heart of strength so much so that it cannot find true hope and life. To these, Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
What our Lord is warning us against is the danger of being distracted by the main objective in life to fulfil the will of God in our lives but be encumbered by care, by anxiety about earthly, worldly things, by looking so much at them that we do not look at God and thus the danger of living a double life.
Israel after coming out of Egypt was journeying in the wilderness en-route to the Promised Land.
God first addressed worship, their devotional life, how to get right with Him by way of the sacrifices and the work of the Tabernacle. The people gave sacrificially for the construction of the Tabernacle.
Remember, the Tabernacle was set up right in the middle of the camp with the 12 tribes surrounding it. When Israel looked inwards, it was the assurance of God’s presence, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But without or outside the camp was the utter barrenness of the wilderness that will make one shudder, a picture of the dying world, life under the sun, as Solomon puts in the Book of Ecclesiastes, albeit, a scourging sun. It is a picture of life without putting God in our life.
Then He addressed the challenges of their journey through the wilderness. How they how God could supply food for them in the barrenness of the wilderness.
Exodus 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exodus 16:4-5 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Israel’s wilderness travel is a pictorial guide to the faithfulness and ability of God to care for our earthly needs.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Jesus gave the example of the birds the heavenly Father takes care of them when God is not their heavenly Father. But for us who are His children, are we not better than a bird? Can he not take care of you?
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Of course, the bird does not just keep just sit on a tree and is fed. The bird does busily search for food. God commanded that man should live by the sweat of his brow he is to work to sustain himself. The fact that you have life is a gift from God. You are alive because God has willed and God decided it. And the God who gives life is also the Sustainer of life. If God has given us life, then He will see to it that life is kept going. The manna that fell from heaven has to be gathered by God’s children so that they might appropriate His provision.
God who cares providentially for the birds will surely care for you.
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Do you think that by your worrying, you can influence and change anything? Jesus is not arguing how our needs will be met but He is just saying that it will be done. He will see to it. The Giver of the gift of life will see that the sustenance and support of that life will be provided.
Your worrying cannot change anything from what God will give to you. The word “stature” means “physical body size”. A cubit is the distance from the arm to the tip of the middle finger, about 18 inches. God determines not just your height but the duration of your life. Life is a gift from God. It starts it, He determines the end of it and He sustains it. We are in His hands. Therefore, when you tend to become worried and anxious, just tell yourself, reason in your heart, I cannot start, continue or end life, all this is entirely in His hands.
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Jesus says to look at the lilies of the field, the natural wildflowers and the grass. Look at their beauty and their perfection. Even Solomon in his glory cannot be arrayed like one of these. The grass of the field is transient and passing. In ancient times, they used to cut it and use it as fuel.
It was the old way of making bread. God takes care of the grass in the field shall He not take care of you?
God is concerned with their little faith, not the absence of faith but the inadequacy of faith. Taking thought and anxiety is evidence of small faith in God. Little faith means a failure to do what we ought, to trust God, to look to Him!
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Anxious seeking of the things of the earth is the plight of the Gentiles who are destitute of the knowledge of God and are ignorant of these heavenly things prepared for God’s children. Christians are not fatherless nor is their heavenly Father ignorant, or unable or careless to do for them.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Jesus gave the antidote to overcome this world’s cares when He advised, “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:31). Only faith that leads to obedience to God will enable a man to allay his fears and anxieties.
Why does the Lord say to add “His righteousness”, it is important, it means holiness, the life of righteousness!
Seek to take hold of the promises of God. Jesus gave this one commandment to His church in Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (cf. Mark 16:15-18).
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Until now, He has been looking at this problem as it concerns us in the immediate present. Now He takes on covering the future. Not only will God take care of your present needs, but He will take care of your future needs. The God who helps us today will be the same God who helps us tomorrow.
He tells us to live day by day, live a life of obedience to God every day, do what God says we are to do every day. He will be with you according to your need “as thy days, so shall your strength be.”
CONCLUSION
The temporal or material Trap (v19-24), the anxiety Trap (v25-34), may God grant us His grace to overcome these temptations so that we may have the strength to go forth to be His witnesses, to spend and be spent! Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee