Exodus 16:12-15 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. ¹⁴ And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”  For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

Here it is Christmas Eve and I have not provided any devotional in support of this seasonal celebration. Eve and its uses and meaning filled my mind as I first woke up yesterday. I was not entirely sure which way to go with this devotional because the meaning of Eve is feminine and eve masculine in language usage.

Eve in the feminine usage means life and giver of life. Eve in the masculine usage means on the morrow.

I settled on these passages from Exodus only because of the inclusive phrase “Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” All things written should be in support of knowing the Lord our God. This is in support of coming to understand ourselves in this relationship.

In the evening the quail covered the camp. It was of nature, known to them and there was no surprise in seeing the quail. In the morning the manna appeared and they were perplexed by its appearance and had to inquire for understanding. They had to be told how to handle it, when to eat it and when not to eat it.

The quail was provided by God just as much as the manna but because it was natural in presentation there was no exclamation, exhilaration, or praise of God. It could be said that God’s work was taken for granted.

Luke 12:48a English Standard Version (ESV) But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating.

Some say ignorance is bliss. A pew potato is similar in design to the couch potato, they kick back, relax and expect to be entertained. Consequences in the world occur for the couch potato, his health declines because of inactivity. In the spiritual realm ignorance does not have the same physical effect but there are spiritual consequences.

James 1:22 English Standard Version (ESV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Satan is the deceiver and acting as a pew potato does his work for him. We should not deceive ourselves. The truth is available to us if we seek Him who is true.

Ignorance of sin is still sin. It may be a light beating but it is still a beating. My mother gave the harder beatings but the ones from my father hurt the worst. That is directly related to the relationship I had with my father. I tend to think that when we answer to God the Father for what we did with His Son, it will hurt worse coming from Him.

Matthew 23:23 English Standard Version (ESV) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

That was just a scolding. They will have to answer to the Father for their failures. They were warned and given a chance to repent and change their ways. We are no different. We cannot fail to heed the warnings by saying the message is meant for someone else. We must not take to heart a word meant for another and take it upon ourselves.

The only way to know if we are doing as we are instructed is to make this relationship personal.