“Jehovah-Jireh.” That’s Hebrew for “The Lord Will Provide.”
Remember? God had invited Abraham to take Isaac and go to Mount Moriah where Abraham willingly gave his best in worship. On the way up the mountain, Isaac asked his father, “ ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering’ ” (Genesis 22:7–8). God’s miraculous arrangements for the “ram caught in the thicket” (Genesis 22:13) prompted Abraham to name the place “Jehovah-Jireh” ... “The Lord Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14).
Generations later, with Egypt and the Red Sea in the rear-view mirror, the Israelites entered the vast Sinai desert, mile after mile of lifeless wilderness wasteland. “The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!’ ” (Exodus 16:2–3). Though they complained, God was ready to meet their needs. Manna. Bread from heaven. “The Lord Will Provide.” “The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land” (Exodus 16:35).
One more Old Testament example. Elijah obediently announced God’s judgment to Israel’s evil king Ahab, then he ran for his life. He hid at a little brook called Cherith where God provided. Elijah drank from the cool, clear waters and Jehovah-Jireh sent food by special delivery. “The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening”(1 Kings 17:6).
Our God never changes. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jehovah-Jireh was also busy meeting needs in the Gospels.
Jesus “saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, ‘This place is deserted, and it is already late. Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat’ ” (Mark 6:34-36). A few verses later Mark reports that the crowd included “five thousand men” (Mark 6:44) and their families... maybe ten or twelve thousand hungry people. The disciples said, “send them away,” but Jesus, Jehovah-Jireh, said, “give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37).
God doesn’t promise to make us all zillionaires but He’s faithful to provide enough bread. Jesus took a little boy’s lunch and miraculously multiplied it until “everyone ate and was satisfied” (Mark 6:42).
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He promised that if we’ll “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) then He’ll provide for our needs. The feeding of the five thousand, recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:10–21, Mark 6:30–44, Luke 9:10–17, John 6:1–15), clearly demonstrates that His great grace will always be “sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
All Scripture quotations, except as otherwise noted, are from
Holman Bible Publishers’ Christian Standard Bible.
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