Deuteronomy 29:5 (ESV)
I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your
clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
There is no rest when the wicked roam the land, and in
the 9th century, the Vikings were doing a fantastic job of terrorizing the
Frankish empire. It was, in fact, too easy. They would take their boats and
raid the Frankish coast, and then they would sail up the Seine River and loot
anything that was in their path.
It didn't hurt their cause that after the year 814, the
year Charlemagne passed away, his grandsons fought for his throne. They had no
time to worry about the Viking threat; they had far more important things to
quarrel about!
Eventually the Frankish king offered money to the Vikings
to leave them alone. The Vikings were satisfied, and they went back to
Scandinavia. Only to return the next year for more money!
The plunder didn't stop. In 841 they looted the famous
city of Rouen and burned the monastery of Jumièges. In 845 they came with even
more force: 120 boats and 5,000 men, and they eventually reached Paris. The
plundering continued year in and year out, and nothing seemed to be able to
stop those Vikings! The Frankish empire lived in absolute terror. Peace did not
exist within its borders.
Something new happened in 852, however, when the Vikings
settled in Oissel land, not too far from Rouen. Their plan was simply to winter
there, but they realize their advantage: From their settlement they could raid
the region whenever they wanted to, Rouen being one of their favorite places to
plunder. Paris was once again looted as well.
King Charles had to do something about them, but he
didn't have the necessary manpower to defeat these stubborn Vikings. Instead he
signed a treaty with the Viking leader, Rollon. In return for a peaceful
coexistence, the King offered them territory that corresponds to today's
Haute-Normandie, and in 912, almost a century after the Vikings first began to
plunder France, Rollon was christened, taking the Christian name
"Robert". Robert became the count of Rouen as well as the first Duke
of Normandy. It is not without reason that Normandy became one of the most
powerful provinces at that time, and even more importantly, peace and rest
finally returned to the Frankish empire.
More than 1000 years later, D day took place on Normandy
shores, a move that eventually defeated the Nazi menace in France. There too,
rest finally occurred after almost 5 long years of sheer turmoil.
Just like the Frankish empire in the 9th century, after
the creation of the world, rest seemed to be an unknown notion among the
inhabitants of the Earth as well. Despite the fact that the book of Genesis is
filled with examples of people worshipping God, there is no reference
whatsoever, of Sabbath (which means rest in Hebrew).
Only after the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites
from Egypt, do we once again find the notion of rest: "On the sixth day,
they gathered twice as much for each person-and the leaders of the community
came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, 'This is what the LORD
commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the
LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save
whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" (Exodus 16:22-23)
Interestingly the first mention of Sabbath after sin occurred
was addressed to the freed Israelites, and it was directly connected with their
need of food. Imagine living in a desert. You may have a tent to keep you out
of the sun, but your biggest need would be water and food, which is something
the Israelites began grumbling about from the beginning of Ex. 16 on. Sorry,
but there were no air conditioners available at that time. Even nowadays, where
would you find a plug in the desert for such a device?
It's clear that God wanted the people to trust Him as the
provider of all their needs, and their most urgent needs (food and water) were
miraculously provided: manna and quails send from heaven and water from bare
rocks. The Israelites had really nothing to worry about, even in the midst of
the harshest conditions of a sweltering dessert.
Every weekend the Israelites experienced a miracle.
Normally any manna from heaven would end up "full of maggots" and
begin "to smell" if it was kept till the next day (Exodus 16:20), but
not on their day of rest! "So they saved it until morning, as Moses
commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it." (Exodus 16:24)
Unlike us in the Western world, the Israelites had no
need to store provisions. God was their provider and He always came through. As
long as they trusted in God's provisions, they were provided with all of their
needs, even their very clothes and shoes! "Yet the LORD says, 'During the
forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear
out, nor did the sandals on your feet.'" (Deuteronomy 29:5)
The whole purpose for this was to give the Israelites an
opportunity to get to know God
I wonder why our society is so stressed, why we never
seem to find rest. Is it possible we have become estranged from God? That we've
stopped trusting Him in all things? He will provide if we trust Him. The
problem is that we may have forgotten what trust really means!
Dear Lord, help us not forget what trust is. Help us to
daily put our trust in You knowing that You will supply for all our needs. In
The Name of Jesus, Amen.
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