Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester. OK
Oct. 14, 2011

“What our Hands were Really Made For!”
“The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted, wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.” – Proverbs 9:2 (MSG, emphasis mine)

The food is on the table—we’ve filled our plate (unless we use the biblical method and just skip the plate), but for the sake of keeping to the theme let’s assume we have a nice porcelain plate in front of us and it is filled with what we want to eat: meat, vegetables (choose your preference), bread and whatever else sounds good at the moment. We are ready now to dig in…but wait a second…where’s my spoon and fork? I mentioned in the previous that Solomon’s table would have been void of individual dinner plates. We have the same issue regarding forks and spoons…they simply were not used! Even today, there are many in the Middle East that chooses not use utensils for their meals. There is an Arab saying that says: "What does a man want of a spoon when God has given him so many fingers?" According to historians, forks originated with the ancient Greeks, most with two prongs that were used to help cut the meat but were not used as a part of dining until the 7th Century in the Middle East and it would not be until the late 16th early 17th Century that forks would be used in Western Europe. Those in Biblical times, instead of silverware, would simply use only their hands to eat. Pieces of bread would be used to take the place of spoons and forks. With a piece of bread they could scoop up any food that was partially liquid (such as soups, sauces, or gravies). Each torn off piece of bread thus served as a spoon and was eaten along with the food it contains (See Ruth 2:14). Hands were washed before and after each meal. They did not need to wash any silverware, but they did need to wash their hands. The only dishes that were used at mealtime were those in which food was placed. As was mentioned yesterday, each person did not have his own plate. Often there was only one dish for the food, usually a basket or a copper tray placed in the center of the table. Jesus spoke of this dish in Matthew 26:23. Now, this may be a great history lesson but what does it mean for us spiritually speaking? Here’s a thought. When our daughter was younger we did a “mystery” dinner for her and her friends. It consisted of three or four courses—along with the silverware, drinks and napkins. Each person was to draw a number and that number would determine which course they would eat first. For example; if they drew #3 that might be the main course—and just for the sake of a visual it may have been spaghetti or lasagna. They would then draw a number from a different bowl and that number would determine what they would eat their spaghetti with! Let’s say they drew a #1 which would have been a spoon! (Do you see the challenge?) I remember one young man drawing a #2 (which was soup) and then had to eat that with a knife. Thankfully he was creative enough to simply, “drink his soup!” Once they were finished with that then they would draw again until they finished the entire meal. Sometimes…the finished product was not a pretty sight but it was fun watching them learn how to be creative in the process! There are many today that are what I would call, “spoon fed.” They want things easy—accessible—without having to put out any effort. And I am referring to both those in and out of the Church!! A lot of Christians need utensils so-to-speak (“easy solutions”) before they feel adequate enough to do something for the Kingdom. Or what is worse, they would have someone else feed them rather than helping feed those who need far more than they do. And I am not talking exclusively about food, but simply about helping to make the Kingdom stronger and more united. Many tend to complain about not having what they need when in reality, God has given us EVERYTHING we need to live, worship, and work. In his great book on the 23rd Psalm, Rabbi Harold Kushner makes a statement that is truly astounding. He says; “The message of the psalm would seem to be that, if you don’t have something, no matter how much you crave it, you don’t really need it. If you needed it, God would have provided you with it.” (Pg. 30)
God wants and longs to feed our Spirits—but that means making the effort to come to the table, taking the food that is given to us and then feasting on it. Sometimes that means using your own hands to do the work!! If you are complaining that you have to eat spaghetti with a knife—instead of complaining be grateful that you have been given spaghetti in the first place!! I think that is the lesson here today—learning to be thankful for the life we have been given and when things get tough and we don’t have what we want—use what we have been given! You might discover you have more to offer than you ever before considered. Besides…you should never eat chicken or pizza with a fork and knife! That’s what hands are for!
Pastor J. T. Carnell