Smoodock's Blog

In my previous study we looked at the principle of not fretting about the things we need, because God created those needs, and it only makes sense that he would also provide us with what we need. Otherwise, everything he created would pass out of existence in a matter of days or weeks. Life simply would not survive, unless God also provided his creation with the necessities it needed to survive. This puts not fretting from God’s perspective. It isn’t logical for him to create animals or mankind with a need for other things and not supply those necessities.

The whole idea of not providing those necessities is foolish and shows a lack of planning on God’s part, which is illogical, from the perspective that God is all knowing. Therefore, he would never do such a thing. Everything we need for life exists here, on this planet, with us and is there for our use. Today, we’re going to take a second look at not fretting, but this time it will be from mankind’s perspective. What can we do to insure we have everything we need? And, keep in mind that we are speaking of not fretting over sharing what we already have with those who, for one reason or another, do not have enough of the necessities of life. Such needs exist, because of the way (greed) of this world. Therefore, we, in the place of God, provide for those needs by taking from our supply. Will we have enough after we have given away some of what we have?

In what we sometimes refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke with his disciples, teaching them from a mountain or high hill in Galilee (cp. Matthew 5:1-2). On the subject of fretting, Jesus asked, which of us could add one cubit to the length of our lives by fretting over what he doesn’t have (Matthew 6:27). A cubit was an ancient unit for measuring the length of something. It was the standard of measure among the ancient Jews, but its exact length isn’t known, because we don’t have a surviving undisputed example of its length. However, it is generally assumed to have been the length of a man’s forearm, from the elbow to the tip of his middle finger, or about 18 inches. Nevertheless, scholars have put its length to be from 18 to about 22 inches in length.

Whatever its exact length, Jesus’ point is that a man cannot add to the length of his life even in the smallest degree (cp. Luke 12:25-26). If a cubit was the standard of measure for length, one cubit would be the least measure anyone could define for the length of an object. In the context of Jesus’ teaching, that would be one couldn’t add even the least amount of time to his own life by being anxious over or fretting about one’s needs. So, what’s the point in fretting? Simply do what God expects his disciples to do, and let God be God and fill in the gaps in one’s supply. God is not going to tell his disciple to share what he has with others and not take care of the needs of the disciple who obeys him.

Think about it, look around at nature, which God created. Jesus offered the example of the “lilies of the field,” which were flowers, scarlet in color, and grew wild in the Middle East and blossomed during spring near the Passover season. They grow, but they don’t toil or labor for their beauty. Nevertheless, Solomon in all his glory was never arrayed, as the fields are with these beautiful wildflowers (Matthew 6:28-29). Therefore, and to Jesus’ point, if God so clothed the grass, which man values so little that he cuts it down and casts it into a fire to be destroyed, why wouldn’t God also make sure his obedient disciple, who images him (Genesis 1:27) by providing for the needs of others out of his own supply, has enough clothing for his own need (Matthew 6:30)?