077. Chapter 72: The Fourth Petition: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
------------ CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO ------------ The Fourth Petition: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
There is a Christian proverb as expressed by a pagan: "Orandum est, ut sit mens sana in corpore sano," which means: "One ought to pray that there be a healthy soul in a healthy body." This is in agreement with John‘s wish expressed to Gaius: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 1:2). How delightful is this testimony addressed to Gaius! In general we must now reverse this and say, "I wish that your soul may prosper as your body prospers." For we observe in this that we also are to care for the body, for if we are to hallow God‘s Name, edify the congregation, and do the will of God, we are in need of a soul and a body which are both in health. If the one is not healthy, the other will be hindered and the entire man cannot function properly. The Relationship Between Soul and Body The soul influences the body. A healthy soul benefits the body, whereas a troubled soul has an ill effect upon the body. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (Proverbs 17:22). The body also influences the soul and is irritated by ill health. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Romans 6:12). This is also evident in the following passage: "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:23). The apocryphal book Wisdom has a splendid proverb in chapter 9:15: "For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that nurseth upon many things." Therefore, we must take care that both soul and body are brought and kept in good health in order to be fit for the service of the Lord. "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God‘s" (1 Corinthians 6:20). If the health of both is to be maintained, they are in need of nourishment. The soul, being an immortal spirit, has no need of anything for the maintenance of its existence except the preserving influence of God. However, for its spiritual wellbeing it is in need of spiritual food in this life -- which is the Word of God applied by faith. The Word of God is the incorruptible seed of her regeneration (1 Peter 1:23). The Word of God is her nourishment, resulting in the growth of her spiritual life. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). The body is also in need of food. It has its origin in the earth and its nourishment proceeds from the earth, whereby both its essence and motions are maintained. Unconverted men, who have nothing in view but earthly things, are very desirous for that which is earthly, wishing to gratify and entertain themselves therewith. In this respect, they almost resemble the irrational animals, for it is as if they live in order to eat, whereas they ought to eat in order to live. "From men which are Thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly Thou fillest with Thy hid treasure" (Psalms 17:14). A believer does not wish to have earthly things as his portion -- they are beneath him. He does not desire earthly things for their own sake, but as a means unto something else: to maintain the body in a fit condition in order to serve the Lord. He knows that it is only the Lord who causes bread to come forth out of the earth -- that "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry" (Psalms 147:9); also giving man his food and raiment: "The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season" (Psalms 145:15). He knows that the Lord must also render the food efficacious to be nourishing, and therefore a believer looks unto the Lord and prays, "Feed me with food convenient for me" (Proverbs 30:8). It is this which the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray in the fourth petition. The Position of This Petition
Many have investigated why the Lord Jesus places the petition concerning the maintenance of the body in the fourth place and wills that there be prayer for the welfare of the soul in the fifth and sixth petition. It cannot be easily ascertained who has most closely approximated the reason for this. All agree that this prayer is perfect -- not only in regard to the matters it contains, but also as far as the order is concerned. In applying this to this petition some say that the Lord Jesus adjusts Himself to human weakness, which causes man to be very concerned about food and raiment for the body. He would therefore teach us first to pray for the body, so that we, being freed from anxiety concerning the body, would have that much more freedom to pray for the welfare of the soul. Others insist that the Lord Jesus wishes to guide us step by step from the physical to the spiritual. Others divide the petitions into two divisions, maintaining that the first four petitions are requests for that which is good, whereas the last two petitions are invocations for the averting of evil. They then divide these benefits into heavenly (which precede in the first three petitions) and temporal benefits which, being least important, follow in the fourth petition, upon which the invocations follow. Again, others divide the petitions as follows: In the first three petitions God is the immediate object of the requests; the most eminent petition has the primary position. In the last three petitions, however, man is the immediate object, and that which is least important is listed first; one has to exist before he can be well. However, who shall be able to advance an infallible argument regarding the order which will be satisfactory so as not to be subject to counter-argumentation?
We shall now proceed to consider the petition itself. In this petition we must consider individually 1) the matter which is requested: our daily bread; 2) for whom we pray: us; and 3) the manner in which we request the receipt of bread: not by way of purchase, but as a gift; and not once and for all, but every day. "Give us this day." The Matter Requested The matter requested is bread, which is further defined as our and daily bread. The word "bread" here does not refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, who calls Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35) because He is the spiritual life of God‘s children and the maintainer of that life. The reference here is not to the bread of the Lord‘s Supper as it relates to the body of Christ -- as is the case in 1 Corinthians 10:16. Rather, it refers to the common nourishment for the human body. "... that He may bring forth food out of the earth ... and bread which strengtheneth man‘s heart" (Psalms 104:14-15). In a general sense it refers to all manner of food and all necessities which are subservient to man‘s support. Jacob prepared a great meal and invited his brethren "to eat bread: and they did eat bread" (Genesis 31:54). Thus, the Hebrew word lechem signifies bread, that is, all manner of food. "Who giveth food to all flesh" (Psalms 136:25); "I ate no pleasant bread" (Daniel 10:3). Since the maintenance of the body is here requested, the word "bread" is also understood to refer to drink as well as clothing -- all of which the body needs. Jacob expressed this: "If God ... will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on" (Genesis 28:20), and the apostle says, "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:8).
All manner of livelihood -- particularly food -- is expressed here by the word "bread," this being the preeminent and most nourishing food. "... bread which strengtheneth man‘s heart" (Psalms 104:15). It is the most essential food, for without bread one cannot live well; however, it is possible to live without meat or fish, these being referred to as supplementary foods (John 21:5). [Note: The Statenvertaling uses the word "toespijze" here, that is, "supplementary foods." The KJV simply uses the word "meat."] It is the most pleasant of all foods: bread always tastes pleasant when we are hungry; we never tire of it. It is the most common of all foods, for people of all ranks -- high and low -- make use of it. It is the food most used in moderation, for we desire no more of it than we need for the satisfaction of our hunger. The Bread Referred to as Our Bread This bread is designated as our bread. Something is referred to as being ours when we either have need of it for our existence, or if we are the owners of it. By nature we do not own anything before God, since by reason of sin we have lost a right to all that Adam had. The earth is cursed due to sin: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:17). And the sinner is cursed in all that he lays his hands on: "Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep" (Deuteronomy 28:17-18).
Everything in the heavens -- the sun and moon -- and here below serves the sinner unwillingly and reluctantly, and groans contrary to him (Romans 8:20-22). Nevertheless, it is the Lord‘s goodness that He grants food and raiment to sinners in whom He has no pleasure -- sometimes more abundantly than to the godly who are not intended to have more of this so that they may know that God is good. However, the bread -- all that the godly enjoy, and all that they pray for -- belongs to them; they have a right to it.
First, they have a right to it through Christ. The Lord Jesus has purchased it with His blood and, they being His favorites, has given it to them. "For all things are yours; ... things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ‘s" (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
Secondly, they have a right to it from man‘s perspective, since that which they possess has rightfully become theirs either by way of inheritance, business transactions, or their labor. This is in contrast to unrighteousness, laziness, and wasteful spending which causes one to be reduced to poverty and he must then live from the generosity of others. The apostle confirms this: "... that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread" (2 Thessalonians 3:12). If, however, someone has applied himself and has been thrifty, and yet is unable to make any progress, requiring the support of others, this is not unrighteous. Rather, it is his bread which the Lord has given him -- even though "it is more blessed (more blissful, honest, and delightful) to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). The ungodly, as far as man is concerned -- even though they have no right to anything in reference to God -- nevertheless, have a right to all that they possess lawfully. When we pray for bread, we are also praying against poverty. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Proverbs 30:8). This Bread Referred to as Daily Bread
We pray here for bread -- for our bread, and for daily bread. Since the word "daily," as recorded here in the original text, is nowhere else to be found in the New Testament, there are several sentiments regarding the origin of this word. Yet there is no implicit absurdity in this matter. The exception here is that the papists, by deriving the word from epi and ousia, translate it as supernatural essence. They understand this to refer to the bread of the mass, and since in their opinion the bread vanishes and changes into Christ, they thus understand it to refer to Christ, who is repeatedly referred to as "bread" in John 6:1-71. Aside from the fact that transubstantiation is nothing but a fabrication, the word does not imply this -- even if it were derived from epi ousia, for the word ousia never signifies essence in the New Testament. Rather, in Luke 15:12-13 (there being no other references) it signifies possessions -- temporal possessions. "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me ... and there wasted his substance." And even if this had been imported from pagan philosophers and understood to refer to the extra-essential, it would not signify supernatural, spiritual bread -- that is not implied by the word at all. Rather, extra-essential would mean that we are in need of bread outside of our essential existence in order to support and maintain our essential existence. Such is the interpretation of this word by many Reformed.
Others maintain that it is a derivative of the word epeimi, that is, "to follow," "to come in the place of." As a second aorist active participle we have epioon, epiousa, from which is derived epiousios, that is, "following," "that which follows." As such it is understood in Acts 7:26 :
First, the supplicants themselves, for people are most closely involved with themselves. Love must begin with ourselves, for we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love must therefore begin in ourselves, but must not end in ourselves; rather it is to extend to our neighbor.
Secondly, we pray for all God’s children who, together with us, address God as our Father, and we thus pray for the entire church of God, as if we say: "Thy children -- Thy church is defenseless. They are neither able nor willing to govern their own affairs nor to make ends meet with either legitimate or illegitimate means. Such is the practice of the world which has as its objective to harm Thy children and church as much as possible. Therefore, care Thou for them and provide food and raiment for them, so that they may be able to live, and that the world may see that Thou art their God and Father who protects and cares for them."
Thirdly, their love, and thus also their compassion, goes yet beyond that. The godly pray for all men who have been created in identical fashion as we were, and share the same existence with us. Since they need food and raiment as we do, they pray that the Lord who has granted them life may also preserve their life through nourishment. For believers are of the same nature as their heavenly Father, who "maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45); "The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalms 145:9). Herein they rejoice and praise God for it, and they are thus moved to request that which is good for themselves. The Manner of Their Request The third portion relates to the manner in which the godly pray. They neither demand it as if they had a claim to it, nor do they desire to bargain for it. Rather, they request it as a gift: "Out of unmerited goodness, give." They do not even request this for their entire lifetime, but repeatedly ask it for today. When we pray, "Give," then we acknowledge thereby: (1) that we cannot exist in and of ourselves; (2) that we are neither capable of producing nourishment, nor of rendering to food the efficacy to be nourishing; (3) that we have not merited it, but by our sins have made ourselves unworthy of the same; (4) that it is the Lord who renders the earth fruitful, bringing "forth food out of the earth" (Psalms 104:14). It is the
Lord who gives to each his portion; He renders food efficacious for nourishment. Neither our care, our labor, nor the food itself will be to our benefit apart from the Lord‘s blessing. Such is the case when "the Lord...doth take away...the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water," which is what He threatens to do in Isaiah 3:1; that is, when "ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes" (Haggai 1:6). On the contrary, however, when the Lord bestows His blessing then everything prospers: "Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn" (Psalms 65:11
We are to pray that God would give us our bread today. "Today" implies repeated prayer -- as much as we need it. We are in need of bread each day, and each day is today. Thus, we do not pray to receive it once and for all, but rather, that we would receive it each day by renewal. This is not to suggest that we should consume it all each day, for God in one day generally gives a portion for many days. Rather, we acknowledge each day that what we have is from the Lord; that it has been preserved by the Lord and that He has permitted us to keep it; and that also upon this day we are permitted to eat to the satisfaction of our hunger and to the maintenance of our strength. For, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). If we have nothing in supply, we are to petition God that He would give us on this day as He is pleased and able to give us -- even if we cannot perceive where it will come from. "The eyes of all wait on Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season" (Psalms 145:15). Oh, how sweet it is to live out of the hand of God and to have confidence free from any apprehension! The Lessons this Petition Teaches This petition provides us with many essential and beneficial lessons. When we pray for bread we are reminded that we are not to be a gourmand [Note: à Brakel describes a gourmand as someone who is "lekker." His use of this word is archaic as far as modern Dutch is concerned. The use of the word "gourmand" here is appropriate when considering Webster‘s definition: "One who is excessively fond of eating and drinking."] , for then we do not pray in a pleasing manner. The apostle speaks of this in James 4:3 : "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." To be a gourmand does not relate to the ability to taste the distinction between foods, preferring the one over the other; or if, upon being ill, we reflect about what we have an appetite for; or if occasionally we enjoy delicious foods, eat the fat things, drink that which is sweet, and send portions to the poor (Nehemiah 8:11). One is a gourmand:
(1) if, being healthy, he reflects upon that which is delectable, and how it will be prepared in the most delectable manner;
(2) if he has a continual longing for something delectable, for dining engagements, and thinks of exotic spreads in his imagination;
(3) when he is occupied with gourmet foods to such a degree that it appears to be the very essence of enjoyment, and if this is frequently the subject of conversation;
(4) if he pursues such delicacies at any cost, even if he would have to borrow from others and never pay them back;
(5) if he is in a bad humor when he is deprived of something delectable, and if he complains, grumbles, frets, and is angry if food is not properly prepared, and commonly quarrels with the cook;
(6) if he enjoys a delectable meal either at his own or someone else‘s table, and then overindulges to such an extent that he is not fit for anything else but sleep.
First, you who are a gourmand -- how can you pray for bread if you have had enough bread and your soul abhors it as being lowly and distasteful food, and you only make use of it to render other foods all the more delicious? Bread is the basic food, and all other foods are dainties. You reverse this, however, by making bread a dainty; you do not pray this petition sincerely, but you mock with God by your inattentive and irreverent prattling. And even if in some measure you are conscious of what you are praying for, you are ultimately not interested in bread, but rather in delicacies.
Secondly, you can thus readily convince yourself that you serve your belly more than you serve God. Be ashamed, you who commit idolatry with your abominable idol. The apostle speaks of such: "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame" (Php 3:19).
Thirdly, due to your fondness for gourmet foods you are depriving your children, so that they would be poor when they become adults. They could have been well-to-do if you had been frugal, and you yourself may come to great poverty, so that you will have to be supported by the deacons. Solomon forewarns you about this: "Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty" (Proverbs 23:20-21). He who always wishes to drink that which is sweet and eat that which is delectable will accumulate neither possessions for himself nor treasures for his children. "He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich" (Proverbs 21:17).
Fourthly, if we are accustomed to a gourmet spread upon our tables, and we begin to lack funds, we shall pursue sinful avenues to continue this. We shall either buy on credit, take out a loan, lie and deceive, at last flirt with bankruptcy, and allow widows and orphans, whom one has robbed, to eat the bread of tears.
Fifthly, gourmands are generally merciless toward the poor. They have abundance upon their tables, but there is nothing left for a poor Lazarus. They must thus look forward to a merciless judgment.
Sixthly, if you remain so rich that you can live as a gourmand until your death -- what then? Will you go to heaven? No, but you will experience what the elegant rich man -- who was also a gourmand -- experienced. After his death he found himself in hell and he was not permitted to have one drop of water for his relief (Luke 16:22 ff). Hear how the Lord threatens you: "Woe to them that are at ease. ... That ... stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive ... therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein" (Amos 6:1
Diligence Taught in This Petition
We do not only pray for bread, but for our bread. This teaches that we are to be diligent, since we desire to receive it in the way in which it pleases God to give it. It is, however, God‘s will to give by means of our labor, and we must therefore labor in the station and the calling to which God has appointed us. If one has an adequate supply, he must nevertheless neither be idle nor fatten himself as a swine. Rather, he must be occupied in some measure for the sake of being occupied, to benefit himself and to give other people an opportunity to work, as well as be able to give to the poor all the more abundantly.
First, what else -- as the proverb goes -- is an idle person, but a pillow for the devil? He is the object of the devil‘s operations who is most successful in leading idle persons to the commission of various sins. An idle and lazy person is a breeding ground for all manner of vain and sinful thoughts, and of the deeds which proceed from them -- yes, he is capable of such deeds as one would otherwise never have imagined.
Secondly, if we pray this and are not desirous to work, we are tempting God. Then we insist that God do miracles for our sake and depart from His normal way of providence. This is a sin which provokes God and is expressly forbidden by Him. "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 6:16). We can read in the accounts of the journeys of the children of Israel in the wilderness how Israel fared when they tempted God. This is also recorded in the following passages: "They waited not for His counsel: but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalms 106:13-15); "And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague" (Numbers 11:33). Such are the results of tempting God. This is what those who pray for bread but are not willing to work and do not wish to avail themselves of God‘s common means must expect.
Thirdly, a sluggard: (1) is an abomination to God; God wanted no part of a useless ass (Exodus 13:13);
(2) is a burden to others and despised by everyone; no one has compassion for him (Proverbs 10:26);
(3) furthermore, wastes away, for he does not know how he will spend his time, is a burden to himself, and is reduced to extreme poverty. "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man" (Proverbs 6:9-11); "Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags" (Proverbs 23:21).
Therefore, he who prays for our bread must be diligent in an honest calling and must use the means to which God obligates him when He promises bread to him. His labor is not the cause, but only the means whereby he lawfully receives what God grants him.
(1) He will then eat his bread in the presence of God and man. "... that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread" (2 Thessalonians 3:12).
(2) When he prays in faith and labors obediently, it will all be blessed -- be it that one has much or little, or that it is lean or fat. "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked" (Psalms 37:16). He eats it with freedom as being his own; a piece of bread is delicious to him since he receives it from his heavenly Father, it having been purchased by Christ‘s blood. The curse has been removed, a blessing rests upon it, and the little that he has satisfies and strengthens him. The Lord grants him the blessing for which Moses prayed: "Establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it" (Psalms 90:17). He receives the promise made to the godly: "For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands" (Psalms 128:2). Therefore, Ora et Labora, that is, pray and work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Concerning Anxiety for the Future When we pray that God would give us our daily bread from day to day, we are exhorted not to be careful -- that is, we are not to be concerned how we shall fare all the days of our life; whether we shall sufficiently be supplied for our entire life; whether we shall be reduced to poverty and shall suffer want with our children of that which our children and grandchildren will live from. For if our desires and concerns relate to the quantity of bread and to our entire life -- yes, to our descendants, then we can indeed not pray for bread for this day. Therefore, if we are to pray this prayer with a true heart, we must be satisfied with the present and not be concerned about the day of tomorrow. Rather, we should be as children who, when they are hungry, request food from their parents and are not concerned about the future. God‘s children have all the more reason to live out of the hand of their heavenly Father and to trust Him that He will care for them.
First, apprehension torments man and we thereby bring much grief upon ourselves. Such anxiety saps the vitality of the soul and the body. We shall tremble about the future, be doubtful about the providence of God, or view God as being wrathful, merciless, and unyielding. We then reject our spiritual state, are vulnerable to many foolish and harmful lusts, and lie open for the assaults of the devil.
Secondly, what have you ever gained with all your anxiety? You will indeed have to answer: nothing. Why then do you engage in that which is of no benefit to you and causes you harm instead? "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature" (Matthew 6:27); "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows" (Psalms 127:2).
Thirdly, to do so is to live in sin continually, for to be anxious is a clear sign that we wish to put our trust in our possessions. If we had as much as we desired, we would not be concerned about the future. Why not? Because you then would have in your pocket what you need to live. Then you do not trust in God but in your possessions. However, whatever you put your trust in is your god, and thus being anxious is nothing but idolatry. Believers, would you then turn away from your God, esteeming and trusting your money more than God? Therefore, be fearful of that abomination which brings many into hell. "But ... idolaters ... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Revelation 21:8).
Furthermore, fretful anxiety constitutes a continual dishonoring of God. You thereby demonstrate that God is not all-sufficient for you and that something besides God is your portion, delight, and the rock of your heart. This was entirely different with Asaph (Psalms 73:25-26). You give an evil impression of God to others, implying that He neglects and does not care for His children. Would it not be to the dishonor of a rich father if his children were to turn to other persons and were to beg for a piece of bread? Would you thus dishonor God, your heavenly Father? Far be it from you! Therefore, neither be anxious, nor let the unsettledness of your countenance convey that you mistrust God.
Fourthly, anxiety prevents many from being converted. Such occasionally are under conviction and make a resolution: "I shall now arise and also seek God." However, the cares of life again draw them into the world. The cares of life are the thorns which choke the seed. "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). As anxiety keeps many from conversion, it likewise impedes growth in the converted. How much progress many would make; how mature they would become had anxiety not prevented them! Therefore, you who are godly, elevate yourself above this world; it is too insignificant, polluted, and harmful than that you should concern yourself with and yearn for it.
Fifthly, time here is short, and there is nothing which is able to satisfy you anyway. Why are you then so anxious about that which is insignificant? Truly, you are still too much involved with the world and not enough with heaven.
Sixthly, is not God your portion? Is He not your Father? Did He not grant you His own Son? "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32).
Therefore, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on" (Matthew 6:25); "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7); "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5); "Be content with such things as ye have" (Hebrews 13:5). You will thus be able to pray with a childlike heart, "Give us this day our daily bread."
Satisfaction with the Portion the Lord Allots us When we pray, "Give us ...," then we do not only pray for ourselves, but also for others. We may therefore not be envious when another person receives something -- yes, more than we do. For:
(1) We have asked for this on his behalf if we have prayed aright. And if we become envious when he receives something or much upon our prayer, then this is indicative that we either regret that we have prayed, or that we did not mean it and thus have mocked with God.
(2) Who are you to be envious of someone else‘s fortune? Do you not know that you are neither worthy of a piece of bread in your mouth nor a thread upon your skin; that it is only due to the longsuffering of God that you are not already in hell; that it is a great mercy of God that you are permitted to be among people and that you might be a servant or a slave of the least of them? And should you then be envious? Or do you think that you are so important that you are worthy of it? Be silent!
(3) Is it not the Lord who gives unto others? God is sovereign, is He not, and may He not do with His own as pleases Him? Or must He ask you how much He should give to such and such a person? Is your eye evil because the Lord is good? Be therefore ashamed before God and man that an envious thought arises within you. This Petition Exhorts to Generosity
You who pray, "Give us ...," it behooves you and you are obligated by this petition toward generosity. For when many make a request together and it is given to one, it must be divided among all on whose behalf it was requested. When many poor outcasts are begging at a given door, and if one receives a gift and keeps it for himself, he deprives the others of what also had been given for them. However, you do not pray, "Give me ...," but "Give us ..."; thus, others must share in this. This does not mean that as soon as you receive something, you must immediately begin to hand it out, for you have received it as a steward to disperse it upon command. If therefore there are those in need who request something from you, or if it comes to your knowledge that there is someone in need elsewhere, then this must stir up your compassion and your hand must be ready to give. You must, however, do it in such a manner that you may continue to be able to give and that the welfare of your family and children is preserved. Extraordinary seasons and occasions also demand something extraordinary. Therefore, see to it that in truth and with liberty you may pray, "Give us ..."
First, take as an example the generosity of the man Job, and of a woman named Dorcas. Job‘s generosity is described as follows: "I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor" (Job 29:15-16); "If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering," etc. (Job 31:16-17
Secondly, the following passages convey how highly generosity is recommended: "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates. ... Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, " (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). To obey in this is pleasing to God. "But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). Indeed, impress upon your heart the great word of the apostle: "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7); "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6). Add to these the following: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again" (Proverbs 19:17). If you then desire to pray in truth and to be heard, be joyously generous. If you do not do so, then you are an unrighteous possessor of that which you have, and you must see to it that a curse will not rest upon it.
God Acknowledged as the Giver
Since you pray to God for daily bread, it is thus essential for you to believe that all good gifts and the blessing upon that which you have, come from God, and that you acknowledge God as being the origin of all good things. Such He truly is: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). All that exists is God‘s; whatever anyone possesses he has received from God. "I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, ... my corn ... my wine ... my wool and my flax" (Hosea 2:8-9). Man is but a naked entity and all that he has does not proceed from himself. All that he has proceeds from another source -- he has received it from God alone. "What hast thou that thou didst not receive" (1 Corinthians 4:7). The Lord causes food to come forth from the earth; the Lord grants to each his peculiar portion; the Lord renders the food efficacious unto nourishment; the Lord maintains man and beast; He even provides the cattle with their food and the young ravens when they cry to Him. Since all is the Lord‘s and He communicates to everyone that which is His, one must invoke the Lord for all that we stand in need of and acknowledge Him as the origin and giver. We must not do so, however, with the disposition of a creature, but as a reconciled child in Christ and with a childlike heart. If we receive something, we must receive it as out of the hand of God as being our Father. We must be satisfied with that which the Father gives -- be it much or little, it will be enough. Therefore we ought not to waste it, but with a joyful heart make use of it. We must then always lift up our heart on high to the Giver, doing so with a grateful heart and with a mouth filled with the praises of the Lord. "Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat" (Psalms 147:12-14). God requires and expects this, and is pleased with it. "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 8:10-11).
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1 The Statenvertaling uses the word "toespijze" here, that is, "supplementary foods." The KJV simply uses the word "meat."
2 à Brakel describes a gourmand as someone who is "lekker." His use of this word is archaic as far as modern Dutch is concerned. The use of the word "gourmand" here is appropriate when considering Webster‘s definition: "One who is excessively fond of eating and drinking."