When you hear the words OPEN WIDE, what comes to your mind?
For me, I have a picture of someone with a generous portion of something very good and very tasty – and they’re about to pop it into my mouth as a treat. I remember a little ditty I learned as a child that said, “Open your mouth and close your eyes, you’re about to receive a nice surprise!” I don’t ever remember actually doing it, though!
Of course, if one WERE to do that – open their mouth and close their eyes – it would demonstrate a great deal of trust in the person who was about to do the giving; that’s for sure.
Today’s verse is an invitation —
OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT.
As I mentioned, for someone to actually do that, there would have to be a GREAT DEAL of trust in the one making the offer. Let’s explore that for a moment, then I’m going to apply its teaching with a parable that the Lord placed on my heart this morning.
As it turns out, it is the people of Israel who are being given this offer; and it comes directly from the Lord, their God. As He makes the offer, He reminds them of precisely how faithful He has been to them. He begins by reminding them that it was He who led them out of the burdens of slavery in Egypt. He lifted the burdens from their shoulders. He is the one they called to in their distress, and He heard them and led them out of Egypt.
He delivered them with powerful demonstrations of miraculous intervention – even parting an ocean so they could walk through on dry land, then drowning the largest and best-equipped army of their day as the sea came back together after they had passed through it.
He led them into a desert, a place where the 600,000 men, plus their wives, children, flocks and herds might be expected to have a tough time finding enough food. But for forty years, God faithfully fed them all. Day after day they had a miraculous provision of meat, bread and water. So complete was the care of God for His people that their clothing did not wear out. Not even the leather sandals protecting their feet from the hot sand of the desert. Have YOU ever had a pair of shoes you’ve worn daily last for forty years? Yeah, I didn’t think so; neither have I.
This is the God who is appealing to His people. The full verse actually says, “I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD , WHO BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF EGYPT. OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT.” The Lord had a history of faithful feeding with them! He was trustworthy, and He had proven it over and over again, throughout all of their generations.
God was reminding them that HE WANTED TO BLESS THEM!! He hadn’t walked away, they had. His people had grown tired of listening to His word, they had abandoned their walk of obedience. God wanted to bless them and pour out provision and protection — but first they had to put themselves in the position to receive His blessing. No loving parent will allow and encourage rebellious behavior. No, what is handed out in that case is punishment and correction; privileges are withheld, not multiplied. The parent WANTS to be able to give the best to their child, but the child needs to change their behavior first.
OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT
Here’s the parable I mentioned earlier.
There was a renowned restaurant in a great city. A great chef prepared and presented the best of food to everyone who entered. The freshest of breads, the finest of meats and fish. Flavorfully prepared vegetables and salads were laid out in abundance. Sweet desserts topped off every meal. The reputation of this restaurant became known the world over, so the chef trained others to make his recipes and they opened restaurants all over the world.
Over time the managers of some of the restaurants began to skimp. They abandoned the recipes that had made the first restaurant famous. After a while, many of these places even stopped cooking at all. Some people went to visit the places where the restaurants had been, hoping they might begin cooking once again; but they were greatly disappointed, and so eventually stopped visiting.
What then will the owner of the restaurant chain do to the managers who have abandoned the recipes that made them the desire of the nations?
The restaurants are, as you no doubt have guessed, the Church. The great chef is Christ, and the recipes are found in His word, the bible. Those who have stopped following His recipes have abandoned His word – and therefore His blessing and His power. So there is no longer fresh and tasty food to be found in these places; as such the people go hungry and thirsty.
OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT
But GOD HIMSELF invites us to come to HIM. And those who do come will be filled. He promises that those who listen and obey His word will be led in great victory. He will subdue their enemies, and turn His own hand against their foes. With His protection also comes His provision; the finest of wheat and the sweetest of honey.
God is looking for a people who will DRAW CLOSE to Him. To them He says OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT. We can be filled, indeed we are supposed to always be being filled with His Holy Spirit, His power and His gifts. These are intended to enable us to reach the world around us with His invitation of grace and forgiveness.
We need to come to Him and allow Him to fill us with all He intends. And then to bring His life and His love to those around us who are starving for answers and thirsting for hope.
He’s calling to us –
OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE AND I WILL FILL IT
