His Work, Not Our Works, Prospers Us!

""Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife." (Proverbs 17: 1)

In the previous post, we read that the dry morsel is a perfect picture of Holy Communion.

I want to look at the other part of this Proverb, which demonstrates why many believers may struggle and not receive from God.

This dry morsel, the bread which speaks of the New Covenant, does more than our sacrifices, our own works for atoning of our sins.

Let us use the principle of first mention to reveal the wonderful truths which the Holy Spirit has hidden in this proverb.

When we look at "sacrifice", we find the first mention describing the final covenant between Jacob and his deceiving uncle Laban:

"Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount." (Genesis 31: 54)

We have a better Covenant in Christ through His blood, shed from his broken body. We do not have to form covenants with our enemies, because in Christ we are more than conquerors (Romans 8: 37)

The other word "strife" is more revealing.

rib: strife, dispute

Original Word: רִיב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: rib
Phonetic Spelling: (reeb)
Short Definition: strife

The first mention:

"And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land." (Genesis 13: 7)

God had called Abram to leave his family and his father's house, yet he chose to bring his nephew Lot with him.

Lot is a picture of the Old Testament, or the Law, for his name means "Darkness" or "Veil":

"13And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart." (2 Corinthians 3: 13-15)

Lot was a vail, in that Abram did not see all the blessings that He wanted to give to him. Moreover, grace and law cannot coexist without strife.

When we have a law mentality, in which we think that our sacrifices, our works make us blessed and accepted before God, we will engender strife in our lives. There will be struggles and hardships because we understand in our hearts that we are accepted because of the Blood of Jesus, yet in our minds and actions, we are trying to strive in an abundance of works.

Everything is based on what Christ Jesus has done for us at the Cross. His work, not our works, prospers us!

His Finished Work, represented in the simple Holy Communion of the Body and the Blood of Jesus, makes all the difference!

Enjoy His dry morsel, and see abundance flow in your life!