Crusader37

Certainly we all know the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. He was a Hebrew child who evaded the king of Egypt's plan to destroy all the newborn males. He was placed in a basket and set afloat down the river. Providentially he was found by the daughter of Pharaoh and was raised as a son in Pharaohs household. "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds" (Acts 7:22). But when Moses was 40 years of age, he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, and for this cause he slew the Egyptian. When Pharaoh found this out he sought after Moses to slay him, "But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian" (Exodus 2:15). Here Moses took the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian, (descendant of Abraham, Genesis 25:1-2) and tended to his flocks for a period of 40 years (Acts 7:29-30).

One day "he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb " (Exodus 3:1). It was here that the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed and received his commission to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses was told "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain " (Exodus 3:12). This mountain is where the children of Israel came, and there they received the lively oracles written with the finger of God, even the Ten Commandments.

But where is this mountain? Is it in the Sinai Peninsula? Towering over St. Catherine's Monastery? When looking in the map section of most Bibles, you will find that the traditional Exodus route is questionable. Furthermore, all Bible maps will show you that the location of Midian is not in the Sinai Peninsula, but on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba in Arabia. In addition, what is traditionally known as Mt. Sinai down in the bottom of the Sinai Peninsula cannot be the real Mt. Sinai (Horeb), for the Bible clearly locates "mount Sinai in Arabia" (Galatians 4:25). This will be the position of this article to show how the Bible is true in every way, and that Mt. Sinai, where the people of Israel were to serve God, is in the ancient land of Midian, in Arabia.

The  Journey begins

 To begin this incredible journey we will first need a map. Below  is the route moses took from egypt. We shall notice that Marah, Elim, Rephidim, and even Mt. Sinai all have question marks behind them. Archeologically speaking, none of these have been proven to be legitimate sites. As well, these three places where the children of Israel encamped were all located after they crossed the Red Sea, and you will notice that the traditional route shows no place where they might have went through any significant amount of water, where Pharaohs 250,000 man army might have been drowned.

When it came to pass that Pharaoh had let Israel go "God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines" (Exodus 13:17). This was north, along the coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea. Rather, "God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea" (v. 18). At the northern end of the Red Sea, it forks into the Gulf of Suez on the west, and the Gulf of Aqaba on the east. Between these two gulfs lay the "Wilderness of the Red Sea".

The direct southerly route, along the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez, as it appears on the map to the right is certainly questionable. When Moses fled from Pharaoh to the land of Midian, it is highly unlikely that he would have taken this route. There were three main ancient routes across the wilderness from Egypt and the ruggedness of the land dictated for the most part, where these ancient caravan routes would be. 

The most likely route then would have been the "Way to Arabia", which runs along the edge of "wilderness of the Red Sea", from the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez to the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, and then down into Midian on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba. This would have been the quickest and furthest place for Moses to have fled from the hand of Pharaoh. When Moses returned to Mount Sinai with the children of Israel, it is likely that he would have taken the same route as when he first fled from the face of Pharaoh. 

Now when the children of Israel first left Goshen from the land of Egypt, we are told that they "journeyed from Rameses to Succoth" (Exodus 12:37). Rameses could have been one of the treasure cities mentioned in Exodus 1:11, but likely referred to "the land of Rameses" (Genesis 47:11) where Goshen was located. Now Succoth is believed to be just outside Egypt proper, which would have been a rallying point to the North East of the Gulf of Suez where they would have regrouped before their long trek across the wilderness.

From there "they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness " (Exodus 13:20). This would cover their journey from the border of Egypt across the "wilderness of the Red Sea" to its edge in "Etham" . But where is Etham? For certain it is "in the edge of the wilderness". Another clue as to its whereabouts is when they departed "Etham" they made a "turn" and came to the place where they crossed the Red Sea. From there they "passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham , and pitched in Marah" (Numbers 33:8). So, they turned at Etham, they crossed the Red Sea, and they were still in the wilderness of Etham.

Smiths Bible Dictionary says Etham comes "from the Coptic atiom , [meaning] "boundary of the sea,"". Perhaps then, Etham is that area known as the northern border of the Gulf of Aqaba, which wraps around the eastern and western coasts of the Gulf of Aqaba. After crossing the Red Sea, this would still have placed the children of Israel in the "wilderness of Etham" , which would literally be the "boundary of the sea".   

As they were encamped by the edge of the wilderness in Etham, "the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea" (Exodus 14:1-2). From the edge of the wilderness of the Red Sea bordering Etham, the route they would normally have taken to Midian would have been around the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba and down the eastern side, but here the Lord told them to "TURN" (Heb. Shuwb), which means to "return" or "turn back". If we look on a modern map (left) and see how the modern highway system goes about the wadis in that region, we will see that there is an abrupt turnaround at "Ra's an-Naqb", which then proceeds south on the western side of the Gulf of Aqaba down to a resort village called Nuwaiba.

 
Above is one of the pillars erected by King solomon to commomorrate the crossing of the red sea.
Nuwaiba was formed as it appears from water that has runoff through the many gorges that converge and drain the Sinai Peninsula on the northeastern side into the Gulf of Aqaba. The silt has formed an area of several square miles and would be more than sufficient to hold several million of the children of Israel who would encamp there by the sea. The location described in the Bible appears to fit the characteristics of Nuwaiba. This spot on the sea was before "Pihahiroth" . When we look up this name in the Strong's Concordance, we find the definition "mouth of the gorges". 

 

On the picture above, you can see Nuwaiba through the mouth of the gorge. Today, a highway traverses this gorge, which is known as Wadi Watir, which leads down to Nuwaiba that is today turned into a tourist attraction. We can see how the children of Israel would have no place to escape from Pharaohs army. Pharaoh said, "They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in" (Exodus 14:3). Josephus recorded this event saying that the Hebrews were driven into "a narrow place", and that they were shut "up between inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was on each side a ridge of mountains that terminated at the sea, which were impassable by reason of their roughness" (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 15).

The place where the children of Israel encamped was also described as "between Migdol and the sea". The word Migdol in the Hebrew means fortress or tower. Perhaps this could refer to the rugged mountains all around this location making it as it were, a fortress of sorts. Smith's Bible Dictionary, under "Migdol" states, "A native etymology has been suggested, giving the signification "multitude of hills"". If this satisfies not the reader, just to the north of the Hebrew encampment lays an ancient fortress pictured here, which may be referred to as Baalzephon (Hebrew: Lord of the North). This is possibly of Egyptian making.

 

 

 

God's Mighty Hand of Deliverance

With the children of Israel now entangled in the land, and the wilderness shutting them in, they now had the sea before them, and Pharaoh's 250,000-man army behind them. In desperation the children of Israel began to cry to Moses saying, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (Exodus 14:11-12). "And Moses said unto the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD , which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (v. 13-14).

This point brings us to one of the most spectacular of miracles of the Old Testament when God parted the waters of the Red Sea, "and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left" (v. 22) that the children of Israel might cross on dry ground. The Bible tells us that the Egyptians pursued Israel into the midst of the sea, but the Lord confounded them and "took off their chariot wheels" (v. 25) and the Lord caused the waters to return "and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them" (v. 28).

 

There have been various groups who have been trying to determine if this indeed could have been the exact place that the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea. In all of the Gulf of Aqaba, this would have been the only probable location that they might have crossed for there is a natural (supernatural) land bridge between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas, under the water. As well, there are very interesting, and strange coral formations found there that are not found anywhere else in the Gulf of Aqaba that are the remnants of Pharaohs chariots. As one diver observed, it looked like a junkyard with debris strewn throughout the sandy bottom. It should be noted that coral needs something that it can form on and will not stick to sand. This does suggest that at one time or another there has been something deposited on the sandy bottom for the coral to start forming there.

So Great a Salvation

When the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea and saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore, the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD. The children of Israel then rejoiced and lifted up their voice and sang "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation : he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him" (Exodus 15:2). A literal translation of this verse reads, "The LORD is my strength and song, Yeshua : he is my God , and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him".

It was there they proclaimed that Jesus (Yeshua) was their God. The name Jesus means Salvation. The angel Gabriel told Joseph "and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). We need not wonder if this was really Jesus in the wilderness for we are told in the New Testament, "that spiritual Rock that followed them … was Christ" (1Corinthians 10:4). Stephen testified the same saying "This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to [Moses] in the mount Sinai" (Acts 738).

The Lord had redeemed them from the terrible hand of Pharaoh and delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. They were the people that God had "purchased" (Exodus 15:16), and the fame of this great deliverance was spread all the way to Canaan where they "heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt" (Joshua 2:10). Because of this, some believed and confessed "the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (v. 11), even Rahab the harlot who sought mercy from the Lord and was delivered from destruction. The Philistines had heard as well what happened to the Egyptians and were sore afraid when the Israelites were come nigh unto them saying "Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness" (1Samuel 4:8).

"So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water" (Exodus 15:22). The "wilderness of Shur" is called "the wilderness of Etham" in Numbers 33:8, and they pitched there in Marah. From Marah they removed and "came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters" (v. 27). Some have placed Elim in the modern township of Al Bad, where there are palm trees and several springs to be found.

"And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea" (Numbers 33:10). "And they removed from the Red sea" (v. 11), "and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 16:1). It was thirty days earlier, on the eve of the Passover that they went out of Egypt in haste. From Egypt they traveled over 300 miles, which would have been an average of 10 miles per day.

It would be yet another 16 days before they would come to the mount of God (Exodus 19:1-2). Their path would take them out of the wilderness of Sin to Dophkah, then to Alush, then Rephidim which was to the west of Mt. Sinai, and finally to the wilderness of Sinai where was the mountain of God (Numbers 33:9-15). Due to the closed doors of the Saudi Arabian government to foreigners, it has made it difficult in locating some of these places. However, there have been a few who have obtained work visas or who have gained entrance otherwise and have made some amazing discoveries.

Split Rock at Rephidim

When the children of Israel arrived at Rephidim there was no water for the people to drink. Here was yet another amazing sign and wonder as to how God provided for Israel supernaturally in the wilderness. God had already turned the bitter waters of Marah sweet and provided satisfaction for them with 12 springs at Elim. When they hungered He rained feathered fowls for them to eat and bread from heaven. But now they had come to Rephidim. Here Israel found no oasis or water to drink and they began to murmur and strive against Moses.

They "believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation" (Psalm 78:22). They sinned and provoked the most High in the wilderness, and tempted Him. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy. Their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant. Therefore was the Lord wroth and a fire was kindled against Jacob and his anger against Israel. Every transgression was to receive a just recompense of reward. But it was here that God said "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel" (Exodus 17:6).

What a wonderful picture we have here of the grace and mercy of our great God poured out for sinners. "But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath" (Psalm 78:38). "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not" (Lamentations 3:22). How often did they provoke Him, and grieve Him in the desert, but one day Jacob shall recognize the One whom they have forsaken and they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced and then shall they drink of that "fountain opened … for sin and for uncleaness" (Zechariah 13:1), and they shall see Jesus who was smitten of God, and bruised for our iniquities.

Now, on the backside of Mount Sinai, there is a very peculiar looking rock, 60 feet tall that is split down the middle. When closely examined, one can see that the base and the surrounding area has the appearance of water erosion. From the cleft in the rock and downhill, the sediment is washed away and the rocks are very smooth. Is this not what is recorded for us in the Scriptures?

"He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers … he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed" (Psalm 78:15-16, 20).

"And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out" (Isaiah 48:21).

"He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river" (Psalm 105:41).


This miraculous provision of our Creator and Lord Jesus illustrates that He is the giver and sustainer of life for without water they would surely have perished in the wilderness. He is "the fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 2:13) and can give "thee living water" (John 4:10) whereby ye "shall never thirst" (v. 14). But one must come by faith. Jesus said, "he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). And in those who come to Christ is promised a "well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).

Are you thirsty? Are you tired of drinking that which satisfies not? Jesus said, "If any man thirst let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38-39). For those who will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He promises, "I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). Only He can satisfy our every need above all that we ask or think. He says, "I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of life freely" (Revelation 21:6). "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36:7-9).

Mount Sinai in Arabia

The Lord told Moses "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12), but where is this mountain? As we have discussed, Moses had escaped the hand of Pharaoh into the land of Midian, which is on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba. And if there is any uncertainty as to it's location we need only listen to Paul who locates "mount Sinai in Arabia" (Galatians 4:25).

We have looked at the rock that the Lord opened for the thirsty Israelites, and should notice that the Lord calls it "the rock in Horeb" (Exodus 17:6). This is an important clue when trying to locate the real Mount Sinai. And for the record, this rock is located on the backside of the mountain that is believed to be the real Mount Sinai in Arabia. The traditional Mount Sinai (Gebel Musa) is located in the Sinai Peninsula where St. Catherine's Monastery is located, but archeologically there is no evidence to support this claim by the monks who have lived at its base since the third or fourth century.



Thus far, the children of Israel had come to Rephidim where the Lord had graciously given them water out of a rock. But Israel chided against the Lord saying "Is the LORD among us, or not? Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel" (Exodus 17:7-8). As it turned out, Israel defeated Amalek and "Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi" (v.15), "The LORD is my banner", to commemorate the victory over the Amalekites.

So, not only should there be a split rock in the vicinity of Rephidim, but close by the rock in Horeb, there should also be an altar. Perhaps the altar in the adjacent picture, located about 200 yards from the "rock in Horeb" is that altar.

From here the children of Israel left Rephidim and camped before the mountain of God (Exodus 19:1-2). They arrived there in the third month on the first day, making their journey a total of 46 days. Israel was to wash their clothes and to sanctify themselves that they might be ready against the third day, for on the third day the Lord was going to come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.

On the third day, the Lord descended upon the top of the mount and called Moses up to receive the words of the covenant. "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do" (Exodus 24:3). And Moses wrote these words in the "the book of the covenant" (v. 4, 7) and on the next morning he built another altar at the bottom of the hill and set up 12 pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. The children of Israel then made sacrifice and Moses sprinkled half the blood on the altar and kept the other half in basins.





He then took the book of the covenant and read it to them again, and for the third time Israel said "All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient". Moses then took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people and upon the book of the covenant, sealing the covenant made with the Lord concerning all that was written in the book.

It should be noted, that from the time that Israel departed out of Egypt unto the giving of the Law (first covenant) was 50 days. This was commemorated annually at the feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16), which was also the self same day when the Holy Spirit was sent giving birth to the church (Acts 2:1-4).

Now, this mountain in Arabia is called Jabal al Lawz, and is the highest mountain in the region. It stands at 2575 meters, which is 295 meters taller than the traditional Mt. Sinai (Gebel Musa) in the Sinai Peninsula. This mountain in Arabia stands out from the rest of those surrounding it in that its mountain peak is black.





Also, upon this mount is a cave that perhaps was the one where Elijah found shelter (1Kings 19:7-9)(above, far left). Eyewitness accounts have claimed that the blackened top is not volcanic in substance, but the rock is a granite material that has the appearance of having been scorched. This is exactly what the Bible says happened. The LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount, and the mountain burned with fire.

"And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire : and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly…And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount " (Exodus 19:18, 20).

"The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel" (Judges 5:5).

"And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire" (Deuteronomy 4:11-12).

"And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel" (Exodus 24:17).

Moses now went up again into the mount, this time to receive the lively oracles written with the finger of God, even the tablets of stone, and to receive instructions for the building of the tabernacle that the Lord might dwell among His people. Moses was upon the mount for forty days and nights (Exodus 24:18), and when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down they built a golden calf, and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it" (Exodus 32:4-5).

Before Mount Sinai, there is a very peculiar mound of rocks with engravings or petroglyphs of cattle. This is quite peculiar indeed considering its location in the middle of the desert. This is indeed another evidence of perhaps the true location of Mount Sinai. The Saudi government does not want any disclosure of this place and has set up a fence around the mountain with a guardhouse to watch for trespassers.

 

Whether it can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jabal al Lawz is the real Mount Sinai, may not be of real importance. What is important are the lessons to be learnt along the way. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1Corinthians 10:6-12).

These things happened to the children of Israel and are to be examples for us. Paul wrote to the church at Rome saying, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bread of God
A final lesson might be learned as we bring to a close this article. Many miracles were wrought before the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings, yet it did not help them to believe. Miracles as an act of God always had some great purpose behind it, and were to teach some lesson. When the children of Israel hungered God provided manna 40 years in the wilderness. Moses said, "This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat" (Exodus 16:15). Paul said, all did "eat the same spiritual meat" (1Corinthians 10:3), but this manna was real physical food to nourish their bodies. God did provide them manna to meet their physical needs, but some did learn "that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

How often Israel was charged, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live" (Deuteronomy 8:1). Likewise, they would perish if they "would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God" (v. 20). God had given them words to live by but they had "an evil heart of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:12). They heard the gospel just as we "but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Hebrews 4:2). If they truly believed the Word of God, they would have hearkened unto the Lord. A living faith is always coupled with repentance (Luke 13:3) and works (James 2:14, 24, 26). Paul said "the righteousness of God [is] revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).

When Jesus was challenged to perform a miracle by His unbelieving disciples, to produce bread from heaven as their fathers ate in the wilderness, Jesus replied, "the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world … I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:33, 35).

The Lord not only claimed to have sent the Bread, but also claimed to be that Bread sent from heaven. Jesus said, "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:48-51).

How then can we eat such "living bread" as this? Not as the children of Israel ate manna in the wilderness and are dead, but this bread whereby we shall live forever? Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life) …the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1), He is the "Word of Life" (1John 1:1), and He has given us His Word: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47).

The Word of God is more than our "necessary food" (Job 23:12). How many of the saints have been filled and satisfied therewith. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jeremiah 15:16). "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103). Have you had your portion today? "The gospel of Christ … is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth" (Romans 1:16). "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … he was buried, and … he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1Corinthians 15:3-4). This is "the gospel … by which also ye are saved … unless ye have believed in vain" (v. 1-2).