Question - Do not worry about what you shall eat

[lanceleo]

Matthew 6:31-33
21st Century King James Version
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Wherewith shall we be clothed?’
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Is there a condition (v33) to this promise of being fed by God?

 

[Joined2krist]

Interesting question

 

[Hazelelponi]

Matthew 6:31-33
21st Century King James Version
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Wherewith shall we be clothed?’
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Is there a condition (v33) to this promise of being fed by God?

First, Jesus isn't telling us not to think about our basic needs, simply not to worry or worry to excess about them. There's a difference.

When Jesus begins by saying therefore, or for this reason, He is indicating that the problem He has just warned us about in the preceding context (Matthew 6:19-24), the problem of desiring earthly riches, often begins with worry about our earthly needs. So He's not just warning us about the danger of seeking earthly riches but also about the root problem of excessive worry about our needs. It is this kind of worrying that leads to sin and makes earthly riches an idol.

Therefore, as in Deuteronomy:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Which was repeated also by Christ. When God is our first love, we can leave worry behind us. This isn't to say quit your job and not think at all about the basic necessities of life - just don't worry about them. Worry leads to sin.

 

[Petros2015]

Is there a condition (v33) to this promise of being fed by God?

Do X and Y will follow

Is it a "conditional promise"?

I think it's along the lines of:
"Spread your wings and you won't have to worry about hitting the ground"

 

[Minister Monardo]

Is there a condition (v33) to this promise of being fed by God?

Trust alone.
Genesis 1:1 (KJV) Occurs 50X in the Psalms.

When I first contemplated this passage, I thought
"a little shelter would be nice".

 

[dougangel]

s there a condition (v33) to this promise of being fed by God?

Well, yes. If you want to do it Gods way in faith.
vs 33 we are the righteous of God in Christ Jesus. Seeking a relationship with Christ and obeying his commands is seeking Gods righteousness.

but I would like to point out in vs 31 it says therefore. Jesus is making quite a few points all through Matt 6. then he states. Therefore seek Christ and his commands. (The Kingdom of God and His righteousness)

It's actually taken a long time in my christian walk to Fully understand vs 32.
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

If the father knows you need those things why have I and so many Christians struggled at different times in our life ?
The father knows that you need all those things and has all those things. But we have to have faith and ask in prayer to access those things. ( there are quite a few conditions on prayer also )
Anyway hope that helps. Interesting thread.

 

[lanceleo]

Well, yes. If you want to do it Gods way in faith.
vs 33 we are the righteous of God in Christ Jesus. Seeking a relationship with Christ and obeying his commands is seeking Gods righteousness.

but I would like to point out in vs 31 it says therefore. Jesus is making quite a few points all through Matt 6. then he states. Therefore seek Christ and his commands. (The Kingdom of God and His righteousness)

It's actually taken a long time in my christian walk to Fully understand vs 32.
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

If the father knows you need those things why have I and so many Christians struggled at different times in our life ?
The father knows that you need all those things and has all those things. But we have to have faith and ask in prayer to access those things. ( there are quite a few conditions on prayer also )
Anyway hope that helps. Interesting thread.

If the Father know that we need them then why do people still die of starvation, cold and a host of other ways? is it because they are the heathens? As I was typing this, the starvation in North Korea came to mind.

 

[ViaCrucis]

If the Father know that we need them then why do people still die of starvation, cold and a host of other ways? is it because they are the heathens? As I was typing this, the starvation in North Korea came to mind.

In the case of North Korea, you can pin the blame squarely on the Kim regime that has been in power for over the past 70 years which has consistently deprived the North Korean people of basic human dignity and rights. The ruling party and class get most of the food, while the ordinary and poor Koreans living there are malnourished, starving, and suffering. Farmers aren't even allowed to benefit from the fruits of their labor, most of it goes to the ruling party and they just have to accept it (the alternative to suffering in North Korea is either become a refugee and risk death, or resist and die).

And while North Korea is a particularly gruesome and cruel example of it, the truth is that while there certainly are a lot of us on this planet (I just heard recently we surpassed 8 billion people living on the planet), the earth has a rich bounty of food and resources that should be enough to keep us fed. Nobody should have to go to bed hungry. The reality is that human beings--we ourselves--are responsible for inequality and a lack of equity. People in power hoard, while the powerless suffer.

So to answer your question more simply, sin. Sin is the problem. Human sin, human greed, human selfishness. Why? Because those with power, in worrying about only themselves, keep the excess and it is the weak, the powerless, the poor who have to suffer. This world is a broken world in which there is sin and death. Sometimes natural evils, like climate and weather can have a massive affect (if it doesn't rain, crops wither and die, and can create famine); but even this is a side effect of the fallenness and brokenness of our world.

God doesn't deprive people of food because they are sinners. Jesus Himself says that God sends His rain upon the righteous and the wicked alike, without partiality.

It isn't God, but us, who are responsible for suffering.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[lanceleo]

In the case of North Korea, you can pin the blame squarely on the Kim regime that has been in power for over the past 70 years which has consistently deprived the North Korean people of basic human dignity and rights. The ruling party and class get most of the food, while the ordinary and poor Koreans living there are malnourished, starving, and suffering. Farmers aren't even allowed to benefit from the fruits of their labor, most of it goes to the ruling party and they just have to accept it (the alternative to suffering in North Korea is either become a refugee and risk death, or resist and die).

And while North Korea is a particularly gruesome and cruel example of it, the truth is that while there certainly are a lot of us on this planet (I just heard recently we surpassed 8 billion people living on the planet), the earth has a rich bounty of food and resources that should be enough to keep us fed. Nobody should have to go to bed hungry. The reality is that human beings--we ourselves--are responsible for inequality and a lack of equity. People in power hoard, while the powerless suffer.

So to answer your question more simply, sin. Sin is the problem. Human sin, human greed, human selfishness. Why? Because those with power, in worrying about only themselves, keep the excess and it is the weak, the powerless, the poor who have to suffer. This world is a broken world in which there is sin and death. Sometimes natural evils, like climate and weather can have a massive affect (if it doesn't rain, crops wither and die, and can create famine); but even this is a side effect of the fallenness and brokenness of our world.

God doesn't deprive people of food because they are sinners. Jesus Himself says that God sends His rain upon the righteous and the wicked alike, without partiality.

It isn't God, but us, who are responsible for suffering.

-CryptoLutheran

I dont disagree with what you said. Men are responsible for many bad things happening in this world. But God is an omnipotent God so he does not need the cooperation of men (whether willfully sinful or not) to bring about his promises. A promise is a promise. Whatever he says or does come to fruition. So where is this promise for those in North Korea in our case?

 

[ViaCrucis]

I dont disagree with what you said. Men are responsible for many bad things happening in this world. But God is an omnipotent God so he does not need the cooperation of men (whether willfully sinful or not) to bring about his promises. A promise is a promise. Whatever he says or does come to fruition. So where is this promise for those in North Korea in our case?

And yet God has chosen to accomplish His work through ordinary, regular, and indeed sinful people. That's where we come in, to go and love other people. So what of the case of North Korea then? As for ordinary people like you and me? I think we can pray. There does seem to be efforts by some very brave people to smuggle food and aid in for the people, sometimes by letting the sea currents bring it to shore as this CNN video shows:

Food, messages sent in bottles to North Korea | CNN

People are sending food and messages in plastic bottles to help those in North Korea. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.

www.cnn.com

-CryptoLutheran

 

[lanceleo]

And yet God has chosen to accomplish His work through ordinary, regular, and indeed sinful people. That's where we come in, to go and love other people. So what of the case of North Korea then? As for ordinary people like you and me? I think we can pray. There does seem to be efforts by some very brave people to smuggle food and aid in for the people, sometimes by letting the sea currents bring it to shore as this CNN video shows:

Food, messages sent in bottles to North Korea | CNN

People are sending food and messages in plastic bottles to help those in North Korea. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.

www.cnn.com

-CryptoLutheran

Yes many times God works through people but his promises are also not dependent on the cooperation of the people.\ God will fulfill what he promises with or without us. So back to my question, since he says in v33 he will feed us, is this only applicable to those who seek first his kingdom? What about those that are born in a heathen country or no chance of ever knowing Christ? Is God not going to feed them?

33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Yes many times God works through people but his promises are also not dependent on the cooperation of the people.\ God will fulfill what he promises with or without us. So back to my question, since he says in v33 he will feed us, is this only applicable to those who seek first his kingdom? What about those that are born in a heathen country or no chance of ever knowing Christ? Is God not going to feed them?

33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Jesus said He sends His rain on the righteous and the wicked alike.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[lanceleo]

But there are people who are perishing from starvation because they do not receive the rain.

 

[ViaCrucis]

But there are people who are perishing from starvation because they do not receive the rain.

And that includes both faithful and faithless, righteous and wicked. We all live in a fallen, broken, hurting world. Creation itself is crying out in pain.

-CryptoLutheran