It’s what everyone needs – company in life. Did you know that when God created Adam (man) he said, “it is not good for man to be alone”? Yes, we were made for another! It is not good for us to be alone. Loneliness is a terrible thing. Heartache, weakness, poor appetite, confusion….all from just being alone.
Now I do have some friends who can hardly wait to get away from the crowd and run to their “shelter”. But even they have a need to connect with people.
Exodus 12 records God’s instructions to his people regarding the Passover. The instruction is not for the individual; it’s for the community. The whole community is expected, instructed, to do as God requires. And the community suffered if just one didn’t follow… and is our world any different?
Look at the 10 Commandments. It’s recorded in Deuteronomy 5, and look at this:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
7 “You must not have any other god but me.
8 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 10 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.
11 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You must not murder.
18 “You must not commit adultery.
19 “You must not steal.
20 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
21 “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
Take a look at verses 16 to 21…it’s about others’, about the community. Protecting the home, protecting other lives, protecting others’ possessions. Protecting the truth and the boundaries around us. That’s about community.
We need each other. We really need each other. And not just for the company, we need each other to help us see the truth, to conquer difficulties, and to strengthen each other.
The feeding of the 5000 is another example of community. After the disciples point out to Jesus that the people need to be fed, he tells them to feed them. And with what they wonder aloud – look among the community, what does the community have? And it is enough…12 baskets full from so little in the hands of Jesus.
And the writer to the Hebrews? What is his word about our community?
24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. – Hebrews 10
Encourage one another – stay together – motivate one another…. this is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Hybrid Thoughts 