Let’s take a look at what God’s Word has to say about
Evening.
Genesis 24:62-63, “Now
Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev.
Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming.” Picture the scene: a field
is quiet and solitary, evening light is different and it has a quieting affect
to our hearts, a field is a beautiful picture of a place that brings life and nourishment. Evening is for
quieting of our heart and focusing on God and His Word; a feeding of our souls.
Exodus 16:11-13, “And
the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘I have heard the grumblings of the sons of
Israel; speak to them, saying, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the
morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord
your God.”’ So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the
camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.” God
provided food for the people twice a day; we saw soul food in the first passage
and now we see physical food. Evening is for nourishment.
Ruth 2:17-18, “So she
gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and
it was about an ephah of barley. She took it up and went into the city, and her
mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi
what she had left after she was satisfied.” Evening is for a ceasing of work and nourishment of food.
Psalm 104:23, “Man
goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.” Evening is for a daily end to work.
Consider this is as moms when we don’t leave our work place and the work is
never done. Do we stop work?
Zechariah 14:7, “For
it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but
it will come about that at evening time there will be light.” Morning and Evening are earthly boundaries
of time. God is not limited by these boundaries, but He is the Creator of them.
Matthew 26:20-30, “Now
when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.
As they were eating, He said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray
Me.’ Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, ‘Surely not I,
Lord?’ And He answered, ‘He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one
who will betray Me. The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but
woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for
that man if he had not been born.’ And Judas, who was betraying Him, said,
‘Surely it is not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself.’
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke
it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And
when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink
from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this
fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My
Father’s kingdom.’ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
This
is probably my favorite picture of an evening – reclining, eating together,
conversation, singing a hymn, going for a walk. Beautiful slowing we can do
with our dear families. How many times do I jump up from the dinner table to
clean up, change the laundry and get back to work? Again – here is the picture
that I need to aim for a finishing of my work for the evening.
Acts 4:3, “And they
laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already
evening.” This may seem obscure to
include, but I like how they did not feel like the job had to be finished and
carried through as the day was winding down. What can wait until tomorrow?
Closing evening thoughts – as I read through the NT passages
about evenings, it strikes me that Jesus was mentioned as teaching His
disciples in the evenings rather than the masses. Perhaps He did teach the
masses in the evenings but there are several references to reclining, enjoying
a meal and a good teachable conversation with the disciples. This strikes me
that evenings are for fixing our gaze inward into our own homes and those God
has allowed us to share these mornings and evenings with. It is a drawing in,
quieting, focusing our ministry on those closest to us and a stopping of work.
