Midnight

This morning during our Communion, Camille made an innocent comment, "Oh I'll bet Jesus comes in the middle of the night - while I am sleeping!" : ) A bit tongue in cheek but something I think all of us talk about or at least think about. Simultaneously for two mornings in a row Camille kept getting the story about the man who goes to his neighbors house at midnight to get bread for a friend who has traveled quite  distance! 

I started to do a little study because the Lord doesn't often repeat a message two mornings in a row. However the second morning (today) I woke up from a dream about seeing the Bride and "she had made herself ready!"

What if "The Man" Jesus spoke about was an angel or even Jesus Himself?

Chapter 11 of Luke begins with the Lord's Prayer
In the Lord's Prayer here's what we see:

Our Father who is in heaven
Hallowed be your name
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Give us each day our daily bread,

​The new manna of the new covenant meal - where the eyes of our spirit are opened and we "recognize you" and the new wine of your blood that opens our ears "to hear your voice"; that we might understand in our heart; become more converted/transformed - for you alone can make us whole (to become the people you always intended us to be"
Luke 24:30-31; Matthew 13:15;
John 12:40; Acts 28:27

Then the Story of the Bread at Midnight

LUKE 11:5 (1-13) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When you pray, say,

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

3 Give us today our daily (day to day) bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us no t into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5 And he said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give to him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

A.S.K. for the Holy Spirit

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The focus of the Prayer is the reality of eternity vs. the temporary things of this life.

Prayer is everything in heaven made real on earth to those in Communion with Jesus at His Table on a day-to-day basis.

Matthew 6 also describes this Prayer and what it conveys. 

When you pray: 

1) Don't be like the hypocrites who stand on the corners in public to be seen

2) But, go into your room and pray to your Father who is unseen.

3) Don't go on babbling like pagans who think they will be heard for their many words

4) Don't be like them. for your father knows what you need before you ask Him.

5) Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Pray this instead:
Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth (below)
as it is in heaven (above)
Give us
this/each (calendar) day
our

daily (day-to-day) bread.

The combination of daily and bread is a very curious term. Note that it is preceded by two modifiers:

1) the Lord knows what you need before your ask Him.

2) Give us this/each day our "daily bread".

This is the only place in all of scripture this term occurs. It was a wod created for this purpose because there was no other word to describe this phenomenon,  It is possible Jesus spoke this concept in Chaldean.

Its importance is so significant it would do every believer a great service to study the details; that is to drill down into the very root words that are used in the greek to best capture what Jesus was intending here.

​We will start the "drill-down" with "Daily" and then with "Bread" and then see how when put together they represent the most profound spiritual truth

 O.T. Midnight (Hebrew) Chatsoth: division, middle (from) >Chatsah; divide in half

N.T. Midnight (Greek) Mesonuktion: at midnight (at the disappearance)
From: from mesos 
and nux

Mesos = In The Midst (In the middle of, between)
      +
Nux: genitive (from a root meaning 'to disappear')

Luke 24:30-*31
30 While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them. 

31 Then their eyes were opened  and they recognized Jesus -and He  disappeared from their sight.

Disappeared:
Aphantos: invisible (alpha/phaino)

Alpha: (indeclinable) as a number (from Greek) 1 or 1,000; or as prefix (1) negative (non, un); (2) copulative (union, fellowship) (3) intensive (intimate).
+
Phainó: to bring to light, to cause to appear (as in sunrise) from base word:

Phos: properly,  light (especially in terms of its results, what it manifests); in the New Testament, the manifestation of God's self-existent life; divine illumination to reveal and impart life, through Christ. From:

1) Phémi: to declare, say  to show or make known (reveal) one's thoughts

2) Lego  from lay down to sleep) - to say; speech, progress to conclusion, lay it to rest

3) Laleo (Speak), to utter a sound (la-la, etc.) , to emit a voice make oneself heard; hence to utter or form words with the mouth, to speak, having reference to the sound and pronunciation of the words and in general the form of what is uttered. while λεγο refers to the meaning and substance of what is spoken; hence λαλεῖν is employed not only of men, especially when chatting and prattling, but also of animals  --> lego

a) Rheo: flow, overflow with, command, make, say, speak of - pouring forth 

b) Ereo: utter, speak, say or tell

Rhema:  4487 rhḗma (from 4483 
rhéō, "to speak"; 

From a modified form of ereó) – a spoken word, made "by the living voice" the Lord speaking His dynamic, living word in a believer to inbirth faith ("His inwrought persuasion") 

Phos + Rhema 

Daily 
Epiousios: for the coming day, for subsistence

 Epioúsios (from epí : "upon, fitting" and ousía: "being, substance") properly, aptly substantive, appropriate to what is "coming on" (happening) that is what is suitable (apt) for the coming day.

1967 (epioúsios) is cognate with 1966 epioúsa, "the next day," "the following (approaching) day," "the coming day,"

Epioúsios ("aptly substantive")
only occurs in the Lord's Prayer. It refers to God's provision that is needed for each day 
(Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3)

literally, "bread that fits (meets) the unique demands of the coming day."

Origen testifies (de orat. 27) that the word was not in use in ordinary speech, and accordingly seems to have been coined by the Evangelists themselves. 

Others explain the word by bread for sustenance, which serves to sustain life, and generally denotes either essence, real nature, or substance, property, resources.  to be present, and to understand it bread which is ready at hand or suffices, so that Christ is conjectured to have said in Chaldean  דְּחֻקָּנָא לַחְמָא (cf. חֻקִּילֶחֶם my allowance of bread, 
​Proverbs 30:8

In praying to God for sustenance does not go beyond the absolute necessity of the nearest future.

Nor is the prayer, so understood, at variance with the mind of Christ as expressed in Matthew 6:34, but on the contrary harmonizes with it finely; for his hearers are bidden to ask of God, in order that they may themselves be relieved of anxiety for the morrow.

epeiper: since indeed, seeing that
From epei and per; since indeed (of cause) -- seeing

Perhaps from the same as epiousa; tomorrow's; but more probably from epi and a derivative of the present participle feminine of eimi; for subsistence, i.e. Needful - daily.


Bread
Artos: bread, a loaf
ártos – properly, bread;

(figuratively)
divine provision; all the sustenance God supplies to yielded believers scene-by-scene to live in His preferred-will

From Airó: to raise, take up, lift I raise, lift up, take away, remove.


DAILY BREAD
​What God provides that fits (meets) the unique demands of the coming day. Sustenance that does not go beyond the absolute necessity of the nearest future. Divine provision; all the sustenance God supplies to yielded believers scene-by-scene to live in His preferred-will

Exodus 11:4 (1-7)

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go from here: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out from here altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man request of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

4 And Moses said, Thus says the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that you may know that the LORD does put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

Ruth 3:8, 7-9

​7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 
​
8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
 
​9 He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.

Acts 16:25, 24-26
​
24 On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 

25 About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 

​26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose