Old Testament
Genesis 5:1-7:24
New Testament Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverb 1:10-19
Meat and Three
Living in the South it is typical to find Meat and Three restaurants. I lived in the south for many years before I ever heard the term or knew what it meant. Meat and Three restaurants are where the customer chooses one meat and then three sides. Where I grew up it is the reverse “Three Meats” which describes the toppings on your pizza.
In today’s scriptures there is a Meat and Three served up. There is one man who surpasses all others (the meat) and there are three others who are exceptionally good (the three). The one man is the Lord Jesus. Matthew 3 & 4 introduces Jesus as he begins his public ministry. The temptation that he endures from the tempter in Matthew 4 deserves time of savoring reflection. This is where Jesus gives up his Meat and Three (Mt 4:2) in complete dependence upon the Spirit for the necessary power to overcome the devil.
The three sides are three individuals who are unique in their roles and descriptions. They are Enoch, Noah, and John the Baptist. Enoch is found in the genealogy from Adam to Noah. We know very little about Enoch, which is similar to some of those side dishes, they are very small. But how he is described is wonderful. “Enoch walked with God.” Throughout this genealogy the chorus is repeated stating “and he died”, “and he died” but not so for Enoch. Because he walked with God the Lord saw fit that he would not taste death.
Noah is the second. He also is described as a man who “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9). He lived in the most wicked generation of all time (v5, 11-12) and yet he walked with God through it all. That should encourage us to live godly in this present day. Even though Noah walked with God he did die (Gen 9:29) unlike Enoch.
Lastly, we get to John the Baptist. John was a man who served a very important and special role just prior and during the early stages of Jesus ministry. John the Baptist was a man who literally walked with God. His mission was to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mt 3:3) through preaching repentance and confession of sins.
Chew on this today, every day you are writing your legacy as someone who is walking away from God or someone who is walking with God. People are watching.