Below is a little something Ray said on the first day of the 2009 Mobile Conference about praying at meals.
I had been thinking about the subject for a while. I didn't think all the praying people were doing at mealtime and in public was from the Scriptures.
Ray's comments put me over the top. I have never said a public prayer since.
I am not going to change unless I see Jesus do public prayers. Especially since Jesus said do not pray in public in the Scriptures. I leave it to others to explain away Jesus' words. As for me, when He Who has eyes like flames of fire, and Whose face is like the Sun, Who walks among the golden candlesticks----when He says something---I listen.
SAYING GRACE
So a year or two ago I was thinking about this ‘saying grace.’ I had a friend and we went to a restaurant and everybody would bow their heads, people would be getting their food and we would be praying and I thought that was a little awkward. I’m not embarrassed to pray or to talk about God, but I just thought that was a little awkward, you know. So I got to thinking about where did that come from? Does anybody have any ideas why we say ‘grace’? When I say ‘grace’ I don’t mean say the word grace. Grace means gratuitous or gift.
[Comment from attendee: Was it because Christ was blessing the bread?] Okay, that sounds logical. Anyone else?
[Comment from attendee: Was it when He feed the multitude?] Alright. Anyone else?
[Comment: Paul gave grace before he broke bread, in Acts, on his last trip.] Okay, can anybody find that? I want to know where they sat down for a meal and before they ate the meal they ask God’s blessing and thanks on the meal. This is not a big deal, in fact I do it, it’s a custom and there is really nothing wrong with it. I just don’t believe it’s Scriptural. Some say I Timothy 4.
1TiM 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
That has nothing to do with saying grace. Some authorities say it came from Deuteronomy 12.
Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that you put your hand unto, you and your households, wherein the LORD your God hath blessed you.
I don’t see anybody saying grace over a meal there. Do you?
Well what about the first Biblical dinner? That’s found in Genesis 18:1-8, that’s the first real dinner mentioned in the Bible.
Gen 18:1-8 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
There’s nothing about saying grace or a blessing.
What about when they were entertaining angels with a meal in Genesis 19:1-3?
Gen 19:1-3 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
There is no thanks given.
What about the first Passover? There is no thanks given, no blessing said, not that I see in the Scriptures.
What about when they went through the field and the disciples were eating grain?
Mat 12:1 At that time on the sabbath, Jesus went through the grain fields. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
Did they say a blessing over the grain/food first? It doesn’t say so.
Someone had said feeding the multitudes. Now that is a little different. That is not like sitting down for a meal here, because they haven’t even got enough food for a meal. Now He ask God’s blessing because He’s got a couple loaves of bread and two fishes and He needed God to multiply them.
Mat 14:16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
v. 17 And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
v. 18 He said, Bring them hither to Me.
v. 19 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
v. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
That’s a special pray. God, take these little morsels of food and make a whole lot out of it. But that’s not the traditional blessing of a meal. It’s a miracle of turning a little food into a lot of food.
It says “looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke it” that’s true. But this was in the context of multiplying the fish and so on and of course they took up twelve baskets that were left over when they were done eating.
The Pharisees had a major problem with the disciples of Jesus not washing their hands before they ate. But they didn’t have a problem about them not saying a blessing or a pray.
Mat 15:2 Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Well what about the last supper? There for sure, right? For sure there we have an example of blessing the food and everything before they partake of the dinner. Right? No pale face.
Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body.
Did you catch that? “As they were eating,” they already started dinner, they didn’t ask a blessing on it.
When did He bless the wine? It was blessed “after supper,” after the meal.
Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.
Even after the resurrection did Jesus bless the food?
Luke 24:40 And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet.
v. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
v. 42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb.
v. 43 And He took it, and did eat before them.
He said have you got anything to eat and they said yea we’ve got some boiled fish and they gave it to Him and He ate it. It doesn’t say He blessed it or ask God‘s grace on it or anything.
So it’s not a big deal, all I’m saying is we have these traditions that you just know in your mind, ‘well that’s Scriptural.’ The church has been doing that for two thousand years, but I don’t find it in the Bible. Sorry, but I don’t find it there.
It’s fine though, you can start traditions that are not used in the Bible as examples. But the point is people do think it is in the Bible. It’s like the saying, ‘cleanliness is next to godliness.’ People think that’s a proverb from the Bible, it’s not in the Bible, okay.