DAILY Manna

Exodus 16:2-4 -  And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 

As they traveled farther into the wilderness between the sea where God had shown his power to save…and the mountain where he would give them his rules for living…they ran out of the provisions they had hastily packed for the trip. Maybe some of them were knowledgeable enough to know that Moses could have led them straight to Canaan…..and thought they had taken enough food with them for what they thought would be a short ten day trip. But since God had chosen to take them a longer route…to try them…to test them….to teach them…they ran out of food….and they grumbled at Moses once again.

It’s amazing to me that Moses had such strength and faith this time that he simply waited for God. Moses wasn’t like me…asking why all the time.  Moses didn’t have to ask this time….God why did you give me this job? Moses didn’t cry out to God…how am I ever going to feed 2 million people in this desert? He just waited for God to speak…and show him what to do next. Moses trusted that God had a plan…and just obeyed the last thing God told him to do…till he got new directions from God…Amazing!

God has already told us that he took this longer route in Exodus 13 for a reason.  He knew the people were immature …and needed many lessons to build their faith. This lesson would teach them to depend on God daily for all that they needed. He had to let them wander a few days…he had to let them run out of what they had brought with them…so he could show them another miracle. He had to let them get good and hungry….so they would appreciate the miracle of the manna. He had to let them run out of all other options so they would learn to trust him. He had to teach them to obey him…so they would learn obedience.

Jesus even refers to this daily manna in one of his sermons…. by the sea of Tiberius. In John 6:47-51 he said, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." Wow!

Father…I thank you that you allowed your son to come to earth and die for my sins….and become the daily bread I need to live each day.  Teach me to be more like Moses….and trust that you will give me just what I need…just when I need it. Help me learn to wait on you and listen for what you want me to do. Rain down father your holy spirit to guide me and sustain me in your  will…and teach me to gather my supply of food from you daily. Amen.