Exodus 16:4-5; 31
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”
“The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”
The people of God have truly entered the wilderness, the dry desert of vast emptiness and reality of what they have done has sunk into them. And then the true work of becoming God’s people begins, there is no one to rely on for even the basics, what will they eat? Was this really a good idea? The people complain, and Moses and Aaron hear it. God hears it. And the miracle of manna from heaven rains down. Yes, they are provided for, but they are also tested. Manna comes to feed them for the day.
In the world today of bulk products and ‘stock up to save’ mantras, can we truly grasp when God says ‘gather enough for that day?’ The Israelites don’t believe God either. And so we read for twenty-six more verses how it truly goes. They don’t listen to Moses. Sabbath was also experienced for the first time. And they ate manna, they ate manna for those 40 years in the wilderness. I wonder what it tasted like? Would we also argue with God? Test God when we hear ‘the Lord has given you sabbath’? What does ‘just enough’ look like in your life when God provides?
Prayer
Loving God, we are grateful for all that you provide, from our daily bread to those miracles in life that come only from you. May the stories of scripture allow us to truly trust in your promises, from the very beginning and life eternal through your Son, amen.