October 16, 2020
The book of Exodus tells the story of the birth of the nation of Israel fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham. From the seventy descendants of Jacob, Israel was fruitful and multiplied greatly until they filled the whole land of Egypt. After four centuries of slavery, God answers the cries of His people for deliverance. God raises up Moses for this calling, to lead his people out of bondage to a land of promise and deliverance.
Some of the greatest stories of the Bible are featured in Exodus—from the Ten Plagues, and the Passover, to the crossing of the Red Sea, and the establishment of the covenant at Mount Sinai. The Passover lamb, the exodus from the land of Egypt, the seven feasts, the tabernacle, and even the high priest, are all foreshadows of the ministry of Christ.
Chapters 1-18 contains the events leading up to God’s delivering the Hebrews from their captivity in Egypt, and chapters 19-40 shares the events in the wilderness and the account of God’s instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai to direct the life and worship of the nation.
Exodus 16
Bread from Heaven
1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Reflection:
- What did the people of Israel complain about in verse 3?
- How do you prevent yourself from forgetting what God has done for you and complaining against him when things do not go as you desire?
- What does this passage say to you about God as your provider and sustainer?
- What do the explicit instructions of God for the people to not gather more manna than they needed for that day say about trusting God each day for what we need?
- How important is it to God that we, as his people, make the Lord’s day a priority?
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your provisions for me and your trustworthiness. Forgive me when I have complained against you and for your patience towards me when I have become restless. You are my peace and my heart finds its rest in you alone. Help me to trust you to meet my needs each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please forgive me when I complain about things . You are the great provider and sustainer. We are to just take each day and live to the best of our abilities and not worry about tomorrow. You have said to trust in You and You will provide . I know this is true. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Help me today in all that I do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lest we judge Israel harshly for their disobedience, take a look at how well we obey. We are no better. We have the beam in our eyes.
God please forgive me for all the complaining I have done this 6 months with my husbands illness. I have left the enemy come in so many times when problems have come up. I know I am psychical and emotional worn out. I thank that soon we will be able to attend church services again.
I will trust the Lord and obey Him without grumbling, but with joy in my heart. He is my provider. I will not forget what He has done for me.
I always pray for my blessings from God. I have not complained about my lot in life. I want to obey his laws. He is my Savior. AMEN AND HALLELUJAH.
Thank You God for ALL Your Many Blessings, Praying for Our Country ?
Lord thank you for testing our obedience, allowing us to experiences your faithfulness. Lord, help me be more disciplined to rest and trust you by taking a Sabbath, modeling to my family a deeper trust in you.
Thank you for your provision and loving kindness to your people. Thank you for your grace and mercy – especially at times I’m like the Israelites and complain about the manna you provide. You are the Great I AM, the Alpha and Omega. Praise you for hearing our prayers and responding! Thank you for equipping us with the Holy Spirit that takes our prayers and transforms them so they are fitting for you our King.
I lift up those who are ill, those who have lost loved ones, those who are on the frontlines of servitude. I continue to ask that you remove this virus from our land. May your provision point to your strength and your mercy. May You be Glorified –
One month after leaving Egypt they are already complaining to God and forgetting about their slavery that He has freed them from. All grumbling is always ultimately against God. The giving of manna was to teach them to live by the Word of God. All our tests ordained by God train us to depend on Him.