God Provides In the Desert (Ex 16:9-16)

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.’” ?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. ?And the Lord said to Moses, ?“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.’” In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. ?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. 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. ?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.’”

1.????????? The Israelites travelled through the desert after leaving Egypt. After about six weeks they began to complain that they did not have enough to eat. They said they were better off in Egypt where they had enough to eat despite their being slaves. When you have trials and suffer for the sake of Jesus, do you sometimes wish for the pleasures and comforts you had before you were born-again?

2.????????? God heard the complaints of the Israelites and provided meat (quail) and bread (manna). The appearance of massive amounts of both proved that God listens to his people and provides for their needs. He is merciful and loving even when his people grumble about the hardships of his lordship.

3.????????? Manna was provided daily. It came down from heaven and was unlike any kind of bread made by human hands. It was gathered each morning, and each person had the right amount to sustain them regardless of how much was gathered. God defined the amount needed each day as one omer, which is about three pints. The manna was small, round, white and sweet. How is manna a picture of Jesus who provides life for born-again Christians? (Jn 6:47-51)

4.????????? Manna was to be eaten each day and not hoarded. Twice the daily amount was to be gathered on the sixth day. This was to last two days so that a weekly day of rest and worship was observed (Sabbath). God caused the manna to become infested with worms and rot if it was kept an extra day except for that collected for the Sabbath. God was teaching them the importance of obedience and the consequences if they did not follow his commands. Why is obedience to God’s commands important for spiritual health and growth?