And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 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.” 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. -Exodus 16:2-4
The manna of the wanderings in Exodus always fascinated me. I can’t imagine leaving the tent every morning to go gather up small grain the size of seeds that covered the ground like dew to make into cakes. I can only imagine that for those many years the manna cakes became boring and routine. I love a good cheeseburger. But I can’t imagine eating a cheeseburger every day for forty years. You almost wonder if there was a gift shop with “Miriam’s 101 Ways to Cook with Manna.”
Manna had a greater purpose than just feeding the children of Israel. It wasn’t just a way to fill their stomachs. It was a reminder of their dependence on God. It was a daily lesson on humility. From the beginning of the institution of the manna diet God said, “…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” (Exodus 16:4). What did God mean when He said He would “test them”?
He tested their ability to obey. Within the “Manna Plan” there were guidelines and restrictions. They were to gather enough for one day worth of eating (Exodus 16:16-19). This was a specific and exact instruction. It was also an instruction that some failed to keep (Exodus 16:20). On the sixth day, the people were to gather two days worth of manna to use for the Sabbath (Exodus 16:22-24). The manna did not rot and fill with worms on the sixth day. The amazing hand of God’s providence was clearly seen. But even with this command, some failed (Exodus 16:27). Notice the words of God after they had failed to obey: “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?” (Exodus 16:28). God gave the manna to test the Israelites. Many failed the test.
As Moses prepares to die, he addresses the nation of Israel and reminds them of all of the things God had done for them and asked them. The collection of that address to the people is known as the book of Deuteronomy. Notice what Moses said about the manna:
And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. -Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Did you see the point of the Manna Diet? Moses said God did that so that “…He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Exodus 8:3). The manna was a test. Would Israel put their faith and trust wholly in the Lord? Would Israel listen to the commands? Would Israel obey His Law? We see that some of the Israelites failed to do so.
We should not be surprised. We often choose to follow the same pattern. God wants us to obey His Law today. He wants us to follow His Will. He wants us to listen to His Word. Yet, like the Israelites, we fail to do so.
God says the man is the head of the house. We turn to cultural standards and our own philosophy and say all are equal. God says to bear one another’s burdens. We follow the selfish standards of society and seek what’s best for “me.” God says to attend the assemblies and encourage one another until the Judgment Day. We come once a week and fill the remainder of our time with the pleasures of this world while we still can. God says we should love one another and not speak evil of our brethren. We gossip and backbite against one another. The list of our failures could go on and on.
Brothers and sisters, we look at the children of Israel and Exodus and we are amazed at their lack of faith and gratitude. We criticize them for failing to see what God had done for them. We judge them for failing to obey. Perhaps we should consider our own lives through the all-telling mirror of scripture. Are we any different?
God has sent the “bread of life” to us. Jesus is our spiritual manna. His words are our guidelines for today. This is a test just as the manna of old was. It is a test to see whether or not we will obey His commands. Are we?
Deep Waters 