April 30, 2018: Day 16 – Exodus 16

We run across so many stories in Exodus that we have heard at one time, but the details are so very rich.  Here we find ourselves with the story of the manna that the Lord provided the Israelites.  I love the origin of the word.  It means literally in Hebrew: “what is it?”  In Hebrew you would say Man-hu?  But notice that it is not just the white flaky substance  that covers the ground which is the miracle, but also the quails which the Lord had promised.  So the people of Israel have both bread  and meat to comfort and support them as they make their way through the wilderness.

Yes, God provides, but notice how it is only after the Israelites complain bitterly, to the point where they say that it would have been better to have remained in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.  There might be some hyperbole there, but the Israelites are really not happy until the Lord provides.  So,  I guess we forgot the whole crossing of the Red Sea, or did we forget the passover, or the other 9 plagues that helped to liberate the people of Israel?  Either way, they say that it would have been better to die in Egypt, at least they wouldn’t have had to do this long trek.  The accusation was that they were going to die of hunger.  They couldn’t complain about dying of thirst, because they had already done that and the Lord provided.  Here is another opportunity for the Lord to provide.

In the midst of the provision we still find the consistent disobedience by the Israelites.  Only take up as much as you need.  They took too much and so it was filled with worms.  It was such a significant event in the life of the people of Israel that Moses is commanded to keep some of that white stuff for posterity sake.  He does.  We often need reminders of the Lord’s faithfulness and at times when we look for them it seems as if they have melted with the morning sun.  We forget what God has done for us just as quickly as the Israelites did.  It is a constant in our lives.