Israel's Third Crisis and Two Great Sins (Grumbling and Disobedience)

Exodus 16:1-36

L/W—Thanks for those who came out to join us for service on the Harley Davidson Rally Point Stage

T/W—Previously we looked at Israel’s 2nd crisis in their journey to Sinai, the bitter waters @ Marah, how they complained over bitter waters, and how these “bitter waters” serve as the bitter trials of the believer.

As we continue our study into Israel’s journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, we see yet another crisis Israel encounters (hunger), how they responded (grumbling disobedience), and how God responded (manna and quail).

(We will read our Scripture verses as we move along today, but please turn to Exodus 16)

A person’s trust in God is measured, more times than not, in seasons or moments of trials/testing. The struggle to trust comes, b/c when encountering a trial/temptation, a battle ensues; a battle b/t trusting in our flesh or trusting in the Spirit. In trusting our flesh, we give in to subjective feelings rather than God’s objective faithfulness; in other words, when confronted with trials/tribulations, a person often times leans into (1) self-reliance, (2) self-sufficiency, or (3) the passing pleasures of sin, rather than the (1) constant, (2) undefiled, (3) incorruptible, and (4) perfect faithfullness and nature of God.

We begin to live and battle trials and temptations based on “feelings” rather than live and battle dependent upon God’s nature, character, and works.

Forgetfullness can be the typical culprit. When we forget/neglect to remember God’s works and His faithfulness we risk trusting ourselves, our own strength, and wisdom—and this is where sin crouches as the door. We also risk griping, complaining, and disobedience.

This is where we find Israel in our Scripture today: Confronted with another crisis (hunger), Israel was faced with another opportunity to trust God, seek God, and depend on God. Sadly, however, we see Israel, again, complain against God and become disobedient

Israel (as we will learn) was just one month into their journey-which means all that God had accomplished for them—freedom from Egypt, the promise of God’s enduring presence, the crossing of the Red Sea, and leading them to springs of drinkable water (Elim)—should have been fresh on their minds

Our prayer today should be this:

That we would have attitudes opposite that of the Israelites—that we would hold on and cling to what God has accomplished in our lives. Why? So we might continue to trust Him

That we would have hearts that walk in the understanding and strength that God has never broken one single promise He has made to us—and He never will

That we would trust God—in all seasons of life—in seasons of abounding (much) and abasing (little), in seasons of peace and of trial/tribulations, and in the seasons where the journey might seem confusing & uncomfortable—we would trust Him, so that we might not desire to “go back” and desire those things which held us in bondage and that we might not complain and become disobedient to the Lord

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I. (v.1-3) Israel’s Third Crises-Israel’s Great Sin Committed Again (complaining & unbelief)

Exodus 16:1–3 “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.””

(CONTEXT)

Israel journeyed from Elim to the Desert of Sin

The Desert of Sin

Most likely taken from the word, “Sinai,” the name of this desert has nothing to do with what “sin” means in Scripture

Located in SW Sinai—it’s terrain was rocky and contained thornbushes throughout

The significance here, is not so much found in the location itself; rather we see it relative to the timespan b/t Israel’s liberty and their arrival here—one (1) month

Just one month since the plague of death liberated them from slavery

Just less than a month since the parting of the Red Sea

Just less than a month since God’s promise of His constant presence (pillar of cloud and fire)

Just less than a month since God provided drinkable water at Elim

What’s the crisis that happened here?

Israel’s food supply was used up

Israel’s numbers reveal a crisis which seemed hopeless—there wasn’t a food source of such magnitude—not in a desert—to feed 2 to 3 million people

Israel knew this and they began to talk amongst themselves

What was the extent of Israel’s response?

(FIRST) Instead of taking their concern to Moses and Aaron;

Their talk became a complaint, which became a grumble, which then became a murmer and is what they

Brought to Moses and Aaron and

Was against Moses

(SECOND) The level of their complaining/griping/grumbling exposed the depth of their distrust and unbelief:

Israel would have rather died in bondage—dying in compromise, than die of starvation in the wilderness

“Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full!

Israel

Panicked when they should have prayed

Doubted when they should have depended

Stood in compromise when they should have stood fast in God’s Word

What did this reveal about Israel’s heart?

In their selfishness, they distrusted in God’s care and concern;

In their unbelief they distrusted in God’s goodness

In their doubt, they distrusted in God’s power

In their carnal/fleshly thoughts, they distrusted in God’s provision

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—YOU and ME)

For you and me (again, a reminder)

The believer’s journey is one into the wilderness of the present world (rocky & thorny in it’s own right) and

It’s evil & enticements

It’s idolatry and & wickedness

It’s false teachings & false doctrines

The believer is assured of facing crisis, times of

Trials/tribulations

Temptation

Testing, which God allows, in order that our trust in Him might deepen

The significance of our journey, like Israel’s, is not so much found in “what” trial is encountered—the significance is found in “how” the trial is endured.

It starts with remembering

As Israel was freed by covering their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb—believers have been freed from the wages of sin by the sacrifical blood of THE Lamb—Jesus Christ

As Israel’s enemy was decimated by the mighty, powerful, sovereign hand of God in the Red Sea—the believer’s Enemy has been decimated by the means of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

As Israel was given God’s constant and unchangeable presence to guide them, protect them, and communicate with them (pillar of cloud and fire)—believers have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit—the constant, unchangeable, and incorruptible divine nature of God Himself—to guide, protect, provide, correct, and communicate with them

As Israel was witness to God’s hand in quenching their thirst, believers don’t need to look too far back to see how God continues to work in their lives

In times of trial/tribulation we must call upon God, not grumble and complain

(FIRST) We must understand:

Within every day, there are moments of trials/temptations—we shouldn’t be surprised by them

1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;”

Within every day, there is a battle b/t endulging our flesh and walking in the Spirit

Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

Within this battle, should exist the believer’s moral courage (1 Peter 2:5) to say no to their flesh and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14) and His armor (Ephesians 6:10-17)…HOW?

(SECOND) We must remember

The work of God in our lives…in salvation and in sanctification (Joshua 23:3 “You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.”)

Remembering what God has accomplished for you (even within the last week):

Helps us to trust in God more…instead of ourselves

Helps us to rely on God more…instead of ourselves

Helps us know God fights for us and provides the victory…instead of ourselves

The objective faithfulness of God rather than the subjectiveness of feelings

Subjective feelings are those feelings based on person opinions or perspectives; they are feelings:

Not based on truth or fact

Based in a person’s own ideas or thoughts or background (experiences)

Are biased/deceitful and can & will lead us astray

God’s objective faithfulness

Based on truth

Not influenced by a person’s thoughts, ideas, or experiences

Has nothing to do with OUR feelings…rather everything to do with His nature

God’s faithfulness

Is always first to Himself…His character and nature

Is constant

Is perfect

(THIRD) We must know that where God is leading us and who He’s conforming us more and more into, is worth the journey

The deceit and lie of the enemy is to get a person to be gripped with hopelessness:

In the grip of hopelessness, the depth of one’s trial tempts a person to go back to those things which held them in bondage (just as with the Israelites here)

In the grip of hopelessness, our minds can be shrouded, and in thinking it would be better to go back, we don’t realize the things we are going back to, are the things that God has put to death in us

(J. Vernon McGee) “That is the story, I am afraid, of some people who have been converted, and have been delivered out of “Egypt” [the world, the old life]. Every now and then they take a side trip back to get the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. There are Christians today who need to make a complete break with the old life. Friend, you can’t go on living like the world, living on the things of Egypt, and be serviceable to God and have the peace of God in your heart. There must be a break with Egypt. We must live on the true Manna that comes from heaven, even the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The truth of the Gospel is that the trials/tribulations we face, the more we endure them,

They mold, shape, conform, and transform us more and more into the image of Christ

Give us a quality of faith rather than a quantity of faith

Set us apart from the world more and more

(LASTLY) We must refrain from complaining/grumbling and place our trust in God’s providing and protecting hand

Complaining/grumbling

Display hearts of

Selfishness

Unbelief

Distrust

Fleshly thoughts

Display attitudes which is essence

Want nothing to do with the journey: “No thanks God—this salvation isn’t worth the suffering & trials I have to endure”

Mark 4:16 “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;”

Want God’s provision their way or nothing to do with God’s provision

Numbers 11:4–6 “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!””

Numbers 21:5 “And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.””

How does this translate into the believer today?

“If you think the cross of Christ provides you the entitlement to dictate God’s provision for you life—the entitlement to complain against His provision over your life, or the entitlement to, take advantage of God’s provision in your life…you have missed the bus of humility and caught a bullet train driven by pride!”

The genuine believer must be the believer, who in times of crisis

Trust’s God more then themselves

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.”

Believes in God’s care and lovingkindness

Psalm 36:5–10 “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.”

Believes in God’s love towards us

Believes in God’s help to see us through the problem—no matter how severe

II. (v.4-15) God’s Promise to Meet the Needs of His Grumbling People

(Exodus 16:4-15)-READ

(CONTEXT)

God promised to provide bread from heaven for Israel (v.4)

The only way 2-3 million people could be fed—fed for 40 years—would have to be at the hand of God

This is exactly what God was promising—to feed them in such a way that His existence, provision, love, and care

Could never be questioned

Could never be doubted

God was going to test the faith of His people in two ways (v.4)

(FIRST) God charged Israel to gather bread every day for that particular day; they were to gather only one days’ supply—no more or no less

This was to test their trust in Him

This was to teach them to trust Him day by day for food

(SECOND) God commanded they gather 2x as much bread on the 6th day

This was to test the obedience of Israel…would they gather 2x as much on the 6th day then rest on the 7th, or would they go out and work on the 7th (Sabbath) in disobedience

(ISRAEL’S RESPONSE WILL BE TALKED ABOUT LATER)

God would prove Himself (v.6-7)

What would God do?

God’s provision in the evening (quail) would be used to prove it was He who had saved them and brought them out of slavery (v.6)

God’s provision in the morning (manna) would be used to prove His glory (v.7)

What was this to prove?

That God and God alone was truly the Lord—b/c the people had complained/grumbled against Him, He was set to prove Himself

It’s here we get another glimpse of God’s mercy and patience—God is truth and He doesn’t need to “prove Himself.” But God knows us, how fickle we are, how easily we can be led astray, or look to the right or the left.

So in the abundance of His mercy and patience, God provides us (as He did with Israel) evidences and proofs of who He is and how much He cares for us…(think of the ways He has “proven” Himself to you that you might entrust Him with your life)

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

God gave a warning (v.8)—Grumbling and complaining (as we discussed before) are not against God’s servants, rather they are against God Himself

God (not His servants) is who leads His people; who delivers His people from enslavement and in sanctification; here it is God who lead Israel to where they were—therefore Israel’s complaining—though verbalized towards Moses and Aaron—whether the realized it or not, was directed at God Himself and His leadership

Complaining and grumbling, again, display a heart attitude that

Distrusts God

Distrusts in God’s care for them

Distrusts in God’s ability to work all things for the good

Says, “I don’t trust in You God, I don’t trust in Your love, Your care, or Your means of deliverance

God laid down the prerequisite for receiving the bread of God (v.9-10)—A person must come and draw near to God

(FIRST) Carries with it a requirement...“Come near before the Lord...”—

Before Israel could “move forward,” or “move on,” they would have to deal with their sin of complaining & grumbling, which reflected their idolatry/selfishness/pride

(SECOND) Carries a promise: the promise of His presence (“…they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.)

This glory is what is called the “Shekinah Glory” of God—the cloud which symbolized God’s presence; the presence that led/guided Israel from Egypt and was to rest upon the tabernacle; it was to rest upon the mercy seat in the holy of holies.

Scripture says the glory of the Lord is

Like a consuming fire (Ex 24:17)

Like a pillar of fire that radiates light (Ex 13:21-22)

Like a fiery furnace (Heb 12:18,29)

Like a light that radiates splendor what Peter referred to as “the excellent glory” (2 Peter 1:17)

A light so glorious and brilliant, there’s no need for a sun (Rev 21:11, 23)

(THIRDLY) We see Israel obey, and thereby

Witnesses the phenomenal sight of the glory of God’s presence symoblized in the cloud

God restressed the facts (v.11-12)

For the purpose that the Israel might learn the truth—a truth He wanted driven and imprinted on the hearts of Israel

For the purpose that Israel might more & more learn that He alone is the Lord their God

God fulfilled His promise (v.13-15)

He gave the quail by night—for 40 years (v.13)

Imagine the sight of enough quail to feed 2-3 million people each night, for 40 years, without relenting

He gave the manna by morning—for 40 years (v.13-15)

“Manna” means “what is it?—the Israelites had never before seen this coriander seed like flake before

“Manna” was described by Moses as the bread from heaven which had been promised by God

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—YOU and ME)

Israel’s hunger here is a picture of man’s hunger, yet it lends to mean, more importantly, the hunger within their soul;

Within the core and base of man, exists a hunger/craving for:

Purpose and fulfillment

Acceptance and recognition

Love and friendship

Joy and pleasure

In man’s hunger and thirst to satisfy these cravings/desires—often times a person looks to the allurements/enticements of the world to fill themselves

Drugs/ Alchohol—which are in reality the temporary and destructive addictions that destroy a

Illicit/immoral sex—which is in reality and abomination of the image man was created in and for

Pleasure—which in reality are merely whistful, momentary, and passing pleasures

Success/fame/honor/fortune-which in reality, at the end of the day, still leave a person craving/wanting more and more

Beauty/popularity—which is our attempt to find acceptance in outward appearances, exchanging the godly image we were created in for a worldly one

The world’s “food” seems appealing and satisfying; however, in truth these are nothing more than a means of escape, that

NEVER satisfy

NEVER meet/fill the deepest void in our hearts

ALWAYS leave a person

Empty

Void

No sense of gratification/satisfaction

Unfulfilled

1 John 2:15–17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Hebrews 11:24–25 “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”

God has promised that if person would draw near to Him, trust Him, and depend upon Him, that person could be nourished by His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the bread of life (John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”)

Drawing near to God encompasses the necessity of confession and repentance of our sin.

We must confess and repent of the sinful ways we have been seeking fulfillment/acceptance/approval, before we can move forward and experience God's working in our battles/trials/temptations

To give us a right understanding—let’s look into the account of Achan in Joshua 7.)

God’s command and Achan’s sin

Joshua 6:18 “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.”

Joshua 7:1 “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.”

The result of Achan’s sin

Joshua 7:5 “And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”

Joshua’s response (despair/lamenting/mourning)

Joshua 7:6 “Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.”

God’s command

Joshua 7:10 “So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?”

Joshua 7:13 “Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.””

“Sanctify” means to set oneself apart, to unattach oneself from the world and attach ourselves to God

This REQUIRES our repentance and confession

This REQUIRES our entrusting our lives to the Holy Spirit

“…you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

You cannot expect to have victory over trials/temptations/enemies if you are too busy hanging out with them

Joshua and Israel’s Response (Joshua 7:16-25)

Sin is rooted out

Sin is dealt with

God’s response to this

Joshua 8:1 “Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”

Drawing near to God includes learning to trust in God’s provision--day by day, season after season

Trust is not

A “now and then” attitude

A “half-hearted” attitude

A “only if it suits me” attitude

Trust IS

To be the constant discipline of the believer’s life

To be in ALL times and in ALL seasons of the believer’s life

To be the diligent heartbeat of the believer’s life

Drawing near to God carries the absolute necessity that we must seek out and depend on “daily bread”

Staying spiritually healthy means we must seek after the spiritual nourishment which comes through Jesus Christ

Luke 11:3 “Give us day by day our daily bread.”

Staying spiritually healthy means we should seek after the spiritual nourishment through God’s Word daily

Deuteronomy 17:19 “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,”

Staying spiritually healthy means we should seek after spiritual nourishment early and often

David in Psalm 5:3

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

Jacob in Genesis 28:18

“Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.”

Samuel’s parents in 1 Samuel 1:19

“Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.”

Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29:20

“Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.”

Job in Job 1:5

“So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.”

Jesus Christ in Mark 1:35

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

If the Savior of the world—perfect in holiness, righteousness, and majesty saw the need to spend time with His Father early in the day, so should we all the more

III. (v.16-30) Israel’s test and Israel Failing—Disobedience

(EXODUS 16:16-30) READ

(CONTEXT)—Note the response of each of God’s three commands

God’s first command was obeyed (v.16-18)—God’s instructions? Gather only the manna needed for each person w/in a tent

The people obeyed and gathered what was needed (v.17)

The people strictly obeyed and measured out exactly what was required; no one kept more or had less (v.18)

God’s second command was disobeyed (v.19-21)

God’s instructions--Manna was not to be kept overnight. Why?

A test--

God was using this as a means to expose the human heart (selfish and carnal)

God was using this as a means to teach His people to trust Him day by day—trust Him for the provisions of life

A test that would challenge Israel’s commitment to Him and trust in Him--think on this for a moment.

God was instructing people to go to bed at night without a morsel of food in the house & to trust Him for their daily bread;

Israel was expecting a short march, straight to the promised land, only to be in the wilderness for a short time;

They had no idea (up to this point) they would be wandering for 40 years, being asked to trust God for their daily bread for 40 years

Israel’s response?

"But some of them left part of it until morning...” (v.20) This was disobedience rooted in a lack of trust

Some just weren’t convinced God actually provided and would provide the manna

Some just didn’t believe in God’s promises to continue to meet their needs

The result?

Their manna was full of maggots & stunk

Their manna was unfit to eat, when those who refused belief woke up

Moses response?

Moses was angered with the people (v.20)

God’s response?

God demonstrated His mercy and continued to provide manna and the people gathered it (v.21)

God’s third command was disobeyed (v.22-27)

God’s instructions—Israel was to gather 2x as much bread on the 6th day (v.5) and cook what was needed on the 6th day (v.23) Why?

Again, a test. A test to trust God for their provision

So they would do no work on the Sabbath—and honor the day of the Lord (rest)

Israel’s response

A portion of Israel obeyed (v.24)

A portion of Israel disobeyed (v.27)

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—YOU and ME)

God’s testing of believers, through His commands or His allowance of testing (Psalm 11:5, Jeremiah 17:10) has the purpose of:

Drawing out the believer’s trust in Him and His path He’s set out for us

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Drawing out the believer’s dependency on Him, so our daily needs are met

Luke 12:29–31 ““And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Drawing out the obedience to Him, qualifying our faith, developing heavy laden Spiritual fruit, and developing more the character of Christ

John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

God has ultimately, given us our rest in Jesus Christ; yet there is a value in honoring Him and the rest He has given us in Christ Jesus; therefore, we must sanctify/honor and remember the Lord’s Day;

The Lord’s Day is

A day of rest

A holy day to the Lord (v.23)

We must, then

Guard it and not gather

Set aside a day for rest and holy worship of Him—as His command

(This cannot become a religious activity—this must be an act of obedience to praise/rejoice/worship of Jesus Christ for being our rest)

IV. (v.31-36) Manna Memorialized

Exodus 16:31–36 “And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.”

(CONTEXT) Gods’ command that manna be remembered/memorialized

Note the description of manna

Looked like resin or coriander seed (a small white grain used for seasoning)

Tasted like honey wafers or like wafers made with olive oil

Could be ground with a handmill or crushed and baked in pots

Note three significant truths and the connection to Jesus Christ, which can be drawn from manna

Truths about manna:

The manna was the bread—given by God—to save Israel from physical death (starvation)

The manna was sent by God, but the people had to gather it

The manna was the daily bread for rescued and redeemed Israel

They were to feast on it

They were to arise early and gather it—lest the sun melted it up

(AS WE CLOSE-I pray we will see/recognize/and respond to the connection we see to Jesus Christ)

A person, apart from God, is spiritually starving and is at risk for spiritual death. All this person can know to do, is constantly seeking the provision from the things of this world and the passing pleasures of sin to satisfy and quench this hunger; but the provision of this world is corruptible, decaying, and defiled

What a person needs is not as important as WHO man needs.

A person needs the provision of Jesus Christ

John 6:32 “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

John 6:33 “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.””

John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

John 6:58 “This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.””

A person needs the provision found at the cross of Christ, it is here a person finds:

Liberty & freedom

Restoration

For themselves

For marriages

For families

Adoption into the family of God

A yoke that is easy and a burden that is light

Forgiveness and the washing away of sin

Peace with God

Rest for their souls

Complete/total access to the throne room of God

The place where addictions/strongholds are overcome

Contentment

A place to lay down and surrender fears/worries/anxieties

A person needs the provision of the empty grave:

No more fear of death & it’s sting

Promise of eternal & abundant life now and for eternity

Promise & assurance that there will be no more

Guilt/shame

Sin/temptations

Trials/tribulations

Sadness/heartache/loss

Brokenness and doubt

A person needs Jesus Christ as their daily bread (Luke 11:3 “Give us day by day our daily bread.” )

Deuteronomy 4:29 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

Acts 17:11 “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

The manna was sent by God for Israel—so to was Jesus Christ; and as Israel was instructed to gather it, so to must a person receive Christ as the bread of life

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

The lesson here is this:

Israel—in their fear and subject feelings, believed the provision of the world (Egypt) to be more beneficial than trusting in God’s objective faithfullness

Today—we struggle with the same battle; will we compromise into our subjective feelings, which are not based on truth, are biased, and deceive us? Or will be submit ourselves to the objective, constant, uncorruptible, and undefiled faithfulness of God?

God’s provision provides a person ETERNAL and LASTING contentment, whereas the world’s provides WHITHERING and DECAYING, and MOMENTARY gratification

What’s your choice today?