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Intro: Israel is the nation of course that God has placed above all other nations.
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
The Passover illustrated the Christian salvation of course through the blood of the Lamb, so the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan is a picture of both the battles and the blessings of the Christian life according to the apostle Paul.
And I know we don’t like to see ourselves as we read the Old Testament but the reality is we are much more like them than we want to admit. Being delivered from the bondage in Egypt they get lost in the wilderness of indecisiveness and unbelief. That is not to say that they lose their salvation because they don’t, but they miss out on all the inheritance that God has for them. If you remember that after the waters close in the Red Sea, the nation of Israel never goes back into Egypt...
But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
We learn from this that God’s not pleased with the crossing of the Red Sea is a picture of the believer’s identification with Christ. The Bible says that Israel was baptized unto Moses, they followed their deliverer Moses (a picture of Christ) identifying with him as they went through the Red Sea when they came on the other side of the water and the parted waters closed behind them signifying that they had left Egypt behind forever. We make our public identification with Christ at our water baptism which is a picture of our spiritual baptism that took place the moment we were saved symbolizing our death burial and resurrection. We are new creatures in Christ, we have left behind the life of sinful bondage and we are new creatures in Christ!
Now, continuing on this journey of the Christian life, the Apostle Paul tells us that the nation of Israel once they had left Egypt they ate of that spiritual mean and they drank of that spiritual drink.
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
What manna in the wilderness represents, and what Paul is talking about to the Corinthians Church how to develop our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without doing so, we will never enjoy the inheritance spiritually speaking that God has planned for your life as a child of His…
We grow our relationship with Christ my observing God’s promise.
How do we do that? Well, we must understand that before I can trust God for my daily needs, we must observe/remember what He has already done for us!
Do you remember the first question that God ever asked in the Scriptures? It’s over in Genesis He asked Adam, “Where art thou”.
Now the very first question posed in the New Testament is when the wise men are looking for Jesus! Where is He? The great principle is there!!! We could never find God, unless He came looking for us first!
God has already delivered the nation of Israel in a supernatural way, but if we would study them and learn from them we would learn that it didn’t take them very long to forget what God had already done, and begin to complain...
Read: Exodus 16:1.
Listen it was just back in chapter 14 that they witnessed the parting of the Red Sea. They saw God consume there enemies in it, while providing them safe passage across.
Now look at verse 2-10...
This pattern is one that we will see continue throughout the rest of their time in the wilderness and it is the same problem that we face daily in our Christian life...
Here the Nation of Israel was met with a problem, they murmured and complained to Moses and God would intervene and show Moses how to salve the problem.
And the problems varied, sometimes like the Red Sea they were encountering their enemies and God provided a way of escape, sometimes they were thirsty or like we see in our text today, they hungered…
Their complaining and murmuring were always accompanied by the same self-centered prayer…
Verse 3…
Well, that’s the past, and you can’t do that anymore.. Isn't weird how we live this life in search of prosperity but when we think we found it, we find out that it is actually based upon our current situation. We find that the troubles that are ahead of us can make the troubles of the present seem very minor in comparison. We forget don’t we?
The nation of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and the whole reason that God sent a deliverer, do you remember? Was because their cry was great before God… And now, faced with their current problem, they all of a sudden wish that they could go back...
Listen, God had very little expectation of the newly converted group… He shows great mercy here, they complain and He provides yet again in a supernatural way. He didn’t judge them here after their complaint…
But here’s the thing, God never intends for us to stay spiritual babes forever. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, the murmuring and complaining is supposed to stop… Could you imagine walking into a store, and seeing an adult throw a temper tantrum like a child because they didn't’ get their own way?
The Nation of Israel had been out of Egypt for about 4 weeks, they couldn’t remember what God had done, but they remembered the flesh pots of Egypt… So here in the wilderness of Sin, they desired to go eat the flesh pots of the former life…
They had believed the lie, that what they had back there was better then their current situation. They had forgotten about the bondage, the beatings, the misery, and the forced labor of slavery. Isn't’ amazing how our demeanor changes so much when we are hungry? In our house we call it getting hangry…
The nation of Israel, rather than seeing their own shortfalls, they point to someone else… They blame Moses and Aaron.
Think about this with me for a moment… Moses spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in Midian under Jethro, and 40 years in the wilderness. Listen to how unrealistic their blaming gets… Moses is 80 years old, he is in Midian and just has this thought.. I’d really love to exterminate the Jewish race, but I’m not going to do it over their in Egypt so I’m going to haul them out through the Red Sea into the wilderness and I’m going to leave them their to die of starvation.
How ridiculous does that sound?
But you know what eventually happens? They do all die here in the wilderness, but it isn’t because of Moses, it is because of their own unbelief. It doesn't happen today, but over the next 40 years everyone 20 and up will die, except for two men who stood with the Lord.
Consider our text again here, Because God is merciful, and gracious, He meets their needs, He gives them flesh in the evening, and He rains bread down in the morning. Do you realize that our Christian Pilgrimage is lived on God’s promises and not on God’s explanations. What I mean by that is this, God doesn't have to tell us why He does things the way He does them. When our flesh is hurting, we so quickly ask our Sovereign God why? Assuming that an explanation would take away our pain…
Man did eat angels’ food:
He sent them meat to the full.
This is where I believe the term angel food cake came from…
Let me be very real with you for a moment, explanations do not heal men’s hearts but the fulfillment of God’s promises do! There is nothing that will encourage you more than to stand in their wilderness and see God do what He said He would do!
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
When we take time to observe what God has already done, why wouldn't we then trust him for our temporal needs, when He has already satisfied the Everlasting need!
Matthew 6:25-34.
And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
The most important thing for the nation of Israel was to focus on the glory of the Lord! And when one does that, they remember the glory of God that defeated the gods of Egypt by smiting them with a plague, and the glory of God, parted the Red Sea by which they walked across on dry ground, the glory of God that swallowed up the Egyptians in the water but most importantly. We realize that the glory of the Lord is still with us!
No matter what trial, or tribulation you are going through, if you would remember those precious promises already done, your would remember the promises that are being fulfilled and have yet to be fulfilled!
If we trust Him with the everlasting part, why can’t we trust Him with the here and now… I know we think, but… I don’t have control of the everlasting part so I have to trust Him. Can I encourage you with something, we have to have that same mindset with the hear and now… When I’m in control I want flesh pots from Egypt, while God want to fill me up with flesh and bread from heaven.
2. We have to obtain God’s provision… vs. 11-14
And had rained down manna upon them to eat,
And had given them of the corn of heaven.
God had provided, and they only had to gather up the provision…
vs. 15 - they called it manna: for they wist not what it was…
What a picture this is of Christ!
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
God was manifest in the flesh…
Ex. 16:14 says it was small, I believe that to speak of Christs humility.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
I also believe it speaks of His eternality...
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
It was round, having not beginning and no ending…
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Read Ex. 16:15 again… Now we get this picture that the bread from heaven was on the ground, it was small, it seemed insignificant to the people…
I want us to see this, it was obtained by bending or bowing down to the ground to pick it up. Spiritually, we see that this way, they had to humble themselves to obtain it, because it was through God’s humility that it was given! It didn’t float around the camp at eye level… They had to get low...
vs. 16…
By the way, when is the dew on the ground? When did Mary find the Saviour was risen?
an “omer” was equivalent to about three quarts. And listen, we are talking about 1 million gallons a day of this bread from heaven…
vs. 17-20… Do you know how long it took them to fall short of God’s very simple command? 4 verses...
God is saying that their is urgency to receive the bread, because once the sun rises in all of its glory, it will be to late, and the gift of heavenly bread will disappear.
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;
And all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts,
That it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
A fire goeth before him,
And burneth up his enemies round about.
And they shall go forth, and look
Upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me:
For their worm shall not die,
Neither shall their fire be quenched;
And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
Call ye upon him while he is near:
And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Is the first mention of the Sabbath day, it has been previously called the 7th day…
If they gathered to much on Monday it spoiled but on the sixth day they were to gather double and it wouldn’t spoil.
Not only was the manner of giving amazing but the preserving of that bread for the seventh day was addition provision from God!
And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
Listen it is through the written word, the provision of that daily bread in which we enjoy a relationship with the living Word the Lord Jesus Christ!
If you desire to grow in your relationship with Christ it begins by observing the promises, second by obtaining the provisions. Which will lead us to the promised land, our victorious life in Christ. Which we obtain by obeying His word! It begins with a relationship, it continues thorugh the growth of that relationship, and it ends in victory that has been brought about through that growth!