Your Source hasn’t changed

"The Gathering of the Manna"

by James Tissot 1896-1900

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joshua 5-8; Psalm 66

TO CHEW ON: “Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.” Joshua 5:12

Imagine that first morning of going out to collect manna as usual and finding – none! What God had provided every morning six days a week for forty years stopped as suddenly as it started. I can just see the people looking all around them puzzled, scanning the more distant terrain, and someone asking, “What day is today?” thinking perhaps it was Sabbath after all.

But no, their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them and it wasn’t Sabbath. The miraculous provision of their daily food was over. From now on they would have to work the land for their three squares.

Change. It comes to us all. I wonder if the Israelites welcomed this one. No doubt some of them did, for they had had their moments of complaining about their one-item menu in the past. I’m sure, though, that others looked back on the manna years as the good old days, spoke fondly of their mother’s ingenuity in preparing it and sometimes hankered after just one more taste.

There was one constant in this, though. The One behind the provision was still God. Before He withheld the manna, He made sure there was something to take its place.

Has your current supply of manna stopped? Perhaps you’ve lost your job, or a big client hasn’t renewed a contract. You’re wondering, how will my needs be met?

This is a good time to remember your source. It’s not your boss, or your client, or the company, but God. The God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills - who has promised to supply all your need according to His riches . Of course life after your current ‘manna’ may not be quite the same. Your new provision may demand a different kind of effort or a new level of responsibility. Still, God promises to supply what you need.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your presence in my life and for Your provision for me in many ways. Help me to have the flexibility to change when that is required.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 66

*************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What satisfies our hunger?

Gathering Manna - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 7-9; Psalm 55

TO CHEW ON: "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3

There's much to see in this verse that connects one of our most basic needs—the need to eat—to our life with God.

"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger…"

A quick re-read of Israel's travels through the wilderness reminds us of how often they were humbled by hunger. Humbled by hunger is also our stance when we fast (as in fast and pray). We may feel invincible but a day or two without food shows us how vulnerable and dependent we are on regular refueling.

"…and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know…"

Israel, during her manna years, came to know and depend on God in ways unlike anything their forefathers experienced. Are we open to God doing new things in, for, and through us? Are we receptive to whatever God has for us in the area of ministry, influence, service, provision, protection?

"…that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

What connections did manna have with God's words? God gave the Israelites explicit instructions for collecting and using it.

• They were to gather manna once a day before the day got hot and it melted (Exodus 16:4, 21).

• They were to gather enough for each person, no more (Exodus 16:16).

• They were not to save it to eat as leftovers the next day. Some of them tried, only to find it grew maggots and became smelly (Exodus 16:19-20).

• However, on the day before Sabbath, they were collect double the amount and save half for eating the next day (Exodus 16:5).

• On the morning of the Sabbath there was no manna to collect (Exodus 16:26-27).

Whether they ate or not depended on their obedience to God's words. In fact, one of the purposes of manna was to test their obedience (Exodus 16:4). It's significant that Jesus quoted words from this verse to overcome the devil's temptation to satisfy His hunger for food in a Satan-inspired way (Matthew 4:1-4).

We might ask, are we satisfying our deep hungers by trying to live by bread alone—focused on getting our needs met on the natural plane? Let's not forget that God is present in every aspect of life. Real satiation comes from obeying Him and seeking to live in God-acknowledging, God-honoring ways.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this object lesson of physical hunger that shows me the extent of my need for You and the importance of obedience. Help me to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 55

The Bible Project VIDEO: YHWH: LORD  (SHEMA word study series)

New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Food from God's kitchen

Gathering Manna - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 16-18

TO CHEW ON: "So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little had no lack." Exodus 16:18

Manna was the daily food for the Israelites that came straight from God's kitchen. It was first delivered one morning a-month-and-a-half after they left Egypt and continued for 40 years until they were on the doorstep of Canaan (Exodus 16:1, 35).

In today's reading we're given some lovely details about this food:
- It was on the ground every morning (except for the Sabbath day).
- It was small, round, as fine as frost (Exodus 16:14).
- It tasted like coriander and honey (Exodus 16:31).
- It melted in the heat (Exodus 16:21).
- It could be prepared in various ways. Our passage mentions baking and boiling (Exodus 16:23).
- It was called "manna" (literally "what?" Exodus 16:31) , referred to as "bread (Exodus 16:15, 22, 29), and compared to "wafers (Exodus 16:31).
- There was always enough for everyone.
- It normally spoiled overnight, smelled bad, and bred worms if saved (Exodus 16:20).
- But the manna gathered on the sixth day for use on the Sabbath kept just fine (Exodus 16:23-24).
- Even more strange, the omer of manna collected as a memorial lasted for years (Exodus 16:33-34).
- Moses and God took obedience to the details of its gathering and use on the Sabbath very seriously (Exodus 16:19-20; 28-29).

Manna is often viewed by scholars and Bible teachers as a symbol of the way God provides for us. My Bible's study notes refer to it this way:

"The food supply comes morning by morning in God's time, according to God's plan. The supply cannot be stored up for future use, except for the Sabbath. It is to be used only as God has specified (vs. 20) a miraculous demonstration of His provision to meet the needs of His people" J. C. Tollett,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 98.

It's a great metaphor for God's  provision in so many ways.

• Like manna, God's provision for us so often comes at the time we need it. (Jesus prayed: "… give us this day our daily bread" - Matthew 6:11).

• His provision is also often just enough for our need. I've heard many stories of people getting money in the mail or as a gift in the precise amount needed.

• But it is also under His command. Like the manna didn't keep the rules of spoilage on the sixth day, God can override the laws of time and space when He wants to, stretching oil and meal (1 Kings 17:8-16), multiplying loaves and fishes (John 6:5-13), adapting the manna He sends to our specific need.

• How we handle God's provision for us may also be a test—as we've seen several times this month. Just to review Moses' explanation of this to the Israelites: "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" - Deuteronomy 8:2.

- But perhaps the most beautiful comparison of manna as provision comes as we reflect on Jesus and how He is spiritual manna (bread) to us.

•  He is the bread of life (John 6:35,48). He enacted  this when He broke bread with the disciples, telling them:

"Take, eat this is My body" - Mark 14:22.  

He explained what this meant: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world”  John 6:48-51.

• There's even a memorial component. As the manna was kept in remembrance, we too remember and celebrate Jesus, the bread of life, every time we take part in the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:24).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your manna provision for me, materially and spiritually. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 22
This Psalm is prophetic of Jesus' death, a reminder of all that His death mentioned above entailed. This psalm contains this verse, that reminds us that the food He gives in this way is available to all:

 "The poor shall eat and be satisfied; 
Those who seek Him will praise the LORD - Psalm 22:26.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Just a little disobedience

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 16:17-36

"Gathering Manna" by James Tissot

TO CHEW ON: “Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.” Exodus 16:20

When I read this part of Israel’s story I feel in very familiar territory. That’s because the book I wrote some years ago fictionalizes these very scenes. Today I’m going to share how I handled this manna episode in Destiny’s Hands.

A little set-up:
The character through whose eyes we see the action is Bezalel (the man who later became the chief artisan for the tabernacle and temple). He is a young man of 19 in our story, living with his family Grandfather Hur, father Uri (both Bible characters), mother Noemi and younger sister, 14-year-old Zamri (both fictional characters).

**********

“Zamri, it’s time to get up. The sun is already warm and you still haven’t gone for the manna.” Noemi’s voice was urgent.

From behind the tent partition, Bezalel heard Zamri groan and mutter, “I don’t have to. I collected extra yesterday.”

A minute later, Bezalel heard his mother exclaim, “Oh no! This is
awful!”

As he pulled on his tunic and tied his robe around him, Bezalel detected a smell of decay and rottenness. He went over to the basket of yesterday’s manna, looked inside, then drew back, repulsed. The food that had been deliciously edible the day before now stank and was crawling with maggots. It was disgusting.

Hur, hearing the fuss inside the tent, came in to see what it was about.

“It’s yesterday’s manna,” said Noemi. “Zamri collected extra without telling us. Today it smells and is full of worms.”

Zamri was up by now, fully awakened by everyone’s reaction to what she’d done.

“Didn’t you hear Moses’ command?” Hur asked. “We are to collect only enough for each day, no more.”

“My friends did it too,” said Zamri. “We wanted to sleep today.”

“Well, we’d better get out there now,” said Noemi. “The sun is already high in the sky. You know how the heat melts it.”

“I’ll help,” said Bezalel. He dumped the spoiled manna outside the
tent, but the odor lingered on the basket, so he left it outside and found another. Then he joined Noemi and the other manna-gatherers already sweating in the warm morning sun.

...(later)

Shortly Uri came back from tending the animals and the family sat down to eat. After everyone was satisfied, Hur announced, “I’m going to the gathering place to watch Moses judge the people. Uri, Bezalel, I think you should join me.”

When they arrived at the area that served as the camp’s meeting place, it was indeed as Hur had said. The queue of people waiting to speak to Moses stretched through the center of the natural amphitheater and beyond, past several clusters of tents. The three found a spot with other onlookers where they could hear and watch the proceedings.

People came with a variety of matters.

One man complained that a neighbor was making advances toward his wife. Others brought charges of theft, trespass, and annoying, noisy neighbors. “My neighbor’s extra manna smells so terrible we can’t sleep,” said a man who had just reached Moses.

Aaron, who sat beside Moses and did most of the speaking, answered.“You bother Moses with a small matter like that? Just ask your neighbor to take it away…”

But Moses flashed Aaron a quick frown and broke in. “This may seem like a small matter, but it isn’t. Is your neighbor here?”

When the complainant pointed out the man, Moses spoke to him in a surprisingly harsh tone. “I told you—in fact, I made it very clear—that no one is to keep any of the manna until morning. What about that command do you not understand? Collect enough for one day and one day only.”

Looking around at the people gathered, Moses proclaimed to everyone, “People, listen to what God says and obey Him for a change. Why do you keep cutting corners and not doing exactly as He says?”

Bezalel was surprised at Moses’ reaction. Was disobedience in such a small thing that big of a problem? It seemed that Yahweh demanded compliance down to the last detail. He also felt a wave of relief. It was a good thing their day-old manna matter had been dealt with this morning and within their tent. But what about other things in which Moses judged the people?

Excerpts from Destiny’s Hands, pp. 96-100

PRAYER: Dear Father, may my obedience to You be an outworking of my  respect for Your wisdom in all things. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Obedience Training

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 16:1-16

TO CHEW ON: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day that I may test them whether they will walk in My law or not.’” Exodus 16:4

Have you ever raised a stubborn child, where the smallest request ended in a battle of wills? “Eat your vegetables.” “No!” “Brush your teeth.” “No!” “Buckle your seat belt.” “No!” “Stop hitting your sister.” POW!

Sometimes such battles can seem silly. Why press a child to tears for victory over a few peas or a bedtime with clean teeth? Yet the responsible parent knows that disobedience in such small things is a symptom of a deeper attitude of rebellion toward authority. When we ignore it in our children, we run the risk of them growing into rebellious adults.

In a way the Israelites were like children. They were untrained in the ways of freedom. They had recently broken free from the grip of generations of slavery in Egypt. Whether their new attitude of complaining and insolence was a pendulum swing as far from slavery as they could get (now we can do as we please!), or just the natural response of human nature to tough conditions, we don’t know. But God sensed their need for training and He started small, with basic, easy-to-follow directions about gathering food (Exodus 16:4,5).

God’s explanation to Moses of why He made such rules: “‘That I may test them.'”

[Test - nasah - To put to the test, to try, to prove, tempt. The basic idea is to put someone to the test to see how he will respond. - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 747.]

Predictably, perhaps, some failed this test by trying to keep manna overnight (Exodus 16:20), and failing to gather extra on the day before Sabbath, then finding no supply on Sabbath morning (Exodus 16:27).

On the flip side of this matter, Jesus taught that those obedient and faithful in small things would be rewarded with greater responsibility (Matthew 25:21,23).

Where do we sit in this continuum of rebellion to obedience (and qualification for promotion)? What tests are we facing? Are we passing those tests? Are we aware of what our acts of insolence and disobedience to the things of God say about our maturity and fitness for the responsibilities we have now, let alone greater responsibility?

PRAYER: Dear Father, please give me insight into how the mundane activities and attitudes of life are spiritual tests. Help me to grow in obedience. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.