Exodus 16:11-31

Verse 31  The people of Israel called the bread manna.  It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

    We know God is capable of much more than we can imagine and we are often amazed when reading and talking about the feedings of 5000 and 4000 but what God did in the time in the wilderness was so much bigger than that.  Where Jesus fed a group of people for a meal, God was taking care of the Israelites on a much larger level.

    Only a month out of Egypt and the people were complaining about the lack of food.  They did what we can tend to do, as soon as things start being less comfortable in an area of life, we start thinking about the “good old days” and maybe even embellishing them in our mind.  Though the Israelites were slaves they start reminiscing about how much meat they had eaten in Egypt.  We don’t know whether they had as much to eat in their former life or not but it was now driving them to a point of doubting God’s faithfulness.

    To kick off His provision, He sends quail.  Enough quail for everyone.  Now remember that there are about 600,000 men alone.  That must have been a huge covey of quail!  Imagine the sound and commotion that must have caused that evening.  And then the evening was overtaken with the smell of the many birds cooking.  What a feast they were enjoying.

    But God wasn’t done feeding His people.  He started providing a flakey thing called manna that they were to collect every morning except for Saturday, since it was the Sabbath.  They were warned only to collect what was necessary for the day or it would spoil.  Of course there were those who had to put Him to the test and found a horrible smell and maggots the next morning.  But that wasn’t true on Friday to Saturday.  Friday was the one day they were to gather for two days and there was no spoiling.

    The manna was white and tasted like a cake made with honey.  One of the most remarkable things about this manna is that they ended up eating it for 40 years!  While they may not have had a lot of daily routine which reflected their life in Egypt, they now had a community event every morning which would remind them of God and His faithfulness.

Making It Personal

    Do you ever complain to God about things not being as “good as they used to be?”  What are some things in your daily life which remind you of His faithfulness?  Do you thank Him for all the ways He provides for you?

Making It Personal Kids

    Do you ever complain because you don’t have something you want?  What kinds of things does God always provide?  Do you remember to thank Him?

Closing Prayer

    Father, You provide for us in such amazing and great ways.  Give us eyes to see all the ways You provide for us so we can give You the praise You deserve.  In Jesus’ name, amen.