Thanks for joining us again as we re-visit a familiar story in Exodus 16. My prayer is we come in a humble posture willing to recognize our own grumbling and waywardness (or our current needs), with teachable hearts eager to learn from the Israelites.
To recap briefly, "The chapter begins with a very pressing need. So they begin to complain to Moses and Aaron (their leaders). Whether out of hunger, emotional distress, or both, they even start to say crazy things like: '…Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger' (16:3)."
Despite their wayward attitudes, the Lord hears their grumblings and so He responds: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not’” (16:4). Moses and Aaron relayed the Lord’s message to the people, making sure they heard each word and command the Lord had spoken.
Sure enough, just as the Lord had promised, “In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake like thing, fine as frost on the ground [“manna”]. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.’” (Exodus 16:13-15)...
A Moment to reflect:
1. Can you relate to the Israelites grumbling and complaining?
2. If you're being honest with yourself, what are you most tempted to be grumbling and complaining about right now? (Ask the Lord to search out your heart and reveal anything hidden - Psalm 139:23-24).
3. What is one way that you can practically express gratitude in this area? Ask the Holy Spirit for grace and determination to put this step into daily practice. By Nancy Martin; an excerpt from For Such A Time As This: Walking Through Crisis *A moment to reflect is added for this post.
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