Exodus 16:13-15 (ESV)
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. 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."
Devotional Meditation
Imagine the Israelites confusion on the first morning that they went out from their tents and saw this fine, flaky, white substance covering the ground like a frost. Nothing in their wilderness survival guidebooks has prepared them for this scenario. Crowd-sourcing the problem yields no help either. Each of them are asking their neighbors, “What is this stuff?” But no one has an answer.
Finally, Moses tells them: “It is bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
Uhhh...come again, Moses?
But this is no practical joke. Moses is serious. He proceeds to give them further instructions--when to gather, when not to gather, how much to gather, etcetera, etcetera.
But even having received this revelation and these clear instructions, some of the people don’t listen. Hilarity ensues. Overstocked manna turns wormy. Sabbath-Day manna gatherers come home with empty buckets. The Lord sends Moses a facepalm meme with the caption: SRSLY?
This is yet one more episode in what is shaping out to be The Wilderness Follies. God provides, the people complain. God leads, the people walk the opposite way. God speaks, the people close their ears. It would all be comical if it weren’t also so tragic.
At his temptation, Jesus rebukes the devil by reminding him of the true lesson of the manna, that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” God could have fed his people any number of ways. The white, flaky stuff that appeared on the ground each morning may have seemed weird. The rules governing how they were to collect it may have seemed arbitrary. But the learning target was clear: God wanted his people to know that it was not random chance, survival skill, resourcefulness, stockpiling, or even constant work that was going to keep his people alive--it was HIM! His word. His promises. His name. His character. God wanted to teach his people that they could live by fearing and trusting him above all things.
Tragically, many of them never heeded the lesson. Nearly all of this first generation died in the wilderness--not because of starvation--but because of unbelief.
This is something to consider as we spend our time making our own sojourn through this wilderness. What sustains our life? Winning the lottery? Investing in the right stock at the right time? Buying bigger houses so we can fill them with more stuff? Climbing the career ladder and putting in overtime so we can gorge ourselves at the retail buffet? Etcetera, etcetera?
It’s all folly. Random chance, stockpiling, and/or constant work aren’t going to produce better results for us than they did for the Israelites. In the end, all the extra that we amass will be eaten by worms. All that overtime we put in will just leave us holding empty buckets. Because, in the end, these things don’t last. Like the manna, they melt away in the heat of the sun and turn into vapor. Only the Word of God remains forever. The true source of my life. The true bread for my body and soul. The true promises that I can count on. Through the Word I hear that I have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in Christ. Through the Word I am given the faith to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Through the Word I am made holy. Through the Word I am led safely through this wilderness and given a portion in Christ’s eternal Kingdom.
May God feed us his true manna every morning and, through his Word, preserve our faith and lead us into the Promised Land.
Image Description (AI Prompt)
Capture a serene and mystical early morning scene in the Sinai wilderness, inspired by Exodus 16, with the ground blanketed by manna. This manna appears as a fine, granular, white substance, much like frost on the ground, covering the rugged terrain. The scene unfolds under a soft, dawn sky, tinged with pink and orange hues, reflecting the light of the rising sun. Sparse vegetation dots the landscape, adding contrast to the manna-covered ground. In the distance, majestic mountains rise, enhancing the sacred atmosphere of this moment, invoking a sense of wonder and reverence.