Bread and Meat
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
Exodus 16:4-5
There really is so much we could wrestle with in Exodus 16. We have already reflected on Israel’s grumbling. Now, we see God’s response. So what do we need to see?
Firstly, God’s grace. When people grumble at me, my first instinct is to not give them what they ask for. Stuff ya. Yeah - I’m a really nice guy. But God is gracious. In spite of their grumbling He will provide both meat and bread (what a God!).
Secondly, God says that the way He will provide will be a test. It turns out that the food will only arrive 6 days out of 7 and that it will not last beyond a day (we learn that later). The message is, trust me that food will arrive tomorrow.
How would you go with this? Would you be tempted to stock up just in case God didn’t provide? Of course not! Well, I wonder what I would do. And it’s hard. Because I don’t think we can just say, well, do you trust that God will provide for you today. It’s not quite the same.
I think the test for us is trusting that God has already provided everything we need in Jesus? Here’s a challenge. How do you go with thinking about money? Do you worry about saving up money for a rainy day? Hear me well, saving money is often wise. But when we save money instead of being generous, then perhaps something in our hearts is a little off.
For Today:
Pray:
Exodus 16:4-5
There really is so much we could wrestle with in Exodus 16. We have already reflected on Israel’s grumbling. Now, we see God’s response. So what do we need to see?
Firstly, God’s grace. When people grumble at me, my first instinct is to not give them what they ask for. Stuff ya. Yeah - I’m a really nice guy. But God is gracious. In spite of their grumbling He will provide both meat and bread (what a God!).
Secondly, God says that the way He will provide will be a test. It turns out that the food will only arrive 6 days out of 7 and that it will not last beyond a day (we learn that later). The message is, trust me that food will arrive tomorrow.
How would you go with this? Would you be tempted to stock up just in case God didn’t provide? Of course not! Well, I wonder what I would do. And it’s hard. Because I don’t think we can just say, well, do you trust that God will provide for you today. It’s not quite the same.
I think the test for us is trusting that God has already provided everything we need in Jesus? Here’s a challenge. How do you go with thinking about money? Do you worry about saving up money for a rainy day? Hear me well, saving money is often wise. But when we save money instead of being generous, then perhaps something in our hearts is a little off.
For Today:
- Do you trust that God has provided everything you truly need in Jesus?
- How could you feast on Christ as the bread of life today?
- How do you go with saving money? Do you worry about money more than you should?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is our good provider.
- Give thanks for Jesus Christ who is our ultimate provision.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust in Jesus as our daily bread.
Posted in Exodus
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