Scripture Reference: Exodus 16
I love the account of God’s stumbling nation of Israel after He delivers them from slavery; they get together in the desert and grumble against their leaders. They wish for former days, they want the bounty of food they had in Egypt. The people have already forgotten the terrible conditions they lived in before God prepared their exodus from slavery.
Somehow stumbling and grumbling and wishing for something else rings a note of familiarity to me … I struggle. So every so often God shows me again the story of the manna … His own bread from heaven for His people, complete with specific instructions.
While the people were sure they were going to starve, God of course had a plan. His provision was perfect, bread from heaven. They were to gather exactly what they needed for each day except for the sixth day then they were to gather double. So that when the Sabbath arrived, the people could rest according to God’s plan. Bread in the morning and meat in the evening … stewardship was set up … a measure for each person.
The ones who gathered much and the ones who gathered little … everyone had what they needed in the end. Of course, true to humanity, some tried to gather extra to store it paying no attention to the instructions. The result … it was full of maggots and began to smell.
What about the day before the Sabbath when they gathered double? It was fine. Six days they were to gather, the seventh day was a Sabbath. Simple instructions. The perfect amount of food. The people rested.
So what’s enough? God’s provision. It is perfect in quantity and quality. Wherever we find ourselves today friends, we can be sure that God has not forgotten us and that we will have enough … of everything we need … for our lives each day.
So the cliff notes?
1. God provides perfectly for His people.
2. If you don’t want maggots – don’t be greedy.
3. God’s instructions are not to be messed with
(sorry to my former English teachers for ending the sentence with a preposition … for everyone else thanks for tuning in today)
Love,
Bev