2-15-15. Exodus 16:4-9. God Provides For And Matures His People In Their Faith-my devotional

 Exodus 16: 4-9                                                                    Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 16:4                                                                     2-15-15

“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.”

God is the God who cares for his people in very wise ways. His intent is to care for their needs and grow them in faith. Look at Exodus 16:4-9, “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.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

God understood the hunger of his people. God heard their cries and had every intention to provide for the people. “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”(4a) When children are hungry, wise and loving parents feed them. God would feed his people. He sent convey after convey of plump, quail in the evening. That night, the people enjoyed roasted squab, and the next morning, manna from heaven covered the ground. It was delicious and nutritious fare. God provides his people what they need, when they need it. (Not always what we may want. There is a difference.) He still does. We only have to trust him and experience his gracious provision. Then our hearts can be at peace no matter what may befall us.

Even though God was concerned about their physical suffering he was also concerned with their spiritual needs. He was not just going to hand over an endless supply of food. The Israelites needed more than food. They needed mature faith born out of God’s loving discipline. And so God revealed his plan. “…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” (4b) This is all because God loved them as his treasured possession. God had hope for them, and so he gave them “daily bread training.” We can see the point of the spiritual training in verse 8, “Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” He would give them bread, yes, but he would also teach them obedience, diligence and faithfulness.

There would be a point to God’s provision for his people. He would subject them to some spiritual training so that they could mature spiritually, learning to trust in God. Yes, the Israelites were free from bondage in Egypt. They were free to chart their own course. God was not taking their freedom away. He was bolstering their freedom. Discipline does not rob people of freedom. It restrains our sinful nature so that we can be really free and enjoy the fruits of freedom. How free are we if our hearts are full of sin, fear, grumbling and complaining? The people needed spiritual training to get their hearts right and move forward in life.

Think about it this way, parents who only provide the material necessities for their children but do not discipline them in regards to “higher” matters of living, are not really begin constructive. They may love their kids. But it is misguided and they are missing something very important.

God’s training for his people consisted of two parts. Look at verses 4b-5 again, “…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.” First, he taught them to live normal lives–getting up early and working hard for six days a week, trusting and obeying God on a daily basis. And second, God also taught them to keep the Sabbath day holy.

First, daily obedience. The manna covered the ground each morning, but as soon as the sun got hot, it disappeared. They had to get up early every morning for 40 years. They couldn’t sleep in until noon, or the manna would be gone and they would be hungry. They were to gather just as much as they needed for one day. They had to gather it every day. If they were lazy and didn’t gather enough, they would be hungry and go begging. If they were greedy and gathered too much, the leftovers would spoil and emit a terrible odor.

Do I need help to live a normal, hardworking, life during the week? If it were not for the grace of God, I would not be able to keep a routine schedule. But, by God’s grace, I have my family which I have to provide for. I have bills to pay. I have a career. I have a church family that meets regularly. I can fit right into a schedule and live a productive lifestyle. But what if I was a missionary on a remote community, with no church schedule to plug into and no daily job? Would I be able to live a productive daily life, obeying the Lord? Or will my mornings begin later and later until all I am doing is existing? I pray and hope to be able to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit everyday, so that I can live a productive and fruit-bearing life no matter what the circumstance.

He was going to see if they would trust the Lord for each day of provision. The question is, do we trust that the Lord will provide for our daily needs? Do we know that God hears our cries and provides for our needs? Can we trust Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”? God does provide, even more than I need. I have not gone hungry, even since I was born. I have been eating three meals a day for fifty years. I have never been homeless. I have never been without a source of money. I have never been without goals and a mission in life and resources to fulfill them. I always have people who love me and support me. God has continually come through. I must always believe that he always will.

But can I trust God for my daily provision, when the daily supplies are running short? I say that I trust God, but in some ways I am trusting in my health and strength to get me through each day. I am trusting in my stable job at the hospital. I am trusting in my mind being able to stay intact and on track. I am trusting in my wages, my wife’s wages and support, the infrastructure of America, my retirement plan. My kids being willing to help me in my old age. There are so many things I trust in other than God. Of course God is providing all of these things in my life, but could I trust in him for daily needs as these ancient Israelites were in the desert. They had very little. They were hard pressed on every quarter and still they were called to trust in God.

To trust God to this level is being like Abram in the Book of Genesis. Look at Genesis 12:1-4, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” (NIV) Abram was called to leave everything he trust in. He could not depend on his family ranch or the good will of his neighbors. He had no kids. He could not even trust in his health or his strength for he was an old man. He left as God told him. He was full of faith and trust for the daily provision that God would provide. Can I have this kind of faith in God who loves me and care about me? I pray to grow in this kind of faith.

Second, keeping the Sabbath day holy. On the sixth day, the Israelites were to gather enough for two days. When some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather manna, they found none. They wasted their time on fruitless ventures and they ignored God and the fellowship of believers. It is clear that God wanted his people to worship and serve him on the Sabbath, and not just dwell in their vague fears and futile attempts to survive. He wanted them to come together in community to worship him. Look at verse 9, “Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” It was a call the entire community to come before the Lord, to worship.

I believe that the same is true today. The fact is, when we honor God by keeping his day holy, he gives us real rest and restores our souls and provides for our needs. (Matt 6:33) In my observations, the most blessed Christians are the ones who have found a home for themselves in the local church and are faithful to meet together. Being part of a community actually helps you to live longer. It may take a long time to get over the “uncomfortable” stage of joining a church, but those who are committed and faithful to worshipping and serving the Lord, in the local church, are blessed.

But it is not easy to do so. Can we keep fellowship with the people of God a priority in life, even when our minds are struggling with real and perceived needs? It seems that everything is pulling us from all quarters to ignore the Sabbath Day. I pray for strength to be faithful, not out of legalism, but out of a thanksgiving that I can worship the Lord with other believers.