Moses led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage as God had promised (Exodus 3:10). After 430 years of slavery to Egypt (Exodus 12:40-41), approximately two million Israelites departed and God led the people by the way of the Red Sea (Exodus 13:18); however, the Rea Sea became an obstacle to them when Pharaoh decided to pursue them (Exodus 14:8-10). God miraculously delivered the nation of Israel from the pursuing Egyptians when He parted the Red Sea and allowed them to cross over on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-25). After the last Israelite made it across, God caused the walls of water to crash over the Egyptian armies and they were destroyed (Exodus 14:26-28). The Israelites “…feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31). They expressed their praise to God for His deliverance through song (Exodus 15:1-21), but their celebration soon turned to complaining when their three day journey into the wilderness left them without water (Exodus 15:22-24). God supernaturally provided water for the Israelites, but He wanted them to trust Him with all of their needs (Exodus 15:25-27).
Thirty days later the Israelites had traveled to the Wilderness of Sin, but a lack of food caused them to complain again saying, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you [Moses] have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (16:1-3). In response to Israel’s complaints, the Lord said, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (16:4-5). Moses and Aaron revealed to Israel that God would give them meat (quail) in the evening and manna (Exodus 16:31) in the morning to provide for their needs (16:6-12). God did provide food for the Israelites as He had promised (16:13-15), but Moses detailed further instructions concerning the gathering of the manna (16:16-36). Every man was commanded to gather a specified amount, one omer (about two quarts), of bread (manna) for each person in his home, but some Israelites took more and some less (16:16-17). Those who gathered more than an omer had nothing left over and those who gathered less did not lack anything (16:18). Moses also commanded that no one leave extra in their home overnight, but a few Israelites who lacked faith that God could daily provide kept some until morning (16:19). The leftover bread “…bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them” (16:20). Since the seventh day of the week was the Sabbath, the Lord commanded them to gather twice as much on the sixth day so they would not have to gather the following day (16:22-26); however, some of the Israelites went out to gather on the seventh day, which caused God to become angry with Moses concerning the people’s disobedience (16:27-30). God had given these instructions so that the Israelites would learn to trust Him daily for their needs. In order to commemorate God’s provision of bread for Israel in the wilderness, He commanded Moses to fill a pot with an omer of manna and keep it in the ark of the covenant so that future generations would know of God’s goodness to His people (16:32-34). ”And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan” (16:35).
Dear God, help me to trust in You for my daily needs.
