God Provides

KEY VERSE: “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I my prove them, whether they will walk in my Law or no.” —Exodus 16:4

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Exodus 16:2-7, 13-18

AFTER THE ISRAELITES had crossed the Red Sea, they encamped for a short time at Elim. Soon “they took their journey … and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, located between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.”—Exod. 16:1

But what already seemed an endless journey in this inhospitable land had hardly begun, when the whole congregation began to complain bitterly against Moses and Aaron, whom they accused of leading them into the wilderness to die of starvation. Although they had endured many harsh and difficult experiences at the hand of their Egyptian masters, their thoughts continually returned to their life in Egypt with its green gardens and adequate supplies of cool, refreshing water. They, with one accord, said, “Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.” (Num. 11:4-6) The children of Israel told their leaders they would have much preferred to die sitting by the flesh pots of Egypt and eating their fill of bread than being brought forth to die of hunger in the wilderness.

The Lord heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, and told Moses he would rain bread from heaven for them and everyone could go out and gather as much food as he needed. This was to be a test upon them, for God wanted to see whether or not they would follow his instructions and express faith in his ability to supply their needs.

In fulfillment of his promise to provide flesh to eat in the evening, we read, “It came to pass, that at evening the quails came up and covered the camp.” In the morning the desert was wet with dew. (vss. 4-8,13) Later, when the dew disappeared, “there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna [What is it?]: for they knew not what it was and Moses said to them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.” The people followed instructions for each person to gather according to his eating, and “he that gathered much had nothing over and he that gathered little had no lack.”—vs. 18

The psalmist tells of this miraculous act of God’s mercy on behalf of his people in Psalm 78:23-29, which reads, “[The Lord] opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat of angel’s food (Margin: “Everyone did eat the bread of the mighty”): he sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: and he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire.”

The Apostle Paul said these things happened unto them for “ensamples” (Margin, “types”) and that they are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages are come. (I Cor. 10:10) But it is Jesus’ reference in Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel which clearly explains in detail the meaning of this symbolic lesson for us. He wrote: “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Then Jesus said to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”—John 6:31-33

Continuing, Jesus said, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread … and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”—John 6: 48-51

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