Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!
We may not like to admit it, but aren't we the same way? If the pilgrimage on which the LORD calls us does not include comforts to which we are accustomed don't we grumble in our spirits? We grumble, like the children of Israel, not because we lack anything needful, but because we lack the comfort of familiarity. But if we are really serious about leaving the land of sin we need to find new ways of having our needs met.
Then the LORD said to Moses,
"I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days."
What do we see here? The people used to be able to get food on demand. Now they're dependent on the LORD for fulfillment. And the LORD does provide. But they aren't used to relying on it. They have to learn to trust him. As do we all.
I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.
The deepest desire in our hearts is the desire for God. Learning to trust the LORD to feed us with himself is even more important than learning to trust him for our basic needs such as food. We cannot live on bread alone. What we need most is his word. We can't head back to Egypt seeking the old ways which we used to fill ourselves. Instead we must trust that each day, even though it seems impossible in the desert in which we walk, the LORD will provide.
A sower went out to sow.
There is always seed enough to produce fruit if we are willing to be good soil in which it can grow.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
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