Our Daily Bread: Manna From Heaven ~ Part 2! | Exodus 16:19-35

So glad you are here today for The Bible for Busy People. It is part 2 of our Daily Bread series. We are talking about the bread God made for the Israelites after he rescued them. They spent many years in the wilderness and they needed food. He was teaching them something profound. He taught them through bread called Manna which means “What is it.” Today we are in Exodues 16: 19-35.

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Transcription:

Whether you’re curled up in your softest blanket with a pumpkin candle burning close by, or you are getting it done, plowing through your to-do list and listening. I’m Erica, and I’m so glad that you’re here for the Bible for Busy People. This is you and I taking Jesus up on his wonderful invitation. He says in his word, “Come to me and I WILL give you rest.” So this is us pressing pause on the day and saying, Lord, we trust that you’re gonna keep that promise and give us rest. Okay? It’s part two of our Daily Bread series, and we’re talking about the bread that God made for the Israelites after he rescued them from slavery in Egypt, after he brought them through the Red Sea. They spent many years in the wilderness, and they needed food. God in his graciousness was teaching the Israelites, his children, that he was their provider, that they could trust him. He taught them through bread called manna, which literally means, “what is it?” That’s what the Israelites asked when they saw it, and that’s what its actual name is, which is kind of cool. It literally rained bread from heaven every day, and there was just enough for that day. And boy, isn’t that a message that you and I need right now in this crazy busy world where we’re connected to work and to all the people we love all the time. And those are good things most of the time. Right. 

Okay. So we’re gonna dive into the book of Exodus. We’re returning to chapter 16. Let’s pick it up in verse 19 where we left off last time. “Then Moses told them,” The Israelites “‘Do not keep any of it,'” the manna “‘until morning.’ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them. After this, the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up, melted, and disappeared. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual, four quarts for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation. He told them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.’ So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good without maggots or odor. Moses said, ‘Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.’ Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. The Lord asked Moses. ‘How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.’ So the people did not gather any on the seventh day. The Israelites called the food manana. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers. Then Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: fill a two-quart container with manana to preserve it for your descendants.'” This is our takeaway verse, verse 32. “‘Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt.’ Moses said to Aaron, ‘Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna.'” He was listening to the Lord, “‘then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for all future generations.’ Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.” The 10 Commandments. “So the people of Israel ate manna for 40 years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.”

Wow. Look at God’s provision for the Israelites and look at God’s provision for you and your family. I love that the Lord asked Moses to put aside some manna as evidence of his provision. That’s beautiful. And Moses did just as the Lord asked. You know, we almost lost our son to ulcerative colitis years ago. And at the time we were rallying friends and family to pray, and I had these bracelets made up. And on the bracelets they said, Go, Josh Go! And I keep one of those bracelets in my bedside table drawer to remember how God brought our family through that terrible season. He healed Joshua. And when I look at that bracelet, I remember how hard it was, and I remember how good God is. What is that thing that you’ve kept that evidence of the Lord’s provision in your life. If you have something like that, I encourage you to take it out and look at it today. And remember the faithfulness of the Lord. If you don’t think of something, something that represents what God did in the midst of a difficult season, something that shows how he provided for you and your family.

I just wanna take a moment to thank him, right here as we wrap up our two-day series on our daily bread. Father, thank you in the name of Jesus for providing our daily bread. You provided it literally for the Israelites with the manna, and you provide it literally for us too. You give us toast, you give us rice, you give us bananas, Lord. You provide for us physically and spiritually. You are there for us when we feel like we’re running on fumes, you replenish our spirits. So we just come to you today saying thank you. Thank you for providing for us. You are so good. And we just stop and remember that today it’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. All right, until next time, remember, you are loved.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.