Read: Exodus 16:1-20
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”
Today, before writing this, I had the privilege of hearing the testimony of a fellow brother in Christ. After growing up in a legalistic church, becoming an evangelistic atheist, he returned to belief in God and eventually trusted in Jesus. The turning point for him occurred in the middle of a mix of life crushing events and drug dependency when he found himself screaming at God in anger. While standing in the middle of the street daring God to take His life, he came to the realization that he couldn’t possibly have this much anger directed at the nonexistent deity he had some vehemently argued against. Thus, his journey to faith started in anger.
In many ways, the Exodus community found themselves on the same journey. After witnessing the miraculous work of God flexing His might over the so-called gods of Egypt, they now face the harsh realities of life in the wilderness. They have needs that only God can meet. Yet God doesn’t provide for them immediately. He allows the people to experience hunger pains, bitter water and the woes of an unwilling vegetarian diet. He even allows them to turn to Him in unrighteous anger only to respond graciously by providing their needs for water and food.
Had God provided immediately and always for the community, what would have been missed? God’s people may have taken the Lord’s provision for granted. They would not have learned the hard lesson that without God’s provision, even the basics of life prove beyond their grasp.
The second generation from Egypt received this story well before we did. How important it proved to them as they faced the seemingly insurmountable odds of taking the land. In this story was the forever reminder that the same God that chose to meet the needs of their grumbling parents would go before them.
This story serves the same purpose for us today. Although we don’t want to find ourselves angry with God, from this position we can remember the story of His grace to the people in Exodus. We can recognize that our irritable state in times of need draws us to our faith in the one capable of meeting those needs.
Take time to reflect:
Where have you found yourselves irritably turning to God for your needs? How has He met you in this space with grace and provision?
How can remembering the provision of the Lord to your spiritual forefathers keep you grounded in trust in your life?
What provision can you praise God for right now?
2 Peter 1:3-4 shows how wonderful His eternal and spiritual provision is for us even if the practical things aren’t met as we wish.
Praise God for this provision in Christ today.