"LESSONS FROM THE MANNA"

                                                                   By Mike Richardson
Exodus 16:4 "Then the Lord said to Moses, "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."
It would seem to me that it would be a difficult task to supply food to the perhaps millions of people in the wilderness. But, by the power of God that was not a difficult task. God fed the people by sending down heavenly
bread that was called manna. In the process of feeding the people, God also taught them lessons from the manna.
Every time they went out and picked up the manna, they learned lessons from the God of heaven. Let us observe
what lessons we can also learn from the manna.
I - WHAT THEY LEARNED FROM THE MANNA SUPPLIED THEM BY GOD.
Through this gift, given each morning, notice some lessons learned.
(i) God's care for His people.
Each morning when they walked outside in the dew laid their daily bread. God provided for His people. Each person
was fed, every person according to his eating of that day. There was no more, there was no less. This care was
shown daily. God did not send it one time and instruct them to gather it up and store it, but He sent fresh bread
every day. They received their daily bread.
(ii) God's greatness.
God had already displayed His greatness in Egypt by the plagues. He again demonstrated His might and power at
the Red Sea parting. But now He gently teaches then His greatness by the quantity of the manna. Just the right
amount of manna fell each morning for FORTY YEARS. One can start to become
accustomed to receiving a blessing and start to take it for granted. The people actually began to complain that they
missed the foods of Egypt and forgot that God was providing for them daily out of His greatness.
iii) God's generosity is displayed in combination with His greatness.
God willingly gave them their food. They never paid a dime. The rich man didn't pay for his omer and the poor man
didn't pay for his. God gave to each; freely, liberally, and in greatness.
(iv) God's Unchanging.
God fed them manna throughout the wilderness. If you lived on the right side of the camp or the left side of the
camp, it did not matter. The manna was plentiful in every direction you went.
(v) God's wisdom and goodness.
In the hot climate He gave them the best food. Meat would have made them ill. When they ate the quail, it made
them sick. God adapted the food to the climate. Note also God's goodness. The bread had flavor. The Bible says it
was "sweet to taste." The Psalmist said in Psalms 78:25 "man did eat angels' food." God was good to provide for
them.
II - THE LORD TAUGHT THEM BY MAKING THIS MANNA A TEST UNTO THEM.
The Lord was not tempting them but testing them to see if they would maintain their faith and gratitude for His
blessings. Could they endure the tests?
( i ) Given every day, to each man.
Don't store it up. There was no opportunity for greed. What you didn't eat - evaporated.
(ii) Friday's storing. Exo.16:22-26 they were instructed on Friday before the Saturday Sabbath. They were to
store up twice as much so they would have food on Saturday. One was not to work on the day of rest God provided,
so they were told to store up Saturday's bread on Friday.
Lessons:
(1) Our supplies depend upon God.
(2) Supplies will come.

(3) We still must do our part and prepare what God has told us to do.

Reexamining Our Influences

By Jeff Curtis

In Psalm 106:34-36 we read a psalm that inspired commentary on the judges of the Old Testament. It tells us; “³⁴ They did not destroy the peoples, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them, ³⁵ But they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; ³⁶ They served their idols, which became a snare to them. ³⁷ They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, ³⁸ And shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. ³⁹ Thus they were defiled by their own works and played the harlot by their own deeds.

The judge Jepththah was born an illegitimate child, was rejected by his family and community, and joined other young men like himself in raids in Tob (Judges 11:1-3). He became a military leader (Judge 11:11), led “a very great slaughter” of the Ammonites (Judges 11:32-33) and the Ephraimites (Judges 12:6). Why was his life such a disaster?

Judges uses the story of Jephthah to show what happens when the spiritual community is more influenced by the world than by the Lord. The psalmist placed blame for the dysfunction and sin on how the Israelites mingled with the nations, learned their practices, and served their idols. The inspired passage shows how the unfaithfulness of God’s people to His standards and to proper worship of Him leads to disastrous results.

The story of Jephthah demands that as Christians we reexamine the sources of our conduct and the objects of our worship. It points to the potentially dangerous outcomes for young people reared in an unfaithful community. God’s standards in the New Testament as well as the Old, call for strict loyalty to one God and to His patterns for the community. When Christians fail to live up to God’s expectations, the results can be a problem.

Meditate on this:

Psalm 106:4-5

⁴ Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, ⁵ that I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with our inheritance.