Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 | Psalm 78:17-31 | Matthew 13:1-9
Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
1 The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.”’ 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12 ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”’ 13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Introduction
Do you trust the Lord to provide what you need? As someone who runs a non-profit organization, this is a huge question for me. As someone who is in ministry—who depends on the generosity of others for my living, it is as well. As someone who is part of a church that faces some real financial challenges with a more expensive Bazaar and, in all likelihood, a more demanding common fund commitment, it is a question we should ask. Because, it is so easy to put my trust in my own abilities, to go to work to earn my keep, to strategize for the sake of maximizing resources. And in some ways, that’s a good thing. But do I rely only on myself, or do I trust the Lord to provide what I need?
The Story
As we consider the Exodus reading, this is the question in front of Israel as they follow Moses into the wilderness. They have escaped Egypt and begin to wander around, doing what they do best: complaining. They say to Moses: ‘Thanks for helping us out of Egypt, we might as well have died there if we knew you were going to bring us out to the dessert to starve us to death.’ So Moses tells them the Lord’s plan. ‘God is going to send you bread in the morning for six days. Gather as much as you need just for that day and don’t let any sit overnight—or it will spoil. You need to trust the Lord to give you your daily bread tomorrow. Except on the sixth day, get twice as much as you need and save half, because God is going to observe the Sabbath and there won’t be bread that day.’ So, they wake up each day and bread is appeared. Likewise, in the evening, God sends them quails. God provided them what they needed.
The Need
And, importantly, he does so for us as well. But here’s the thing: He provides what we need. It may not be that some toast and jam appears in our gardens each morning and a schnitzel falls down from heaven every evening. It may not be enough money to do what we want or even a salary or home or anything material at all. Nor does he necessarily provide what we need without our working for it. The Israelites still had to go and collect the food in particular quantities over specific periods of time. If we keep reading in Exodus 16, we see that it becomes a test of obedience to God’s plan.
But the point here this morning is this: He provides what we need in his Son, Jesus Christ. In the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, it was actually this incident from Exodus that Jesus applied to himself. The crowd, despite having just been fed miraculously the day before, complained. They wanted a sign. Reading from verse 30:
30 So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ 32 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ 35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
God provides that which we need—life, abundant and eternal life—through Jesus Christ, the bread of life.
Conclusion
Let us turn to him to provide for our needs. Let us not make the mistake of relying only on ourselves for safety and security—whether physical or economic or spiritual. But rather, let us come to the God who provides, and his Son, the bread of life.
Let me pray. Heavenly Father, help us to be those who hunger and thirst for your righteousness, knowing that you have provided that which we need most. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.