“God Provides Manna”

Exodus 16:1-18

(sermon note: 10-05 sermon note

¹Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. ² There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

³ “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” ⁸ Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” ¹⁰ And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. ¹⁴ When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. ¹⁵ The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.

And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.”

¹⁷ So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. ¹⁸ But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a man who decided to join a monastery where you were only allowed to say two words every 10 years. After 10 years in the monastery, the head monk summoned the man and said, “You’ve been with us now for 10 years. What two words would you like to say?” The monk replied, “I’m hungry.” So the head monk organized for an extra ration to be given to him each day. After 20 years, the head monk called him in again and asked, “What two words would you like to say?” The monk replied, “Too cold.” So the head monk organized for him to get another blanket. After 30 years, the head monk again called him in and asked, “What two words would you like to say?” The monk replied, “Wanna leave.” To which the head monk replied, “Well, I’m not surprised. You’ve done nothing but complain since you’ve been here.”

Which goes to show that you can take the person out of humanity by sticking him in a monastery, but you can’t take the humanity out of the person! A person is gonna find a way to complain! One would think that it is people’s default state of being, a state of discontentment. No matter how much we have, no matter how all our immediate needs can be met, we invariably find ways to complain. What we have isn’t enough…what we have isn’t good enough, at least in comparison to what someone else has. What we have might not be what we want or need for any given situation. Rather than appreciate what we have, we fixate on what we don’t have. That monk was given food and a blanket, not to mention water and shelter and community, but it just wasn’t enough so he lived in a constant state of discontentment. Of course, the whole situation is completely ludicrous given my experience with Benedictine communities. No monk I ever interacted with was living in any state other than utter contentment. I guess that’s what makes a discontent monk absurd and laughable.

Even so, discontentment seems to be a common reality for many people. Just look at the multitude of people in today’s reading. We’ve taken a mighty leap from last week’s reading when we looked at Moses initially being tasked with leading the Israelites out of slavery. Ten plagues later and a mere month into their wilderness wanderings and the people began to complain of their hunger. I mean, what did Moses expect? The desert wilderness isn’t the ideal place to take thousands of people for an indefinite amount of time. The complaints were sure to come. And boy, did they come! “But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death!” They didn’t trust God the way that Moses trusted him. Sure, they had witnessed the ten mighty plagues that ultimately convinced the Pharoah to let them go, not to mention the parting of the Red Sea and disastrous effects on Pharoah and his chariots. They had experienced such great wonders firsthand, yet they weren’t enough to ensure the Israelites’ trust. Heck, Moses could have simply been a great magician for all they knew. God hadn’t spoken to them each individually, only to Moses. But their suffering was so great under Egyptian slavery that they were willing to follow Moses even if he was nothing more than a great magician. They trusted Moses, not necessarily God.

Naturally they complained to Moses when the hunger pains settled in after a month of wilderness wandering. And the complaints kept coming! Even when God provided the flaky substance called “manna” each morning, the people were confused by it, no doubt grumbling that it wasn’t what they’re used to for food. Eating the same thing, day after day, invariably brought on further complaints. And the restriction that they could only gather enough of it to satisfy their hunger for one day? The complaints were endless! Moses must have had the patience of Job to endure all the complaints that came with leading the Israelites in the wilderness.

Well, he had more than patience. He had God by his side, graciously providing for him and the people. We reflected on God’s steady and gracious provision last week and we get to see it illustrated in this week’s reading. Our God is a good and gracious God who is eager to provide for whatever need we may have in this world. We know this and we trust this. We have the witness of scripture to assure us. Our God heard the complaints of his people and gave them Moses to lead them out of their slavery. Our God heard the complaints of his people and gave them manna and quail to feed them. Our God is a God who provides! We should place our trust in him just as Moses had placed his trust in him. Our God WILL provide! Now then, does that mean we shouldn’t complain? Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians, “Do everything without complaining and arguing.” (2:14) Well, I wonder if it isn’t the complaints that trigger God’s provision. God knows what we need, when we need it. What God doesn’t know is our trust and reliance on him. I think that through complaints, God hears trust and reliance. Maybe not directly but certainly indirectly. We ought to come to God with all our complaints and grievances. We ought to expect that God will provide for us! Our God is a good and gracious God! And rather than fixate on what we don’t have, we ought to fixate on what we do have. And what we do have is God, the same God who told Noah to build the ark, the same God who led the childless Abraham into the foreign land, the same God who had Moses lead the people out of slavery. Our God is a God who provides new life and new opportunities. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (5:18) We ought to give God our thanks for all that He does provide! Recall the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (8:28) Let us be assured that God is working goodness in our situation. Let us both complain and be thankful when He provides. Thanks be to God! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.