Manna from Heaven (Exodus): A month after being freed from slavery, the Israelites were starving in the barren wilderness — the second of three desert tests. However, the whole community grumbled against God. Yahweh rebuked them but mercifully provided bread (manna) from heaven. Does God actually know and care about our needs? Can we trust God to provide? Yes. Only he gives the bread of life. Recorded on Nov 17, 2024, on Exodus 16:1-36 by Pastor David Parks.
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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh himself went ahead of them as a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. He also spoke to his people through Moses, his prophet and servant, providing instructions and commands for them to obey. This would basically be the pattern for the rest of the journey: God’s chosen people learning to make their way through the wilderness by his word and Presence. Last week, we considered the first of three tests in the desert in the waters of Marah and Elim. Today, in the second test, the people were starving. They needed food to nourish and sustain them. Had they learned to listen to God’s word and trust his goodness and faithfulness to provide for their needs? We’ll see. Have you ever needed God to provide? Have you ever wondered, “Does God actually know/care about my needs? Can I trust God provide what I need?” If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 16:1. This is the famous story of manna from heaven.
Exodus 16:1–3 (NIV), “1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” The first test at Marah came just three days after the parting of the Red Sea. Now, here, Moses says it’s been almost exactly a month since they were freed from Egypt (the Passover being on the 14th day of the first month). After the brief respite of Elim, the Israelites continued through the desert wilderness on their way to Mount Sinai when they started to have another serious problem: they were running out of food. If you remember, when they left Egypt, they brought bread dough with them so they could make unleavened cakes or crackers, but they were running out (or perhaps had run out). At this point, it wasn’t just a few people who started to grumble. “…the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” In their desperate hunger, they started to think about being slaves in Egypt as something like the good old days. “Remember when we were slaves who were killed and beaten and exploited in every way? There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. Wasn’t that great??” It might seem crazy from our vantage point. In the past few weeks of our series, we’ve seen God miraculously provide for his people time and time again. Why would they start grumbling so quickly? But remember, they spent a month walking through the hot desert wilderness without much of a break. As their food dwindled, they felt the constant pain of hunger. They looked at the faces of their hungry children, friends, elderly relatives, and all their animals and started to imagine everyone they knew dying of starvation. What would happen? Would God provide once again? If so, then how? How could Yahweh feed a whole nation in the desert?
Exodus 16:4-20 (NIV), “4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” 10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” 13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ” 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.” God’s solution to feed his people in the desert was to provide quail and bread from heaven. This was a very merciful response as Moses made it clear that when the people grumbled, they really were grumbling against the Lord. It was the Lord who delivered them from Egypt. And it was the Lord who led them day by day in the wilderness. If they had a problem, it was with him. But God is not only merciful, he is very gracious. So he provided abundantly for what they needed, but he did so in a way that would make it clear it was his provision. It wasn’t because of the Israelites’ ability or ingenuity that they were able to survive in the desert; it was because of God’s Presence and his provision for them. But just as we saw last week, this was a test to see if the Israelites would listen and obey God’s instructions, his commands. And some did! But others didn’t. They didn’t listen to God or trust him to continue to provide day by day. They gathered more than they needed. They hoarded the bread from heaven against God’s explicit instructions, and the bread rotted and stank. Moses was angry. First, people grumbled against God’s leading/provision, and then some of them ignored God’s word. This was not looking good. Moses knew the price of pride. He spent 40 years learning humility in exile in Midian for putting himself in the place of God and taking justice into his own hands. Had Israel failed these first two desert tests? Would God punish them or continue to provide for them?
Exodus 16:21-30 (NIV), “21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ” 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.” Here, we find the practice of the Sabbath, which means to cease. As God himself modeled in the work of creation, six days were for working and the seventh was to be a day to cease/stop and rest. The Sabbath was supposed to be a blessing for people who had formerly been slaves. But even the blessing of a day to rest and worship the Lord and enjoy the work of their hands tested their faith. If we don’t collect our bread from heaven, will we have enough for the future? Fear replaced faith in God’s loving provision, and again, some people went out and broke the Sabbath, trying to gather food when God said not to. At this point, we start to see God get angry. The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. But just because God is slow to anger doesn’t mean he never gets angry. When the people broke the Sabbath, the Lord rebuked them, saying, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?” But still, he doesn’t punish the people for their disobedience, but he reminds them the Sabbath was supposed to be a gift of God’s grace, a blessing of refreshment like Elim. It was supposed to be a good thing! The Sabbath was supposed to be one of the ways the people of Israel were different than the rest of the world. So, finally, the people learned to Sabbath/cease, and they rested on the seventh day. The people were learning, slowly and seemingly painfully, but they were learning how to be God’s people, how to obey his word, how to live with his holy Presence in their midst, and how to trust him to provide for their needs, their daily bread. But how long would God keep this up? How long would this lesson last? Would he continue to provide for their needs?
Exodus 16:31–36 (NIV), “31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ” 33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. 36 (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)” This is God’s word. Forty years. God would provide this daily miracle for forty years to sustain his people and to provide for their needs day by day. Does God actually know/care about the needs of his people? Can we trust God to provide for our needs? Absolutely, yes. But would Israel learn this lesson? Sadly, it seems they would not. For over a thousand years, generation after generation struggled/stumbled/grumbled their way through life, sometimes remembering/obeying God’s word but other times not, often to their own destruction. What would God do? Would he give up on his people? Would he be fickle and abandon them as they had treated him? According to the gospel, the answer is no. God would continue to be good and faithful to provide. After the famous miracles of feeding the five thousand and walking on the water, Jesus was met by a crowd of people looking for him. John 6:32–35, 41, 47-51 (NIV), “32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given 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 the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Now, interestingly, after a bit more teaching on this, John says, “41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him [Does this remind you of anything? the Exodus, perhaps?] because [Jesus] said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” Jesus went on to say, “47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In the Exodus, Yahweh miraculously provided bread from heaven to sustain his people in the wilderness. This was meant not only to feed his people but to teach them to listen to God’s word and learn to follow his way. They needed to learn to trust him to provide for their needs and sustain them as they made their journey. This was of utmost importance! There is no greater lesson for a creature than to learn how to relate to their Creator. We are dependent/needy/hungry, and God is our Provider. It was still hard for the Israelites to learn this and remember this, as we’ll see in the weeks ahead. But it was still easier to remember their dependence on God in the wilderness when times were hard, and their need for bread or water felt so much more immediate. But it would be even harder for them to remember this lesson when they arrived in the Promised Land, and times were relatively much better/easier. This is what Moses warned them about. But also, in the absolute brilliance of God’s redemptive plan, and from John chapter 6, we see that Jesus understood that the manna from heaven was a big sign pointing forward to him. This is true in many ways, but I’ll just mention three today. First, just as the manna came down from heaven, so Jesus came down from heaven at the incarnation, which we’ll celebrate next month during the Advent/Christmas season. Jesus was born, but unlike us, Jesus existed before he was born as the eternal Son of God. Jesus was fully God and fully man. Now, manna came down from heaven, but Jesus is greater, for he was/is the Lord of heaven who came down into the world he had made. The origin of manna points to the greater origin of Christ. Second, just as the manna nourished and sustained God’s people in the wilderness, so Christ is our spiritual bread who nourishes and sustains us in the wilderness of this broken world. He is the bread of life. We do need food to physically sustain us, but Jesus is better, for he sustains our spiritual lives, even through death and grave. And one day, at the resurrection of the dead, we will receive our new resurrection bodies, which will sustain us physically and spiritually forever and ever. The sustaining power of manna points to the better-sustaining power of Christ. Finally, just as the ancient Israelites passed the story down through the generations of when God provided manna from heaven, even preserving some of the manna along with the tablets of the Law as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and provision, so for the last two thousand years, the church has passed down the gospel through the generations. The gospel is the good news of the person and work of Jesus, the bread of life, who broke his own body and shed his own blood on the cross for all the times we have failed to trust the Lord or obey his word. He paid the price for our wanderings in the wilderness. To this day, we remember and celebrate the ultimate gift of God’s faithfulness and provision of Christ in many ways, but especially in communion. We celebrate communion (also called The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving) on the first Sunday of the month. Just as Moses warned the people not to forget how God provided for them in the past, so Jesus said that when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we should do so in remembrance of him. We cannot forget. We must remember and celebrate the person and work of Jesus, our redeemer, our healer, our teacher, the Lord of heaven and earth, fully God and fully man, and the one who satisfies our spiritual hunger and sustains our lives as we make our journey to freedom. Does God actually know/care about our needs? Can God provide what we need? Only Jesus, the bread of life, provides what we need. Only Jesus will ultimately satisfy and sustain us. For only he is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Let us pray.
