(Exodus 16:4)
Even though they had been delivered from slavery and brought miraculously across the Red Sea, Israel constantly murmured and grumbled against God (Exodus 15:22-25).
On one occasion Israel grumbled because they wanted God to give them bread (Exodus 16:1-35). God heard their complaining and decided to accommodate them.
Through this manna…
- God demonstrated His power.
- God personally fed His people for forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 16:35).
- For forty years the children of Israel would eat a miracle of God!
- God demonstrated His grace.
- Grace is “God’s unmerited favor.” It is when God gives us something that we do not deserve.
- Israel did not deserve to be fed manna from heaven for 40 years. It was only because of God’s grace that they received that blessing.
- God demonstrated His desire for faith.
- For forty years, Israel was forced to trust God for their daily bread.
- This is why God wanted no leftovers (Exodus 16:19-21).
- God demonstrated desire for obedience.
- When it came to collecting the manna, the nation would have to follow the instructions of God (Exodus 16:4).
- They would have to gather exactly what God said, when He said, and avoid being greedy.
- God demonstrated His love.
- If Israel ever started questioning God’s love, all they would have to do is wake up in the morning and go outside their tents.
- If God didn’t love His people, He wouldn’t have provided for them. Instead He would have allowed them to starve.
Jesus is the true bread!
- Jesus is the living bread that has come down from heaven (John 6:26-58).
- This bread satisfies us spiritually!
- This bread provides eternal life!
- Like Israel…
- We must eat of the bread God has provided from heaven (John 6:51). This means we consume ourselves with Jesus. We must make Him the very center of our lives.
- We must trust and have faith in Him (Proverbs 3:5-7; Hebrews 11:6).
- We must be grateful towards Him (Numbers 11:5-6). Israel grumbled and were ungrateful for the bread God gave them. Do we possess a similar attitude?
Conclusion: Praise God for the bread that He has given us from heaven!