Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Exodus 16:4, “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.'”

Background

When you were a kid, you probably had the occasion from time to time of asking for things from your parents. And in doing so, part of your technique probably included being sweet and obedient beforehand, buttering them up to make them more agreeable and in a better mood when it came time to ask them. As parents, it’s certainly no surprise to us when we see this in our own children. And I think it’s even true of us between one another as adults. Spouses to each other, employees to bosses, and suitors to their love interests, they all have a knack for prepping the “victim” to increase their chances of getting what they desire. But not the Israelites. Their method is slightly different. They are wandering in the desert, missing the food that they had back in Egypt, and all they can do is complain to Moses and Aaron that they brought them out there to starve them to death. No mention of how awesome Moses was during the plagues, or how much cooler his staff is than anyone else’s. No, this crowd was hungry and upset, and they made sure that the ones responsible for their misery knew it.

Application

But for some reason, for some providential reason, God has mercy on them. In fact, He has planned for this situation for the very reason of testing the people’s hearts. He is going to meet their hunger, fear and frustration with a miracle from heaven and see if they will trust it. And not just trust it for a week or two, or as long as they could stay in a good mood. They were going to have to trust it for their entire journey. Each morning the sun would blaze, Egypt would beckon from behind, and their stomachs would rumble. Would they trust their Lord again that day? Would they take the bread from heaven, and take only enough for that day? Do we trust Him again today and follow His instructions, or are we growing tired of the way He is taking us from here to there? Are you buttering Him up to get some different bread? Are you outright blaming Him for something? Regardless, His grace is raining down from heaven on us, and all we have to do is follow His instructions.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to give you a glimpse of His glory. Setting our eyes on that will cast the perfect light on everything else that is going on around us.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words