.In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 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.”
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. 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.”
... ... ... in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 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. 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.’”
The Israelites did as they were told ... And when they measured it ... ... ... Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
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.
So, what are we to learn from this? Several lessons really.
God provided a way out of Egypt for the Israelites as He does for us today. Whatever problems we have in life He always provides a way out. But we have to take the way out - an action is required of us.
Having left Egypt the Israelites started grumbling and complaining instead of being grateful for their freedom. Their grumblings and complaints slowed them down into going round in circles and it took them forty years to travel a distance which should have taken about eleven days or so. A bit like us today, when we waste day after day complaining rather than thanking God for His many mercies and for saving us from many situations we know nothing about.
And the third lesson is that we should live our lives one day at a time. God promised the Israelites that He will provide enough bread, (manna), for each day. But they, like us today, doubted His provisions and gathered too much. And the next day what they had gathered was full of maggots and began to stink.
How often do we waste our lives planning for eventualities that may not happen anyway, and in doing so we stink our lives with lack of Faith in God our loving Creator?
