May the mumbling commence!
When the going gets tough, the tough complain (and hoard). And the story continues in Exodus 16-18. The nation of Israel has grumbled about massive enemy armies and the lack of water to drink. So, what would be next? Well, water is necessary for life. Without it, death would rapidly come. But, if water was not an issue, what would be the next human need to cause adversity? Hunger pains attacked the people of Israel. And they complained to their travel agent Moses, “Feed us or we will starve to death.” And they remembered. “If only we were back in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. You have brought us into the desert to starve!”
They remembered – that was good, right? God had commanded them to remember. Not so fast. Not all remembering is healthy. Sometimes remembering can draw us back into old relationships that were unhealthy for us. The content of remembering is important. And, when remembering prevents us from moving forward with the Holy Spirit of God, it is counter-productive.
The Lord heard the cry of His people and responded. In the desert, the Lord provided once again. Quail for a bedtime snack, and sweet bread in the morning. God commanded the people of Israel on how to use the provision of bread – the frosted flakes of solidified dew (What is it –literally Manna in Hebrew.). Gather only what you and your family can eat in one day. And, on the sixth day, gather enough for two days; for the seventh day is for Sabbath rest. The Lord had told them, “Listen to me. Do what is right in my eyes. Pay attention to my command.” The Lord was testing them with the manna. Would they listen and obey? Words plus action equals faith.
The test was too hard. After a long period of hunger, some of the Israelites wanted to stock their larder. You know, make hay when the sun shines. A little hoarding in lean times is ok, right? What did they get for their troubles? They woke up with the stench of rotten manna. Maybe they sifted through the manna to see if any of it was salvageable – only to find maggots. They did not trust the Lord to continue to provide. Regardless, new manna was already forming outside of their tents. They failed that part of the test…
What about the sixth day? Did they gather enough for two days? Perhaps they all did, yet some people went out on the Sabbath to gather manna – only to find there was none. They did not remember to keep the Sabbath holy. This remembering is commanded of God; it moves us onward in our faith journeys. Through Sabbath we journey away from the idea of the rat race – the thought that we cannot provide for ourselves unless we work nonstop. If we do not continually work, we will fall behind other people. The leftover manna on the Sabbath was still good to eat.
God wanted Israel to remember His rescuing hand, His providing hand. Perhaps, Israel needed something tangible as an aid to the remembering. Well, God commanded Aaron to fill a jar with two quarts of manna and place the jar before the jar before the Lord. Then, this generation and the ones to come would remember the Lord’s provision in the desert.
Surely the pattern would end now. Not so fast. Adversity returns to life in the desert. Water becomes an issue again. The Lord calls Moses to act. Moses strikes a rock with his staff, and water flows from the rock. In these episodes, some see a foreshadowing of Christ. Jesus himself, in the gospel of John, refers to himself as the true manna from heaven – manna provided in this life to sustain us to eternal life. And, when the rock is struck, it provided life-giving water. The rock is struck just as Jesus is struck – crucified. (And this analogy will come into play later.)
Moses was listening and obeying; his words and actions were saving the day for Israel. But the effort was wearing out both Moses and the people. When Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came to visit, Jethro saw this weariness. He told Moses, “This is not good.” Moses would need to teach the people the laws and decrees of God. Moses would need to select capable men, who fear God and are trustworthy to handle the smaller issues of justice. Then everyone would go home happy and satisfied. At its best, faith is a community thing. May we never forget this communal aspect of faith. I give thanks this day for my Christian community at Community Church of the Brethren. Let us show our faith by our words and our actions. The Holy Spirit will accomplish more through us collectively than it could ever do individually.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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