May the mumbling commence!
Oh, man! Do we have to? What will we eat and drink? Are we there yet? The people of Israel sure knew how to complain. Perhaps their complaining drowned out the commands of the Lord. Perhaps that is why they had trouble obeying… they weren’t really listening. Read from Exodus chapter sixteen:
And the Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the people's complaints. Now tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'"
That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp. The next morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew disappeared later in the morning, thin flakes, white like frost, covered the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked.
And Moses told them, "It is the food the Lord has given you. The Lord says that each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person."
So the people of Israel went out and gathered this food – some getting more, and some getting less. By gathering two quarts for each person, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.
Then Moses told them, "Do not keep any of it overnight." But, of course, some of them didn't listen and kept some of it until morning. By then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. And Moses was very angry with them.
The people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the food they had not picked up melted and disappeared. On the sixth day, there was twice as much as usual on the ground – four quarts for each person instead of two. The leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened. He replied, "The Lord has appointed tomorrow as a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. On this day we will rest from our normal daily tasks. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow."
The next morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. Moses said, "This is your food for today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. Gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground for you on that day."
Some of the people went out anyway to gather food, even though it was the Sabbath day. But there was none to be found. "How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions?" the Lord asked Moses. "Do they not realize that I have given them the seventh day, the Sabbath, as a day of rest? That is why I give you twice as much food on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must stay in your places. Do not pick up food from the ground on that day." So the people rested on the seventh day. (Verses 11-30)
My, my, my! Trust in the Lord. Gather only as much as you need for the day. Greed only leads to decay and maggots and terrible smells. It reminds me of some of the “science experiments” that I have discovered in my fridge over the years. Yeah, we can learn from the mistakes of our spiritual ancestors.
Can’t we? Please say there is hope for that!
Gather twice as much on the sixth day because the seventh day is a Sabbath rest dedicated to the Lord. No manna will fall on the Sabbath. Yet, some people still went to the harvest. How often do we seek to harvest or buy services on the Sabbath? Yeah, we have a lot to learn from these lessons of old!
Let’s listen and obey… thus, we will not bring our Lord and Savior to grief, like Jerusalem. Read from Matthew chapter twenty-three:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me. And now look, your house is left to you, empty and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, 'Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Verses 37-39)
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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