Lives fed and shaped by manna

Exodus 16 (selected verses)

16 The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’…

13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: “Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.”’ 17 The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. 19 And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over until morning.’ 20 But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”’ 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, ‘Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 For six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none.’

27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. 28 The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and instructions? 29 See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day.’ 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

Manna – the wafer-like food that the people of Israel ate as a staple of their diet for 40 years – was a gift from God, and as with all gifts the gift shaped the people of the Israel as the gift had its impact on their lives.

The manna came each of the first six days the week. It came each morning. That meant it needed to be picked up by someone in the household each morning, the gift was faithfully delivered but it still needed to be received each day. Gifts are given, yes; but they must be received in order to do their work in our lives.

The manna was enough – whether people worked hard and gathered many basketfuls or if they sloughed off and gathered only a little bit – the manna was enough for their needs for the day. God the giver could be trusted to provide enough. Enough is a powerful word in a world that desires to live in excess.

The manna was governed by Sabbath, on the last day of the week there was no manna. The people needed to live the rhythm of the manna, or they would not have what they needed for Sabbath. God could be trusted to have provided enough on the day before Sabbath for two days, and God could be trusted to protect the manna overnight leading to Sabbath. The manna’s rhythm imposed Sabbath on the people of Israel. God’s gift of manna was conditioned by God’s gift of Sabbath as a day of rest.

The life of the people of Israel was shaped by God’s gift of manna – in what ways are our lives shaped and formed by God’s gifts to us? For example, a question to ponder, how does God’s grace for us shape the way that we live all of life?

PRAYER:

O Lord, you shower with gifts beyond measure, and we thank you for them. We rejoice as well at the ways your gifts shape us into the people you desire us to be. Teach us to use your gifts that they would shape us as your people. In Jesus’s name. Amen.