Lessons From Exodus
I have been reading through Exodus lately and in the past, I have struggled as I read about the Israelites grumbling and complaining. Like you were just delivered out of Egypt by way of parted sea?! Not to mention they were led through the desert by a pillar of fire and smoke. When I read it, I just want to shake them and say, “Hello?! Look at everything God is literally doing for you right before your very eyes!”
But we all have our version of missing what God is doing because we are forgetful people. We get our blinders up and fixate on certain aspects of our life we are hoping to see God move that we tend to miss it what He is doing in other areas of life. Or our human experiences lead us to forget God’s character and promises.
We see this even more in Exodus 16. The famous chapter where God provides for the Israelites with literal bread from the sky. They started grumbling again because after being freed from slavery they began to doubt God. Even though the oppression of slavery was terrible they were comfortable in that oppression because at least they knew when their next meal was. To us it may sound crazy, but again, how often do we get uncomfortable when we take the risk or step into what God might be calling us to and start thinking about the “safety” of our old situation. We forget why we stepped out in the first place, sometimes we look at the past with rose colored glasses and miss the new freedom we are walking in because it unveiled areas, we need to grow in.
Yet, even during our questioning God provides. This is what He did for the Israelites in Exodus 16. He gives them quail in the evenings and manna (a type of bread) in the morning. His instructions were to only take as much as you needed for that day because He wanted them to trust He would provide again and again each day. Think about it, they had been in the desert for a while at this point. Would you believe this miraculous bread would be there each morning or would you be worried this was a one and done type of thing? The toilet paper hoarding of 2020 should give some insight into that question when it comes to American culture.
But wouldn’t you know in verse 18 it says, “And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.”
Such a lesson in God’s provision for each person’s needs! He knows our needs so much better than we do and then He actually does something about it. It’s amazing.
Yet, as you can expect, not everyone listened. Verse 20 says, “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and started to smell.” Gross, right?
This went on for days. Take as much as you need, and each day He provides exactly that. But what struck me as I read Exodus 16 this time around was in verse 24. When it came to the sixth day God did let them keep some overnight due to the Sabbath and when the Israelites followed God’s directions it says, “it did not stink or get maggots in it.”
I read this with fresh eyes, and I was amazed. The manna had not lasted the night on the prior days and yet in faith they had to believe it would be okay because God instructed them to gather enough for two days. The problem was not that the bread was bad or couldn’t last. It did not have a “best if used by” and it didn’t expire due to a short shelf life. The manna went bad because the people did not listen to God and abused its intended design. God was providing for their physical needs, yes, but He was also showing them they could depend on Him. He was proving He was faithful to His promises and that His instruction is actually for our good.
We often want to blame our circumstances or bad things that have happened on the thing itself because that is where we see the problem or in this very literal situation, the “rot.” This passage reminded me it is rarely the thing itself that is the problem but our use of it outside of its intended design or purpose.
Take alcohol for example, (I know there are several places to land on this topic in the church and I want to honor that, so read within your context and convictions) we see that Jesus drank wine; however, the Bible very clearly tells us not to get drunk. If you’ve ever seen or felt the effects of getting drunk, whether that be from a physical hangover or the consequences of choices made when under the influence, you can probably understand that there is a spectrum of damage. But is it the fermented grapes that are the problem? No, it is our abuse of them. God made the grapes for food and drink and God makes good things.
The same thing goes for sex. We could blame the act itself for all sorts of physical and emotional consequences, but the act is not the problem. Sex is a gift from God meant to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage, however when taken out of the appropriate context it was designed for it can be damaging. In giving us boundaries God ultimately wants to bless us, but we often take things into our own hands and then want to be upset with the thing itself rather than the choices we made.
None of this is meant to bring shame, maybe conviction that is between you and the Holy Spirit, but not shame because our God is full of forgiveness and mercy when we come to Him with a pure, repentant heart. The point is that our obedience is what matters to God. He can do wild miracles like manna from the sky and water from a rock but if we choose to be disobedient and exist outside of His boundaries it will not last just like the manna they retrieved when He specifically told them only to get enough for one day.
His boundaries are meant to protect and teach us. In Exodus 16 He was teaching them to trust He would provide for them. Then He was trying to protect them by providing a day of rest, proving His plans for us are good. Not only that but He provides an abundance when we are called to rest. The Israelites were not being called to sacrifice some of what they had or even their comfort because He provided a way for them to be sustained during their rest.
But as humans do, we struggle with trust. People still went out on the seventh day expecting to find bread. I know it’s easy to hate on the Israelites, but if we pay attention to our own society, we can see how easy it is to operate out of a scarcity mindset. We worry if God will continue to provide or if it’s possible to get more, to capitalize on an opportunity for fear it won’t be there tomorrow, to be more prepared for that “rainy day”. Not all of those are bad things, however just like obedience, we have to check our heart posture. Are you acting with wisdom and seeking the Lord’s guidance or are we just wanting to control as much as we can and not trusting God to provide. If this example in the Bible teaches us anything it should teach us that He is trustworthy.
In verse 28 it says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and instructions?”
So that is my question for all of us: How long will we refuse His commands and instructions?
We have to stop making excuses and blaming the vehicles of our sin and just simply look our sin in the face. It can be scary, for sure and obedience is not always easy, but it is always a choice. I really believe obedience precedes blessing and who doesn’t want to be blessed, right? I know I do and what I know about my heavenly father is that He wants to give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11). He gave us free will, so we get to choose. Some of those choices will come with consequences, both good and bad, because our obedience matters.
The Israelites may have had awesome things like pillars of fire and smoke, miracle manna, and water from a rock, but we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us! If you want to be obedient to God’s word, ask the Spirit for wisdom. If you want to walk in His ways, learn them, read your Bible. Learning to truly trust God with everything in your life is a journey, one many of us probably won’t ever graduate from because there will be new things that surface challenging that trust. Will you learn from the Israelites? Will you trust that God will provide exactly what you need and that His instructions are actually meant to protect you? Will you choose obedience over the alternative?
Chase after His goodness and learn to live there. That’s what I’m trying to do and I think it’s going to lead to more security than I could imagine and real joy I don’t have to manufacture because He is good and His love abounds when we are obedient.
