“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.’” — Exodus 16:4&5 (NIV84)

He has the right to do this, doesn’t He? I mean, He is God. He certainly has the right to expect that as faithful sons and daughters we would strive to be obedient to His Word (commands). In our text, God made a simple request. He told the Israelites that when they went out to gather the manna every morning, they were only to take as much as they needed for that day; and on the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much because there would be no manna provided on the Sabbath. Simple! Right? Not so much. History recalls that many took more than they needed for the day and it became maggot-filled the next morning. Others failed to take twice as much on the sixth day, and when they went out on the Sabbath to gather food, there was none. And God sits back, saying, “Why won’t you just listen to Me?”

A great question! Are any of you out there parents of teenage children? Have you ever said the same thing to your children? Sure you have! Our sinful nature wants things, including God, to fit into our logic and reason. We want to be in control of what is true and real. We fight against God’s sovereignty over our lives. We, like the Israelites, want it our way. And what is the outcome? We end up with maggot-filled and empty lives because what we want in our reality isn’t really there. Look at how many of Jesus’ miracles are connected to God’s providence. He alone provides food, sight, healing, life and forgiveness. We only need to look to the cross of Jesus Christ to see how far God was willing to go to get us to see the errors of our ways and the truths of His Word. The old man in us died with Jesus on the cross.

As reborn new creatures in Christ, may we strive to be obedient to His will and His Word!

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church