Deuteronomy 8:16
16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.
16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.
Much of the Israelites daily lives was all about making bread. They would spend hours in this process, from the gathering of the grains to preparing the ovens for baking. In their world of slavery and despair in Egypt, they found some comfort and peace in knowing they could still provide bread for themselves. Yet, God was preparing to show them their dependence on Him for even this most basic of needs.
As God rescues His people out of their captivity in Egypt, He brings them into the freedom of His provision. He took them to a place where their skill and understanding of providing food was useless to them. Instead, He gave them manna for bread! The food of angels to the world of man! What an amazing way for God to introduce himself as provider to His people and invite them to trust Him. Until now they had only known of God from His mighty works displayed in their flight from Egypt. They had not known Him as the God who cares for them. So God, in His goodness, brings them through a process of trust. Each morning He provides them enough manna for that day. Yet, they immediately in their humanity rush to take more, to set aside extra in case there isn’t enough tomorrow [Exodus 16]! He was asking them to humbly lay down their striving to care for themselves and to fully trust Him for their daily bread. This verse tells us why God chose to feed them this way, ‘to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you’. Why would this journey of faith bring a life of well being? A life lived in the comfort of our ability to care for our needs will always only be as secure as our circumstances. However, a life lived in God’s provision can bring a feast in the desert!
The story then brings us to the warning of verse 17, “You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” This warning rings so true to me today in America! We have come to believe in ourselves apart from our dependence on the gracious goodness of our God who provides! We try to stand strong in our power and the strength of our hands, yet we wonder why everything seems to be turning to dust in our grasp. We are being confronted with our own inability as a nation and world. In this place of fear and uncertainty some are running to their governments to find security and safety, or they are running back to their own talents thinking they can keep themselves safe, but they forget that it was God who gave them their abilities. They try and take as much as they can, yet it is simply rotting on their shelves.
In this environment, it is an amazing time for God’s people to learn the lesson of manna! It is a time to allow God to give us our daily bread and let Him tell us how much is enough. It is a time to ask ourselves is my house, my health, and my pay check bread or manna? Am I willing to give myself fully into the care of my God and rest in the quiet peace that comes from knowing He is my provision? Am I ready to live my life fully in His Kingdom, not swayed by the comings and goings of this kingdom? Do I run in panic and fear on the reports of economic collapse, pandemics, climate change, and violence [Matthew 24:6]? Am I spending my efforts trying to preserve a life that is destined to die? Or rather do I trust Him enough to stand up as a voice of peace to those lost in fear? Will I spend myself on caring for those who are hurting and lost without the hope of the goodness of God? Will I be willing to go to the dark and dangerous corners of this world without fear for my life for I know He who cares for me? Will I rest easy knowing He will not fail to bring me to my eternal home? Will I be prepared to dine with the angels in the desert…?
