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A
study of Exodus: Birth of a Nation
#13
The Third Crisis of Israel In the Wilderness—Hunger:
The Two Great Sins of Israel, That of
Grumbling
and Disobedience (Unbelief)
Exodus 16:1-36
This week, I was reminded of the newspaper
account of a Brinks armored truck, which was loaded with money
which was nearly worn out and was on its way to be destroyed.
The truck was involved in some kind of traffic accident, the
result of which was that the doors flew open and the money was
scattered in the intersection. It doesn’t take a great deal of
imagination to visualize what happened. People jumped out of
their cars, which they left to block the traffic, and
frantically ran about, trying to gather as much money as they
could hold.
Stories of human greed may strike you as amusing,
but they are also relevant to the account of God’s provision of
manna for the Israelites in the wilderness, described in Exodus
chapter 16. Having run out of food in the desert, so that the
Israelites feared they would starve to death, one can only
imagine the zeal with which they harvested the first provision
of manna.
There was enough manna, it would seem, for every
Israelite to have filled his tent with it. From the account it
appears that some tried, only to discover that it would not
keep, turning foul and wormy. The efforts to hoard the provision
of manna was in direct disobedience to God’s instructions. Their
greed, like mine, and yours (admit it, you would have been
trying to out maneuver me at that Safeway store), was evidenced
in their attempt to hoard a surplus supply of manna, so that
they could feel secure about the future.
In this passage, Israel is guilty of two sins:
greed and grumbling. We discover that both of these sins are
symptomatic of an even more serious underlying sin. It is that
sin which is characterized, and which God works to cure, in our
text.
The background of God’s provision of manna for
His people is to be found in the final verses of the previous
chapter. Not finding water for three days, the Israelites came
upon the waters of Marah, which they were unable to drink
because they were bitter. The people initially cried out to God,
and then began to grumble against Moses. They demanded to know
what they were to drink.
The Lord first made provision for the sweetening
of the bitter waters of Marah (which means bitter), and then He
spoke these words:
“If you
listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what
is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and
keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the
diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals
you” (Exod. 15:26).
God’s words suggest to me that there is a
relationship between the plagues which are brought upon the
Egyptians and the sweetening of the waters at Marah. For all
intents and purposes, the “bitter” waters of Marah were as
useless to the Israelites as the “bloody” water of the Nile
after the first plague was brought upon Egypt. The Egyptians
were plagued by God because they failed to heed the instruction
of God to “Let His people go.”
When God’s command to the Egyptians was
disobeyed, the plagues ensued. Now, God is laying down commands
to His people, the Israelites. If they disregard His commands,
they will be plagued, just as the Egyptians were. The response
of Israel to the bitter waters at Marah reveals that the
Israelites are sinful, too. God’s commands will be given to His
people to test them.
To fail to obey will be to invite His judgments on them.
While God’s statement to Israel is a general
command to them, the first of the “commands and decrees” which
God refers to here are given in chapter 16.
These commands are God’s instructions regulating the gathering
and use of the manna which He is about to provide for His
people. It is these commands which serve as a test of Israel’s
faith and obedience. It is these same commands which serve to
strengthen Israel’s faith and to teach His people to obey Him.
After the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and
Israel’s failure to possess the promised land, Israel’s
wilderness wanderings are a part of her judgment, due to her
unbelief. But here, at the beginning of Israel’s journey from
Egypt toward Canaan, the time spent in the wilderness is not
disciplinary (the result of her sin), but didactic (intended to
instruct), an occasion for teaching Israel the necessity of
faith and obedience. Chapters 16 and 17 describe God’s “boot
camp” for Israel. Keeping God’s commands and decrees pertaining
to the gathering and use of manna will teach God’s people to
trust and obey.
One of the most basic needs of man is the
need for food. Without food, a person starves to death.
Consequently, when a person’s food supply is threatened...
·
he complains— grumbles and murmurs against the weather, some
crop disease, or God.
·
he blames the circumstances, the government, the economy, the
grocery store, the farmer, his employer—just whoever or whatever
is causing the shortage of food.
A person’s trust in God and others is soon
lost when his food supply is threatened. Trust in God far too
often crumbles when hunger or any other serious trial confronts
a person. This was the very situation facing the Israelites...
·
that of hunger.
·
that of complaining, grumbling, and murmuring.
·
that of failing to trust God to meet their need.
But these things should never be. We should
never complain nor fail to trust God, not because of hunger nor
because of any other serious circumstance that might confront
us. God loves and cares for us. And God has promised to take
care of our needs in every circumstance, even in
life-threatening circumstances. God’s promise is clear:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
This is the great lesson of this passage:
The Third Crisis of Israel In the Wilderness—Hunger: The Two
Great Sins of Israel, That of Grumbling and Disobedience
(Unbelief), Exodus 16:1-36.
1. The crisis of hunger: the first great
sin committed again, that of complaining and grumbling
(unbelief) (v.1-3).
2. The promise of God: to meet the needs of
His grumbling people (v.4-15).
3. The test of the people: they failed the
test—disobeyed God (v.16-30).
4. The manna (bread) memorialized:
commanded by God (v.31-36).
Growling Stomachs and Grumbling Saints
A month passed between the time Israel departed
from Egypt to the time when the nation reached the Wilderness of
Sin.
Water had already been a problem (cf. 15:22‑26), and now they
had run out of food.
Their growling stomachs soon produced grumbling lips. The whole
assembly grumbled against Moses and Aaron (16:2). They said they
would rather have died in Egypt than to have been brought out
into the desert to starve to death (16:3).
(16:1-3) Hunger— Complaining— Grumbling—
Murmuring— Moses— Aaron— Israel— Sin: there was the
crisis of hunger, and the first great sin of Israel was
committed again, that of complaining and grumbling.
1.
The
people left Elim and marched to the desert of Sin. DEEPER
STUDY (16:1) Desert of Sin: this was a place,
the actual name of a desert in the days of Moses. The word “sin”
must not be confused with the theological word sin. The
“Desert of Sin” was probably taken from the word Sinai or
the bush Seneh. The desert was probably named the “Desert
of Sin” because of its terrain, most likely referring to a rocky
area with thorn-bushes scattered across the landscape. The
desert was most likely located in the southwestern Sinai, close
to the area of modern Debbet er-Ramleh.
Note that God’s people marched to the desert
of Sin exactly one month after leaving Egypt. How quickly God’s
people forget the deliverance, care, goodness, and blessings of
God! Just one month earlier, God had miraculously delivered His
people out of Egyptian slavery. Yet, here they were committing a
terrible sin. Note what the sin was.
2. The people complained—grumbled and
murmured—against God’s servants Moses and Aaron. Why? Because
they were hungry: they had used up all their food supply. Before
they left Egypt, they had apparently been instructed to take
along one month’s supply of food, and now they had no food left.
A crisis existed and the situation looked hopeless. Where in the
desert could two to three million people possibly find enough
food to keep them alive? Such an enormous food source just did
not exist, not out in the wilderness of the desert. The people
knew this, and they obviously began to talk about the problem
among themselves. The talk soon became a complaint, and the
people began to grumble and murmur against their leaders, Moses
and Aaron.
This God’s people should not have done.
Instead of grumbling and complaining, God’s people should have
gone to their leaders, presented the problem, and suggested that
they all—both leaders and people—seek God together. The people
should have trusted God, trusted His goodness and power to
deliver them. But this they did not do. They showed unbelief in
God...
·
distrusted His concern and care
·
distrusted His goodness
·
distrusted His power
·
distrusted His provision
And note the terrible depth of their
distrust and unbelief, the scorching heat of their sinful
grumbling: they would rather have died in Egypt in one of God’s
plagues than to die of starvation out in the desert. At least in
Egypt they had meat and bread. The Hebrew has the idea of
pots of meat—all they could eat.
What audacity! What an affront against God!
What rashness, arrogance, gall, rudeness, and defiance. What a
terrible thing to say in the face of God! And after He had done
so much for them.
Þ
Remember God’s wonderful deliverance from Egyptian slavery.
Þ
Remember God’s astounding power demonstrated at the Red Sea.
Þ
Remember God’s glorious provision of water to take care of their
thirst
All this had all taken place within the last
thirty days. Time and again over a period of thirty days, God
had gloriously delivered and provided for His dear people. But
murmurers have short memories. And here they were wallowing
around in the pit of sinful grumbling, showing that their hearts
were full of...
·
selfishness
·
unbelief
·
distrust
·
carnal, fleshly thoughts
Our memories of the “good old days,” of the past,
are often magnified and exaggerated. This was certainly true of
the Israelites, and it is true of us. In looking back to their
days in Egypt, the Israelites could not have had enough to eat.
Meat and plenty of food are never a part of the everyday diet of
slaves nor of the poor of any society. The Israelites had short
memories and warped perspectives. They had forgotten their days
of affliction as slaves to the world of Egypt.
This shows the great crisis the Israelites
were facing. They were facing starvation. A spirit of
hopelessness gripped them. They knew there was no place out in
the desert where enough food could be found to feed them, not
two to three million people. Nevertheless, when a crisis arises
for the believer—the genuine believer—he is to call upon God,
not grumble and complain. In facing problems, we are to trust
God—believe that God cares, that He loves us, that He will help
us through the problem—no matter how severe the problem may be.
J. Vernon McGee has an excellent application of
this point.
“The children of
Israel...despised God’s heavenly food and complained about
eating it. They grew tired of eating manna. They longed for the
fleshpots of Egypt. They wanted to go back to that from which
they had been delivered.
“That is the story, I am afraid, of some
people who have been converted, and have been delivered out of
‘Egypt’ [the world, the old life].
Every now and then they take a side trip back to get the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic. There are Christians today who need
to make a complete break with the old life. Friend, you can’t go
on living like the world, living on the things of Egypt, and be
serviceable to God and have the peace of God in your heart.
There must be a break with Egypt. We must live on the true Manna
that comes from heaven, even the Lord Jesus Christ.” 70
Characteristics of Israel’s Grumbling
Before we consider God’s response to the
grumblings of His people, it may be worthwhile to point out some
of the characteristics of Israel’s grumbling in this incident.
Very likely, we will find that grumbling was not only a problem
then, but that it is also a problem in our lives as well.
(1) Grumbling is a problem with pain or
problems. Grumbling almost never
occurs when we are experiencing pleasure, but nearly always when
we are in pain. In our passage, there is a definite relationship
between the Israelites’ growling stomachs and their grumbling
lips. We grumble because we do not like the pain or the
discomfort of the situation we are in. We grumble because we
think that we should experience pleasure rather than pain,
affluence and ease rather than adversity and deprivation.
(2) Grumbling is a problem of perception.
Grumbling results from a difference between the way we perceive
things to be and the way we think they should be. The problem is
that when we grumble our perception of how things are is
distorted. Grumbling invariably distorts the facts. In our text,
Israel greatly exaggerated the benefits of Egypt. They said they
“sat” (v. 3) by their flesh pots, and that they ate “all they
wanted” of a great variety of foods and meat. This is, quite
frankly, hard to believe. If the Egyptians made them gather
their own straw and were attempting to kill boy babies, why
would they be concerned to feed the Israelites so well? Also,
their perception of their own imminent danger of starvation was
greatly exaggerated. They believed that their hunger was
starvation. No one had yet starved; at best, a few had begun to
feel hunger. Worst of all, perhaps, they accused Moses of
leading them into the wilderness in order to kill them. Their
perception of Moses’ motivation was entirely distorted. Finally,
Israel’s perception of God’s care and compassion is minimized to
grotesque proportions. They failed to perceive the loving hand
of a sovereign God in their sufferings.
(3) Grumbling is a problem of submission.
The Israelites grumbled against their leaders, Moses and Aaron.
The people had forgotten that it was God who was leading them,
not only by Moses, but also by the cloud which was before them
(cf. Exod. 13:21‑22; 16:10). Ultimately, then, Israel’s
grumbling was a protest against God’s leadership, as Moses
pointed out (16:7‑8).
(4) Grumbling is a sin of the tongue, which is
closely related to disobedience.
Grumbling occurs when we can’t control our situation.
Disobedience occurs when we have an option and we choose to do
other than that which God has commanded.
(5) Grumbling is a communicable disease.
We are told in verse 2 that, “the whole community grumbled …” I
would suggest that the grumbling of a handful of people spread
into the epidemic plague of the grumbling of the whole
congregation. Grumbling is not only a malady of the mouth, it is
a malady which is spread by the mouth.
(6) Grumbling is the result of a failure in
our faith. Grumbling is a sin, but it
is a symptomatic sin. It reveals a lack of faith, for the
grumbler does not see that good hand of God, refuses to accept
the adversity, and sees disaster rather than blessing as the
outcome of their circumstances. In fact we can go farther and
say that grumbling is allowing our present circumstances to
nullify our confidence in God’s purposes and promises.
God’s promise (Ex. 16:4-5, 8, 11-12)
In our pilgrim journey through life, we live on
promises and not explanations. When we hurt, it’s
a normal response to ask “Why?” but that is the wrong approach
to take. For one thing, when we ask God that question, we’re
assuming a superior posture and giving the impression that we’re
in charge and God is accountable to us. God is sovereign and
doesn’t have to explain anything to us unless He wants to.
Asking “Why?” also assumes that if God did explain His plans and
purposes to us, we’d understand everything perfectly and feel
better. As you read the Book of Job, you see Job frustrated with
God and repeatedly saying, “I’d like to meet God and ask Him a
few things!” But when God finally comes to Job, Job is so
overwhelmed he doesn’t ask God a thing! (See Job 40:1-5.)
Can we begin to understand the ways and plans of God when His
ways are far above us and His wisdom unsearchable? (Isa. 55:8-9;
Rom. 11:33-36) Explanations don’t heal broken hearts, but
promises do, because promises depend on faith, and faith puts us
in contact with the grace of God.
(16:4-15) Complaining— Grumbling—
Murmuring— Manna— Supply— Provision— Blessing— Testing:
there was God’s promise to meet the needs of His grumbling
people. God heard their murmurings and in His grace and mercy
met their needs. He told them that in the evening, they would
have flesh to eat (v. 8), and in the morning He would rain bread
from heaven (v. 4). By giving them these special provisions, He
was also testing them to see if they would believe and obey.
1. God promised to provide bread from
heaven for His people (Exodus 16:4). The only conceivable
way two to three million people could be fed out in the
wilderness of a desert—fed for over forty years—would be by a
miracle from God. This was exactly what God was promising: to
feed His people Himself, to feed them in such a way that His
existence, love, and care could never be questioned nor doubted.
2. God would, however, test the faith of
His people (Exodus 16:4). God was going to test their faith in
two ways:
Þ
By charging His people to gather bread every day for that
particular day. They were to gather only one day’s supply,
no more and no less. By laying down this restriction, God tested
their trust in Him. They had to trust God day by day for
food.
Þ
By commanding that they gather twice as much food on the sixth
day (Exodus 16:5). This commandment would test the obedience of
the people. Would they gather twice as much as commanded and
rest on the seventh day, or would they go out and work to gather
their food on the seventh day? Just what the people did will be
seen later (note 3—§
Exodus 16:16-30).
3. God would prove Himself (Exodus
16:6-7). God’s servants went before God’s people and declared
His wonderful promise:
Þ
In the evening, the Lord would use His provision to prove that
it was He who saved them and brought them out of the land of
Egyptian slavery (Exodus 16:6).
Þ
In the morning, the Lord would use His provision to prove His
glory (Exodus 16:7).
Þ
Why was the Lord going to do this? Because the Lord was going to
prove Himself—that He was truly the Lord—because the people had
grumbled and complained against Him (Exodus 16:7).
4. Now note: God gave a warning. Grumbling
is not against God’s servants but against God Himself (Exodus
16:8). This is true in two ways.
a. God, not His servant, is the person who leads
His people. God, not the servants of God, had delivered the
Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt (the world) and led
them to begin their march to the promised land. God in His
sovereign leadership had led the Israelites to be where they
were, not Moses and Aaron. Therefore, their complaint, although
spoken against Moses and Aaron, was really directed against God
and His leadership.
b. Complaining and grumbling show distrust in
God, that a person does not believe God cares and will work
things out for good. Therefore, when we complain and grumble, we
are saying to God that we do not trust Him, do not trust that He
loves us and will deliver us. Our complaining and grumbling is
not against God’s servant, not really. It is against God.
5. God laid down the prerequisite for
receiving the bread of God: the people had to come, to draw near
God (Exodus 16:9-10). When believers sin against God by
complaining and grumbling, they must come before the Lord and
draw near Him. The idea is that of confession and repentance:
the people were to draw near God, come before Him and confess
and repent of their complaining and grumbling.
Note that the people obeyed: they looked to
the cloud which symbolized God’s very presence (Exodus 16:10).
What they witnessed was a phenomenal sight: the glory of the
Lord shone in the cloud (Exodus 16:10). How often God would
grant a clear, intense sense of His glory and presence—if we
would only draw near Him. If we would only spend long sessions
of meditation and prayer in His presence. How much power would
be present in our lives and ministries if we often got alone
with God for long periods of time.
God’s glory (Ex. 16:6-7, 9-10)
The important thing was that Israel focus on the
glory of God and not on their own appetites. If they walked by
faith, they would glorify the Lord and bring honor to His name.
It isn’t important that we’re comfortable in life, but it is
important that God is glorified. When circumstances are
difficult, we’re prone to pray, “Lord, how can I get out
of this?” when we ought to be praying, “Lord, what can I
get out of this?” It isn’t important that we get our way, but it
is important that God accomplishes His purposes and receives all
the glory (Matt. 6:33). God permits trials so that He can build
godly character into His children and make us more like Jesus.
Godliness isn’t the automatic result of reading books and
attending meetings; it also involves bearing burdens, fighting
battles, and feeling pain.
DEEPER STUDY (16:10)
God, Glory of— Glory, of God— Shekinah Glory: the
glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. This was the Shekinah
Glory, the cloud that symbolized God’s presence. It was the very
cloud that had guided Israel out of Egypt and that was to rest
upon the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). The Shekinah Glory was
also to rest above the mercy seat in the most holy place of the
tabernacle. Scripture describes the glory of the Lord as
follows:
1. The glory of the Lord is like a
consuming fire.
“And the sight of the glory of the LORD
was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of
the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:17).
2. The glory of the Lord is like a pillar
of fire that radiates light.
“And the LORD went before them by day in
a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He
took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of
fire by night, from before the people” (Exodus 13:21-22).
3. The glory of the Lord is like a fiery
furnace.
“For ye are not come unto the mount that
might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness,
and darkness, and tempest.... For our God is a consuming fire”
(Hebrews 12:18, 29).
4. The glory of the Lord is like a light
that radiates splendor, a light that is so full of splendor that
Peter called it “the excellent glory.”
“For he received from God the Father
honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased” (2 Peter 1:17).
5. The glory of the Lord is a light so
glorious and brilliant that there is no need for a sun.
“Having the glory of God: and her light
was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal.... And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:11, 23).
6. The glory of the Lord is a light so
brilliant that no man can approach it.
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen,
nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting” (1 Tim.
6:16).
6. God restressed the facts (Exodus
16:11-12). Note that He restated the facts to Moses: He had
heard the people’s grumblings and He would meet their needs. But
He was doing it for a very specific purpose: that they might
learn the truth, learn more and more that He is the Lord their
God. God wanted the truth driven more and more into their hearts
and lives, that He and He alone is the only living and true God.
He and He alone was to be their God, the Lord of their lives.
7. God fulfilled His promise (Exodus
16:13-15).
a. God gave the meat He had promised. The quail
came and covered the camp that very evening (Exodus 16:13).
Imagine enough quail to feed two to three million people every
day of the week for forty years. Moreover, imagine the quail
always landing right where the Israelites were camped. The
provision of the quail was beyond all question a spectacular
miracle of God.
b. God gave the bread He had promised—the manna
from heaven (Exodus 16:13-15).
Þ
The next morning after the dew had melted, the ground was
covered with thin flakes that looked like frost (Exodus 16:14).
Þ
The Israelites had never seen the thin flakes before. Thus they
called it manna, which means “What is it?” (Exodus 16:15). Moses
informed the people that it was the bread from heaven that had
been promised by God.
Man is hungry, hungry for all kinds of things.
But lying at the very base of his hunger is the craving for...
·
purpose and fulfillment
·
acceptance and recognition.
·
love and friendship
·
joy and pleasure
The world offers food to satisfy and fulfill
man’s hunger. And when a man looks at the world, he sees an
appealing offer to feed him, to feed him with...
|
·
drugs
·
alcohol
·
sex (illicit sex)
·
pleasure
·
bright lights
·
success
·
popularity
·
riches
·
property |
·
stimulation
·
excitement
·
position
·
honor
·
fame
·
beauty
·
power
·
control |
But tragically, these things never satisfy;
they never fill the deepest recesses of man’s heart. The world
leaves man empty, leaves him with a sense of empty gratification
and pleasure and with unfilled achievement and success.
There is only one way man’s hunger can be
satisfied: he must eat, partake of the bread from heaven: the
Lord Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy the hunger of
man’s heart. Only Jesus Christ can give life to man. Jesus
Christ is the Bread of Life. He is the bread given by God to
satisfy the hunger of man’s soul.
God’s Response to Israel’s Grumbling
Knowing that Israel’s grumbling was the result of
her lack of faith, God responded to it in a way which I would
not expect. Later on, the grumbling of the Israelites resulted
in some painful chastisement. The difference between God’s
response to Israel’s grumblings here in Exodus 16 and His more
severe dealings in Numbers 11 is explained, I believe, by the
difference in time spent with God in the wilderness. Here, the
Israelites have spent but one month following God, and are
relatively immature in their faith. Later on, God’s Law has been
given, and His faithfulness to Israel has been repeatedly
demonstrated.
Consequently, God responded gently and graciously
to the grumblings of the Israelites. Rather than to rebuke them
for their complaining, He did two things, both of which were
intended to demonstrate His presence with His people in their
affliction and adversity. First, He revealed His glory to the
Israelites by some special manifestation of Himself in the cloud
by which He had been leading them (16:10).
Second, God provided His people with quail
and with manna
(16:11‑14).
The Nature of God’s Provision of Manna
As usual, there are many who attempt to
demonstrate that the manna which was provided for the Israelites
was not miraculous at all.
This is very difficult to believe in the light of what the text
tells us about the manna which God provided for His people.
(1) The manna which God provided appears to be
very nutritious, as would be required for desert rations.
Israel was given nourishment and energy for the rigorous task of
desert travel. It may not have had the most exciting flavor, or
at least the Israelites eventually tired of it, asking for
something more spicy (cf. Numbers 11:4‑9).
(2) The manna which God provided could be
prepared in different ways. It could
be baked or boiled (v. 23).
(3) The manna was not necessarily the only
item which constituted Israel’s diet.
(4) The manna was provided in abundance, so
much so that limits had to be placed on how much was gathered
(cf. vss. 13‑21).
(5) The manna was miraculously provided.
It was “rained down from heaven” (v. 4). It was like nothing the
Israelites had ever seen before (v. 15). It appeared every
morning, except on the Sabbath. At the end of Israel’s sojourn
in the wilderness it ceased falling (Joshua 5:12).
(6) The manna appeared in the morning and
disappeared in the heat of the day.
(7) The manna would not keep, except over the
Sabbath.
(8) Some of the manna was miraculously
preserved, as a memorial of God’s provision for future
generations (vss. 31‑36).
God’s Regulations Regarding Manna
When God provided the Israelites with this “bread
from heaven” (16:4), He also gave instructions as to how this
bread was to be gathered and used. These instructions were
intended to test the Israelites as well as to teach them
obedience and increase their faith. We will therefore review
these instructions briefly and then consider their role in
promoting Israel’s faith. Since God is not the author of
confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), whenever He starts something new, He
always gives the instructions necessary to make the venture
successful. If we obey His instructions, He will bless, but if
we disobey, there will be disappointment and discipline. The
principle is still, “Let all things be done decently and in
order” (1 Cor. 14:40).
To begin with, the Jews were instructed to gather
their manna daily, but only as much as each person in the family
could eat (v. 16). An omer was a Hebrew dry measure equivalent
to about two quarts. The manna was especially nutritious because
eating it sustained an adult for a day’s march in the
wilderness. It appears that the members of each family pooled
their supply each day and never lacked for sufficient food.6-5
Since the Jews marched and camped by tribes (Num. 1–2), no doubt
each clan and family pooled the manna they’d gathered and saw to
it that everybody was adequately fed.
It was important that the Jews got up early to
gather the manna, because the hot desert sun would melt it (Ex.
16:21). There was no place in the camp of Israel for the
sluggard who stayed in bed while others gathered his food.
There’s a lesson here for believers today: we must start the day
with the Lord, gathering spiritual food from the Word, because
if we wait too long to meet God, the day will become cluttered,
we’ll get distracted, and we’ll suffer from spiritual
malnutrition. The “early risers” of the Bible include Abraham
(Gen. 19:27; 21:14; 22:3), Jacob (Gen. 28:18), Moses (Ex. 8:20;
9:13; 24:4), Joshua (Josh. 3:1, 6), Samuel (1 Sam. 15:12), Job
(Job 1:5), David (Pss. 57:8; 108:2), and our Lord Jesus Christ
(Mark 1:35).
Lazy Israelites might plan to save some manna so
they could sleep in the next morning, but Moses warned them not
to do so. Some of the Jews did it anyway, and their manna
soured, smelled, bred maggots, and had to be thrown away. Not
only were these people disobedient to God’s instructions, but
they were living contrary to God’s own practice, for the Lord
arranged for the sun to melt the manna that still lay on the
ground. It doesn’t pay to rebel against what God says in His
Word and the example He sets in His creation.
Again, there’s a personal warning here for God’s
people today: We can’t hoard His Word and try to live on
yesterday’s spiritual nourishment. It’s good to hear the Bible
preached and taught on the Lord’s Day, but we need fresh manna
each day if we want to be healthy Christians. There’s no
substitute for a daily time alone with God, gathering fresh
nourishment from His Word.
(1) Israel was to gather only what was
required for that day (v. 16).
(2) It would appear that every Israelite was
required to gather manna for his own needs
(v. 16).
(3) Manna was to be gathered daily, and only
enough for that day was to be gathered.
Any excess from that day was to be disposed of at the end of the
day (v. 19). In other words, manna could not be stored up or
hoarded.
(4) Israel was to gather twice as much on the
sixth day, and to gather none on the Sabbath
(vss. 23‑26).
God’s faithfulness (Ex. 16:13-15)
That evening, the quail flew over the camp of
Israel and the people caught them, dressed them, and cooked
them. They had asked for fresh meat, and God provided it. The
Jews had seen wild fowl before, but what happened the next
morning was altogether new, for the manna appeared on the dew on
the ground. God prepared a table in the wilderness and shared
“the bread of angels” with His people (Ps. 78:17-25).
The word “manna” comes from the question the Jews
asked that first morning: “What is it?” (In Hebrew, man hu.)
Manna was to be their food for the next forty years, until the
new generation entered the Promised Land and the manna ceased
(Ex. 16:35; Josh. 5:11-12). Each morning the Jews participated
in a miracle as they emerged from their tents to find all the
nourishment they needed waiting on the dew. The manna was small,
like a seed, but it tasted sweet like honey (Ex. 16:31).
(16:16-30) Disobedience— Test - Testing—
Manna— Hoarding: the people failed the test of God. They
disobeyed God. God gave the people three different commands
concerning the manna. Note the response to each command.
1. God’s first command was obeyed (Exodus
16:16-18). He instructed the people to gather only the amount of
manna that was needed for each person within a tent, an omer
(two quarts) for each person. Note:
Þ
The people obeyed. Each person gathered exactly what was needed
(Exodus 16:17).
Þ
The people strictly obeyed: they actually measured the amount
gathered. No person kept more nor had less than what he should
(Exodus 16:18).
2. God’s second command was disobeyed
(Exodus 16:19-21). The servant of God (Moses) declared God’s
command: the manna was not to be kept overnight. Why? The reason
is obvious: this was the test of God.
Þ
This was one of the ways God was going to expose the human
heart, that it is selfish and carnal.
Þ
This was the way God was going to teach His people that they
must trust Him day by day, trust Him for the provisions of life.
Picture what God’s people were being asked
to do: to go to bed at night without a morsel of food in the
house, to trust God totally for their daily bread.
But keep this fact in mind: they were
expecting to march straight to the promised land of Canaan,
expecting to be in the desert for only a brief period of time.
They had no idea whatsoever that they would be wandering about
in the wilderness for forty long years, no idea that they
were being asked to trust God for their daily bread for so long
a period, for forty years.
But note: this was exactly what God’s people
are supposed to do: trust Him day by day, trust Him every day of
their lives.
a. What did the Israelites do? Some of them
disobeyed God and kept a portion of manna overnight. They were
not quite sure that God had actually provided the manna, that
there would be manna available the next morning. They just did
not trust the promise of God, did not believe God would continue
to meet their needs. They acted selfishly, coveting and hoarding
the manna.
b. Note what happened: the manna was full of
maggots and stunk—was unfit to eat—when the disbelievers arose
the next morning.
c. The servant of God, Moses, was justifiably
angered with the people (Exodus 16:20).
d. But God demonstrated His mercy: He continued
to provide for the people, continued to give the manna—the bread
from heaven—to them (Exodus 16:21). And note: the people
gathered the manna every morning, day by day; and when the sun
came up, the manna melted.
Two very important lessons can be learned from
the disobedience of the Israelites, from their unbelief, their
distrust of God.
1) We must learn to trust God for the
provisions of life, day by day, every day of our lives. Trusting
God does not mean trusting Him now and then, here and there, for
a while as we wish. God demands that we trust Him always, every
moment of every day.
2) We must arise early every day and gather the
manna of God, the Bread from heaven. To stay physically healthy,
we have to eat every day. The same is true spiritually. To stay
spiritually healthy, we must seek the spiritual nourishment to
strengthen and carry us through the day. That is, we must arise
early enough every day to spend time with the Lord Jesus
Christ...
·
in worship and devotions
·
in feasting and partaking of Him
·
in nourishing ourselves spiritually, nourishing ourselves enough
to last us all day.
Once the sun rises, the manna is melted. The
activities of the world begin when the sun rises; the hope of
having time to gather the manna of spiritual nourishment is
slim. The suggestion of God’s Word is strong: we should arise
early—before the activities of the day crowd in upon us—to
gather the manna of spiritual nourishment.
Þ
Jacob arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that
he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and
poured oil upon the top of it” (Genesis 28:18).
Þ
Samuel’s parents arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before
the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and
Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her” (1
Samuel 1:19).
Þ
Hezekiah arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of
the city, and went up to the house of the LORD” (2 Chron.
29:20).
Þ
Job arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about,
that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the
morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of
them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and
cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually” (Job 1:5).
Þ
David arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will
awake early” (Psalm 57:8).
Þ
The Psalmist arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“I prevented [preceded] the dawning of the morning, and cried: I
hoped in thy word” (Psalm 119:147).
Þ
Jesus Christ arose early in the morning to worship and pray.
“And in the morning, rising up a great
while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary
place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35).
Þ
Scripture had predicted that Jesus Christ would be awakened
morning by morning to listen to God His Father.
“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue
of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season
to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he
wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4).
There is a strong lesson here about storing up
and hoarding the manna. We must never hide nor hoard “the bread
from heaven,” Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only spiritual
food that can satisfy the human heart. We must therefore share
the bread of life, Jesus Christ, with the world.
3. God’s third command was also disobeyed
(Exodus 16:22-27). God commanded the people to gather twice as
much bread on the sixth day, two omers (four quarts) for each
person.
In verse 23, the Sabbath is mentioned by name for
the first time in Scripture. It’s called “the seventh day” in
Genesis 2:1-3 and commemorated the Lord’s rest after six days of
creation. It seems obvious that the Jews were taught to observe
the Sabbath even before God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
While many sincere people call Sunday the
Sabbath, this isn’t biblical, for the Sabbath is the seventh day
and Sunday is the first day of the week. The Sabbath was a day
given especially by the Lord to the Jewish people as a reminder
of His covenant with them (Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Neh. 9:13-15).
The word “sabbath” in Hebrew means “to cease working, to rest”
and is related to the Hebrew word for “seven.”
So they didn’t have to work on the Sabbath, the
Jews were supposed to prepare their meals in advance, and this
included the gathering of the manna. They were permitted on the
sixth day to gather twice as much manna, and whatever they saved
up would not become rancid. Not only was the giving of the manna
a miracle six days a week, but the preserving of the manna for
the seventh day was an additional miracle. There are always some
people who don’t really get the message. Some of the Jews went
out on the Sabbath, looking for manna, and they found none. They
didn’t obey Moses’ instructions! Remember, the gathering of the
manna was a test from God to see if His people would obey the
Law He was about to give them (Ex. 16:4). If they wouldn’t obey
a simple thing like gathering manna six days a week, how would
they ever obey the statutes and laws that Moses would bring down
from Mt. Sinai! It was a privilege to eat “the bread of angels,”
sent from heaven; and it was an insult to the Lord to disobey
the instructions He had given.
Note what happened.
a. The people gathered twice as much bread on
the sixth day and the rulers gave the good report to Moses
(Exodus 16:22).
b. The people were supposed to cook what was
needed for the Sabbath on the sixth day (Exodus 16:23). Why?
Because the Sabbath was a day of rest, a holy day to the Lord.
c. Did the people obey God? Some did. And the
manna did not stink nor get maggots in it (Exodus 16:24).
d. Now, note what the messenger of God did. He
restressed, reemphasized the third command (Exodus 16:25-26).
The point is clear: the Sabbath day was to be a day given to the
Lord (Exodus 16:25).
Þ
Six days were to be used for gathering food, but no food was to
be gathered on the Sabbath day (Exodus 16:26).
God had His messenger stress the command
time and again. There could be no misunderstanding: the people
knew exactly what they were to do.
e. Again, did the people obey God? Some did not:
they disobeyed God (Exodus 16:27). Despite the clear,
unquestionable command of God, some of the people deliberately
chose to act on their own, to do their own thing. They rebelled
against God’s command and disobeyed Him. They went out on the
Sabbath day to gather manna. But note: they found none.
f. What was God’s response? He rebuked the
people and gave a strong charge to them (Exodus 16:28-30).
Þ
He rebuked them with a question: How long would they disobey him
and His laws (Exodus 16:28)?
Þ
He gave them a strong charge: they must keep in mind that the
LORD Himself established the Sabbath. The facts were clear:
·
The Lord had given six days to gather bread, to work (Exodus
16:29).
·
The Lord demanded that everyone rest and worship on the Sabbath
day (Exodus 16:29).
·
Note: the people obeyed (Exodus 16:30).
Two clear lessons are seen in this experience of
Israel.
1) We must obey God. God means what he says,
and He expects us to obey Him. We must never disobey Him, not
deliberately, not in rebellion.
2) We must keep the Lord’s Day every
week (Exodus 16:23). The Lord’s Day is...
·
a day of rest
·
a holy day to the Lord (Exodus 16:23).
We must, therefore, guard the Lord’s Day.
We must not gather, that is, work on His day. We must set
aside one day a week for rest and holy worship just as He
commands.
a) We are to keep the Lord’s Day.
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it
holy” (Exodus 20:8).
“Six days thou shalt work, but on the
seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou
shalt rest” (Exodus 34:21).
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and
the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath
from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil”
(Isaiah 56:2).
b) We are to do good on the Lord’s Day.
“How much then is a man better than a
sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days”
(Matthew 12:12).
“And when the sabbath day was come, he
began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were
astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and
what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such
mighty works are wrought by his hands?” (Mark 6:2).
“If a man on the sabbath day receive
circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye
angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the
sabbath day?” (John 7:23).
c) The early disciples worshipped God on the
Lord’s Day.
“And upon the first day of the week,
when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached
unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his
speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
“Upon the first day of the week let
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him,
that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2).
(16:31-36) Manna— Memorial: there
was the command that the manna—the bread from heaven—be
memorialized.
1. Note the description of the manna
(Exodus 16:31).
2. God commanded that an omer (two quarts)
of the manna be kept as a memorial for future generations
(Exodus 16:32-34). God wanted a testimony for future
generations: a testimony that declared how He had fed His people
after He delivered them out of Egypt.
Note that Moses instructed Aaron to do as
God had commanded (Exodus 16:33), and that Aaron obeyed. He kept
a jar of manna until the Ark of Testimony was built (Exodus
16:34). Note: three items were to be kept in the Ark of the
Testimony or what we usually call the Ark of the Covenant (which
was to be built in the form of a chest) (cp. Hebrews 9:4).
Þ
The manna which was kept in a gold pot.
Þ
Aaron’s rod which budded (Numbers 17:10).
Þ
The two tablets containing the ten commandments.
3. God’s provision of manna lasted for
forty years, a phenomenal miracle. God provided manna for His
people until they reached the fertile, fruitful soil of the
promised land (Exodus 16:35).
4. And note: God’s daily provision was
abundant. One omer (two quarts) was provided for each person.
The faithfulness of God should be memorialized in the heart of
every believer. God is faithful to us. If we obey Him, truly
follow Him, He fulfills His promises to us. He looks after us
and takes care of us.
God’s Son (John 6:22-59)
The day after He fed more than 5,000 people with
five barley loaves and two small fish, Jesus preached a sermon
about “the bread of life” to a crowd in the synagogue in
Capernaum. They wanted Him to prove He was the Messiah by
duplicating the miracle of the manna (vv. 30-31), but instead,
He declared that He was “the true bread” that came down from
heaven. The Old Testament manna was a type6-3 or
picture of God’s Son who came to give Himself as the Bread of
Life for hungry sinners.
The Jews in the synagogue were following Jesus
mainly because He gave them food for the body, but what they
needed even more was food for the soul (Isa. 55:2). Jesus is the
Bread of Life, and the only way to be saved is to receive Him
into our inner being just as the body receives food. God gave
the manna only to Israel, but He sent Jesus for the whole world.
The manna only sustained their physical life in the
wilderness, but God’s Son gives eternal life to the whole
world. Just as the Jews had to stoop and pick up the manna, and
then eat it, so sinners must humble themselves and receive Jesus
Christ within. The Jews ate the manna and eventually died, but
whoever receives Jesus Christ will live forever.
There’s a second application to the miracle of
the manna: each day, you and I must “feed on Jesus Christ” by
reading the Word, meditating on it, and obeying what it says.
The Jews in the synagogue thought that Jesus was speaking about
literally eating His flesh and blood (John 6:52-56), something
that was contrary to Jewish law.6-4 Jesus made it
clear that He was speaking in spiritual language and referring
to receiving His Word (vv. 61-63). However, Peter got the
message (vv. 67-68), and so must we. God’s Word is the heavenly
food that nourishes our spiritual life, and we must feed on it
daily (Job 23:12; Jer. 15:16; Matt. 4:4; 1 Peter 2:2; Heb.
5:12-14).
Remember the lessons God teaches you (Ex. 16:32-36)
The instructions in verses 33-34 anticipate the
giving of the Law (or “testimony”; 31:18; 32:15) and the making
of the ark of testimony (25:16, 22; 26:33) and the construction
of the tabernacle. The information in 16:35 was added years
later to complete the account. At that time, Moses wouldn’t have
known how many years Israel would march in the wilderness.
As we shall see later, the ark of the testimony
was the throne of God in the camp. It stood in the holy of
holies in the tabernacle, where the glory of God dwelt; and
within the ark were the two tablets of the law, Aaron’s rod, and
the golden jar of manna (Heb. 9:4). Only the high priest could
enter the holy of holies, and that only once a year, but the
Jewish people knew what was in the ark and taught this truth to
their children. Each of these items reminded the nation of an
important truth: that He is King and Lawgiver; that He
established the priesthood; and that He fed His people because
He cared for them.
God gave the Law to Israel because He loved His
people. They needed a light to guide them, and God’s Law is a
lamp and a light; and obeying the Law means life (Prov. 6:23).
When the people disobeyed, they needed a priest to help them be
forgiven and reconciled to God. They also needed to be reminded
that it was God who provided food for them, and that they didn’t
live by bread alone but by the Word of God (Deut. 8:1-3).
Most people are prone to forget the way God has
dealt with them, and they have to learn again the lessons
they’ve forgotten. Some keep a journal and review it regularly,
while others keep a “spiritual diary” in the margins of their
Bible, noting special verses and experiences related to them. A
photograph that may mean little to us conveys treasures of
spiritual truth to the owner who knows why the photo is on the
shelf. However we do it, we need to “nail down” the important
lessons of life and permit them to influence us to walk with God
and obey Him.
When by faith we walk with the Lord, then life is
a school; and the successful pilgrim/students pray with Moses:
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts
unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).
Are you among them?
The Meaning of the Manna
God was not imposing needless rules and
regulations on the Israelites, as we sometimes accuse our
government of doing today. God’s rules always have reasons. The
purpose of God’s provision of manna and for His exacting rules
regarding its collection and use, can be best understood in the
light of the rest of the Bible, beginning with the Book of
Deuteronomy and ending in the Book of Revelation. I will briefly
survey the major references to manna in these texts, and then
summarize their relevance to our lives today.
The temptation of our Lord
(Matt. 4:1‑4; cf. Deut. 8:1‑3). Israel was led into the
wilderness to be tested by God for forty years (Deut. 8:2). Our
Lord was led of God into the wilderness to be tested (including
hunger also) for forty days (Matt. 4:1‑2). At the end of the
forty day period, Satan approached our Lord to tempt Him. The
first attempted temptation
centered around food. Since our Lord was hungry after His forty
day fast, it seemed only logical that He should eat. Satan
challenged Him to prove His deity by satisfying His human need
for food, doing so by the exercise of His divine power.
Our Lord’s answer was to refer Satan to
Deuteronomy chapter 8, which was a theological reflection of
incidents such as that recorded in Exodus chapter 16. The lesson
drawn from Deuteronomy 8 was that one’s physical needs are
secondary to one’s spiritual responsibilities—namely to be
obedient to the will of God. Our Lord’s hunger, like Israel’s,
was the will of God. To satisfy the physical need for food and,
at the same time, to disobey God’s will, was wrong. In point of
fact, Jesus was saying that obedience to the will of God is more
life‑saving for a hungry man than is the eating of bread.
Obedience to the will of God is the basis for survival, and is
of higher priority than the act of eating. The pertinent
principle is this: Submission to the will of God is more
important than the satisfaction of our physical, bodily, needs.
Think about this principle as it helps us to
understand our study of the Book of Exodus. Egypt was the bread
basket of the world, both in the days of Joseph, and in the days
of Moses. When Pharaoh, his officers, and the Egyptians
disobeyed the command of the Lord to “let His people go” that
“bread basket” was virtually emptied. The plagues show the
progressive agricultural and economic devastation of that
nation. Thus, disobedience to the will of God brought the
Egyptians to physical hunger.
On the other hand, the barren desert was no place
to find food, but because the Israelites obeyed God and followed
Moses and the guiding cloud, God provided the hungry Israelites
with a bumper crop of manna, six out of every seven mornings,
for forty years. Disobedience turned a bread basket into an
empty basket. Obedience turned a barren wilderness into a
breadbasket. Submission to the will of God is of higher priority
than the meeting of our physical needs.
The words of our Lord’s prayer in the Sermon
on the Mount (Matt. 6:11). Our Lord
taught His followers to pray,
“Give us today our daily
bread” (Matt. 6:11). Given the backdrop of God’s daily provision
of manna in the wilderness for forty years, it is almost
impossible to conceive of this prayer being unrelated to the
purpose of the giving of the manna in Exodus 16. I would suggest
to you that the divine daily provision of manna in the
wilderness taught the Israelites to look daily to God for their
daily sustenance. The Israelites had to trust God very literally
for their “daily bread.” Those of us who are not living
“hand‑to‑mouth” need to look to God as the source of our life,
whether or not we have a supply of food adequate for the week.
Dependence is a daily matter, and our prayers should demonstrate
this kind of dependence. Whether or not we have a surplus of
goods is not the issue, so much as on whom or what we have our
sense of dependence. As Paul instructed Timothy, “Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor
to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put
their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for
our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17).
The feeding of the five thousand and the
resulting discussion and discourse
(John 6). The crowds had followed our Lord to a desolate place
(dare I say a wilderness? cf. Mark 6:35), where there was no
food available. Our Lord gave them bread and meat (fish) to eat,
just as God had given the Israelites bread and meat (quail) in
the wilderness in Exodus 16. The response of the crowd was to
look to the Lord Jesus to become a “meal ticket” for them for
the rest of their days:
“Sir,” they
said, “from now on give us this bread” (John 6:34). In response,
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will
never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be
thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do
not believe” (John 6:35‑36).
Jesus not only fed the 5,000 to meet their
physical needs, He sought to show them their spiritual needs,
which He had come to supply. Like the manna in the wilderness,
which saved the lives of the Israelites from physical death, He
was the “bread of heaven” (a play on words which goes back to
the manna which God “rained down from heaven,” Exod. 16:4).
Unlike the “bread from heaven” which God gave the Israelites
(the manna), the new “Bread from heaven” would give men eternal
life. Jesus was not only claiming to be bread, but to be better
bread.
If the parallel is not clear enough, we find that
just as the Israelites grumbled in the context of the manna
which God gave in Exodus 16 (and later on, cf. Num. 11, esp. v.
6), so, too the Israelites grumbled about our Lord as the “bread
from heaven”: At this the
Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, “I am the bread
that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). The New
Testament therefore shows us that the “bread of heaven” is the
instrument of God’s salvation. The former “bread of heaven”
preserved men’s physical lives. The final “bread of heaven” is
Him who saves men's souls from eternal death. This He has done
by giving His life as a sacrifice. It is no wonder that one of
the two symbols present at the Lord’s Table which we partake of
each Sunday is bread.
The teaching of the apostle Paul in 1
Corinthians 10 and 2 Corinthians 8:14‑15.
The Corinthian church was a self‑indulgent church. There were
those living in sexual immorality (cf. 1 Cor. 6). The church
even condoned a man living with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5).
Not only was the church self‑indulgent in matters of their
sexual appetites, they were also self‑indulging in the area of
food. Rather than to abstain from certain foods for the benefit
of a weaker brother, some of the Corinthians indulged in the
sumptuous meals which were related to pagan worship and
sacrifice (cf. 1 Cor. 10:14‑33). Even at the Lord’s table, some
did not have sufficient self‑control to wait for those who had
to come later (1 Cor. 11:17‑34). In taking a public role in the
worship meeting of the church, many indulged themselves to the
exclusion of others, depriving the church of edification (1 Cor.
14).
Paul speaks to the Corinthian self‑indulgence by
turning their attention back to the exodus of the Israelites:
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren,
that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed
through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud
and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all
drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a
spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not well‑pleased; for
they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened
as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as
they also craved. And do not be idolaters, as some of them were;
as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and
stood up to play.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them
did, and twenty‑three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try
the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the
serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed
by the destroyer (1 Cor. 10:1‑10).
I would suggest that while there is much more
referred to here than just the events of Exodus chapter 16,
there is a common theme, a common element—that of
self‑indulgence in matters of the physical appetites. That is
why the verses immediately preceding this section pertain to the
self‑discipline required of the Christian (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24‑27).
The manna which God provided in abundance in the
wilderness provided the Israelites with the opportunity of
over‑indulging, but God’s commands pertaining to the harvesting
and use of it prohibited such excesses. The manna was thus given
to give God’s people a lesson in self-restraint. When Paul
refers to the “spiritual food” of the Israelites, he does so in
the context of self‑control, and no wonder. That is what manna
was all about—self‑control.
The warnings and promises to the church at
Pergamum (Revelation 2:12‑17). The
church at Pergamum had fallen into an error which our Lord
referred to as “the teaching of Balaam” (v. 14). We know from
the context that this involved “things sacrificed to idols,” and
“acts of immorality,” the very same evils as were present in the
Corinthian church (see above). To those who were faithful and
would be overcomers, our Lord gave this promise, “To him who
overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna” (Rev. 2:17).
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