The Leading and the Resources

The Leading and the Resources
Exodus 16: 2-15 (September 21, 2008)

1) The Text

2The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The 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.” 4Then 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. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” 8And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but” against the Lord.

9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’“ 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’“

13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When 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."

2) The Context

In the description in the Book of Exodus, manna is described as appearing each morning after the dew had gone, while in the description in the Book of Numbers, manna arrived with the dew during the night; the Book of Exodus adds that manna was comparable to hoarfrost in size, and similarly had to be collected before it was melted by the heat of the sun. According to the Biblical description, manna resembled coriander seed; in the Book of Exodus, manna is described as being white in color, while the Book of Numbers describes it as being the same color as bdellium (an aromatic gum like myrrh that is exuded from a tree). According to the Book of Numbers, the Israelites ground it up and pounded it into cakes, which were then baked, resulting in something that tasted like olive oil; the Book of Exodus states that it tasted like wafers that had been made with honey. The Israelites were instructed to only eat the manna they had gathered for each day, for leftovers or storing any up for the following day resulted in manna that "bred worms and stank". The exception to this occurrence was the day before the Sabbath when twice the amount of manna was gathered, which did not spoil overnight.


3) Interpretation

The great affirmation of the people in Exodus 14:31 is not carried through, in that they believed, having seen how God rescued them from Egypt, but not enough to trust God when things get hard (Exodus 15:22-25, 16:1-36). Certainly, it would be scary in the wilderness if food was scarce, but it didn't take long for the murmurings to start with a very one-sided memory of Egypt. Moses confronts them with the fact that their murmurings are not against he and Aaron but against the Lord. This is their greatest sin, their lack of trust in God. Again, this provision of food from God will remind them who rescued them from Egypt.

At the point the people turn towards the glory of the Lord in the wilderness, they turn their faces away from Egypt. They needed to refocus on what was the important thing in their lives as we do at times when our focus in is other directions. The wilderness which began to feel to the Israelites as a place of death has become a place in which God nurtures and cares for them. It is interesting to reflect how the constant themes of God as redeemer and creator are present in these passages.

As Christians we are aware that this need to know who we are in the midst of a pluralistic society is just as crucial for us today. However, as people are finding there have to be a variety of ways to meet and know where we have come from and where we are going, not simply rely on Sunday worship. While Exodus 16:31-36 is not part of the reading, the keeping of the manna for future testimony to the presence of God, has parallels in our communion in which the bread and wine are testimony to the presence of God in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The naturalness of the manna and quail is testimony to how God is present in the ordinary. We can easily forget about God who is present in the ordinary as well as in the miraculous. However, in the case of the wilderness neither the quail nor the manna were present before the people complained to Moses and Aaron, and their appearance and instructions regarding the amount to be taken come into the area of the miraculous.

People sometimes seem to feel like they are in a wilderness. They long to return to the good ole days. God ignores the wilderness wanderers’ similar longings and, instead, gives them instructions and substance by which at least to survive the rest of their journey. Surely, this passage promises us the same blessings. When we experience what we think we need, God leads us on and supplies us with resources to continue. When we think it’s time to throw in the towel, God has other and far better ideas about going on. God provides for us the leading and the resources for continuing. God promises to provide the where with all to keep on keeping on. Providence means God leads us on and supplies us with what we need to carry on.


4) Thought Exercise

How does God lead and provide resources to you in your life?

How does God lead and provide resources to our congregation?