When the people complained God provided - this shows His mercy and grace toward sinful people.
It's important to consider what God provided and how they were to go about getting it:
WHAT - Numbers 11:7-8 says it was a seed-like substance where people would grind it, crush it, and work it into something they could bake. God's provision becomes our nourishment through WORK!
WHERE - God would drop it outside the camp - they had to go gather it! It didn't drop into their tents as a nice hot loaf of bread - it required work on their part. They had to go get it.
WHEN - They had to get it in the morning cuz it was gone by noon. Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek Me while I may be found." If we want God's nourishment then we need to get out of our place of comfort early in the morning and find Him!
HOW - They were to gather it daily, not hording anything for tomorrow. In this way God would teach them to live by faith and to trust Him for their "daily" bread. God was also teaching them that He was their provider, because when they grumbled against Moses they said "he" brought them out of Egypt, but God was now showing that it was GOD that brought them out.
WHO - God's people got it. Not the Egyptians or any surrounding countries. Those who choose to follow the Lord will find nourishment in the midst of a dessert!
Working in the Wilderness
How God used manna to teach people to work
February 5, 2014 • Benham Brothers
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